4) Preparing your stay (before arrival)
Citizens of Switzerland, the European Union or EFTA states
You do not require a visa for Switzerland and therefore need to do nothing in this regard before your arrival. It is sufficient to show a passport or identity card and the confirmation of acceptance when entering Switzerland.
Citizens of other countries
You must check with the Swiss Embassy / Consulate whether you need a visa for Switzerland (see external pagevisa checkcall_made) . You are responsible for determining whether you need a visa and, if applicable, for obtaining the visa; you will receive detailed information about the visa application process and the necessary official confirmation from us if your application to ETH is successful. Note that the process of obtaining a student visa will take up to three months, so a timely application for your visa is essential.
Do not enter Switzerland with a tourist visa. (A tourist visa allows you to travel to Switzerland as a tourist for a short stay, but not to study and to take up residence.)
You will need a proof of sufficient financial needs for your visa.
Any questions regarding the visa requirements or process must be addressed directly by the respective Swiss embassy / consulate abroad.
You must provide evidence that you have sufficient financial means to support yourself in Switzerland, i.e. CHF 1,750 per month for the entire duration of your stay.
What you can use:
- Bank statement: The Migration Office of the canton of Zurich only accept bank statements from external pagebanks domiciled in Switzerlandcall_made (a Swiss bank or a foreign bank with a branch in Switzerland). The account must be registered in your own name and the account balance must be stated in Swiss Francs, Euros, or US Dollars either on the bank statement or in an additional letter from the bank. Important: Even large and internationally active banks are not accepted if they have not branches in Switzerland.
- Scholarship or grant confirmation: If you receive a scholarship or grant from an external source, you can use a letter of award. Make sure it includes your name. Scholarship or grant confirmations can also be combined with bank statements, e.g. if the scholarship covers only a partial amount. We recommend the amount to be stated in Swiss Francs, Euros, or US Dollars as we cannot confirm whether other currencies will be accepted.
- Letter from parents (EU/EFTA citizens only): You may hand in a letter from your parents that confirms that they will support you with CHF 1,750 per month. The Student Exchange Office does not provide any templates.
- Guarantee Declaration from a Swiss resident: If you know someone who is staying in Switzerland (Swiss citizen or foreigner with a B or C residence permit), an alternative may be to submit a so-called “guarantee declaration”. A solvent person residing in Switzerland must guarantee with a form to cover the uncovered costs that the community may incur as a result of your stay in Switzerland up to an amount of CHF 21,000 for a full year, i.e. CHF 1,750 per month. The form will be sent to you by the Migration Office of the canton of Zurich if they did not accept the financial proof submitted with your visa application.
When you need it:
- If you require visa for Switzerland: together with your visa application
- If you do not require a visa for Switzerland: when you apply for your residence permit, i.e. after arrival
Any questions regarding the proof of sufficient financial means must be addressed directly to the respective Swiss embassy / consulate abroad.
If you are already living in Switzerland
Contact the residents' registration office (“Einwohnerkontrolle”):
- to de-register at the old and to register at the new domicile
- or to register as weekly resident (“Wochenaufenthalter”)
If you are already living in Switzerland, we assume that you have Swiss health insurance and do not need further information on this. If this is not the case, go to the tab "Health insurance".
The information provided below this point is probably relevant for you so read it carefully.
If you are not already living in Switzerland
No special preparation is required in advance. The information provided below this point is probably relevant for you so read it carefully.
Residence permit
You should already have a valid residence permit in Switzerland. Click here if you do not already have one.
You have two options.
- "Wochenaufenthalt": You keep your current address and move to another place near ETH Zurich during the week, commuting back and forth at the weekends. You extend your residence permit in the canton of your home university for the duration of your mobility stay and keep your current address. Once you have arrived in Zurich, you apply for a so called “Wochenaufenthalt”.
- Change of canton: You give up your current address and move permanently to another canton near ETH Zurich.
- As an EU/EFTA citizen: As an EU/EFTA citizen: Your residence permit is valid for the whole of Switzerland. You do not need to apply for a change of canton, but you must register with the residents' registration office when you begin at ETH.
- As a non-EU/EFTA citizen: Your residence permit is only valid in the canton that issued it. If you want to move to another canton, i.e. give up your current address and move to a new one near ETH Zurich, you must apply at least three months in advance for a “Kantonswechsel” (change of canton). external pageSend the following documents to the Migration Office of the canton of Zurich using their online contact formcall_made (only available in German).
- Cover letter (subject: “Gesuch um Kantonswechsel”). Explain in detail why you have to move to Zürich and include your plans after your mobility stay.
- Copy of your current residence permit
- Copy of your confirmation of acceptance as a mobility student at ETH
- Proof of sufficient financial means (at least CHF 1750 per month)
- Additional case-specific documents / information may be required after the application.
- Cover letter (subject: “Gesuch um Kantonswechsel”). Explain in detail why you have to move to Zürich and include your plans after your mobility stay.
- As an EU/EFTA citizen: As an EU/EFTA citizen: Your residence permit is valid for the whole of Switzerland. You do not need to apply for a change of canton, but you must register with the residents' registration office when you begin at ETH.
After your mobility stay at ETH: If you wish to stay in Switzerland or in a country where you are neither a citizen nor a permanent resident after your Swiss residence permit for your mobility stay at ETH expires, you must enquire about the correct procedure at least three months prior to the expiry of your Swiss residence permit.
Health insurance
- Weekly residents ("Wochenaufenthalter"): You may keep the health insurance you have in your canton of residence. Make however sure that you are covered also in the canton of Zurich.
- Change of canton: You are required to be covered from day one in the canton of Zurich. There are various options according to whether you have an European health insurance card or not. Visit our webpage for further information. The coverage must have no interruptions.
- Personal liability insurance is optional.
- ETH is covered against material damage but is subject to a high deductible. If damage to installations or equipment is caused by the gross negligence of a student (e.g. during lab work, research or thesis projects) ETH can require the responsible person to cover the damage, wholly or partially.
- ETH urgently advises its students to take out personal liability insurance to cover this risk. This insures them against personal and material damage caused to third parties. It also protects them against potentially expensive risk outside ETH (e.g. tenant damage, damage to third parties in accidents, etc.). It is not mandatory but highly advisable. Insurance premiums are lower than the costs of potential damage.
- Personal liability insurance is frequently offered in combination with household insurance. Household insurance covers fire and water damage within the household and – depending on the insurance contract – also theft and other things. This type of insurance is highly recommendable for students who own valuable objects (e.g. laptops, instruments, bicycles, etc.).
- Some landlords insist on seeing evidence of your personal liability insurance to conclude a rental contract.
Housing Office of University Zurich and ETH
Note: Project mobility students are not eligible for rooms reserved for incoming exchange students.
WOKO (Student Housing Cooperative Zurich)
Search for accommodation when in Zurich
Because most people will want to meet potential tenants or flatmates before signing a contract, it can be easier to find accommodation in person. Stay in a hostel or hotel first when arriving and look for an accommodation on-site. In addition to searching online, you can also use the many notice boards in the main buildings of ETH and UZH as well as in large shops such as Coop and Migros.
Open housing market
Conditions vary greatly (with or without furniture, cooking facilities, cleaning, internet, etc.). Consider your needs and budget and address any unclear points before deciding on accommodation. In Zurich, the demand is very high, supply is limited, and rents are correspondingly high.
Look outside of the city of Zurich
With the reliable public transport system, you can easily and quickly get to ETH from most surrounding communities – plus, the rent is often lower outside the city. This is particularly true for the north and west of Zurich, e.g. Dietikon, Dübendorf, Opfikon, Wallisellen, Winterthur, which are still part of the canton of Zurich. Residence in the canton of Zurich is recommended. (Note: The information you will receive regarding your residence permit, visa, and health insurance is only valid for the canton of Zurich; see below.)
Mobility students in D-BSSE in Basel (canton of Basel-Stadt)
Download vertical_align_bottom Consult the fact sheet (PDF, 173 KB)Those costs depend strongly on personal lifestyle, so the following information is only a rough guideline.
The immigration authorities of canton Zurich identify a sum of CHF 1750 per month as necessary. This sum does not include individual expenses for clothes, leisure, telephone, contingencies. (Students of the D-BSSE can find the amount of the Basel authorities in the fact sheet below.) Accommodation is usually the biggest cost item due to the high demand and very limited supply.
Mobility students do not pay ETH's tuition fees.
Supervisors' scholarship for mobility students (incoming) for research projects, Bachelor's or Master's theses
Departments have their own financial resources which they dispose independently. You may contact your supervising professor to enquire about the possibility of a scholarship from their funds.
General tip
Ask your home university, foundations in your home country and your government, if scholarships are available for studying abroad.
No scholarship from the Student Exchange Office
The Student Exchange Office does not offer any scholarships.
If you have applied within the deadline, you will receive your ETH user account and your ETH student email address electronically in due time. You will find the initial password for your user account in Mobility-Online. (It is not sent via email for data security reasons.) Therefore, make sure that you have your Mobility-Online user account (which will not change).
If you have applied late, the timeline for various processes may differ, e.g. instructions or logins may be sent at very short notice or even delayed.
You will then have to enrol online in myStudies with your ETH user account. After enrolment, you must register your research project. Detailed instructions will be sent to your ETH email address. Here you can already find a Downloadmanual (PDF, 118 KB)vertical_align_bottom.
Before enrolling online, ensure that your postal address in myStudies is correct and that you always keep it up-to-date.
ETH has a "bring your own device" policy and recommends to have a laptop available which meets these requirements.
Information provided by the Student Exchange Office concerning visas, residence permits, and health insurances only apply to mobility students who live and study in the canton of Zurich.
The Student Exchange Office cannot assist mobility students not living in the canton of Zurich or the canton of Basel-Stadt with respective questions.
- Mobility students in D-BSSE in Basel (canton Basel-Stadt) should consult the Downloadseparate fact sheet (PDF, 173 KB)vertical_align_bottom.
- Mobility students with a place of residence or place of study in another canton are responsible on their own to clarify the necessary conditions, carry out the respective formalities and respect the regulations that are applicable.
Project mobility students are in principle allowed to participate in language courses. However, participation is only possible if the courses fall into the duration of your project period. Check carefully with your supervisor whether there is sufficient time to participate besides your project.
The Language Center of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich offers intensive German courses two weeks before the start of the semester, as well as semester courses. Pre-registration on the website of the Language Center is necessary (note the deadlines). Course fees apply and in addition, there may be a charge for copies and other course materials.
Questions?
Consult the FAQ first and – if you cannot find the information – use the contact form for project mobility students.