Vaud relocation checklist
Lausanne • French • Updated August 2026
The clock starts the day you move into your Vaud address: you have 14 days to register at the Contrôle des habitants (commune) + SPOP for the permit, and your permit file only moves once that registration exists. This page is the working order of operations — 8 steps, each with the deadline that applies in Vaud, the office that actually handles it, and what it usually costs. Capital: Lausanne. Permits are issued by the Service de la population (SPOP) in Lausanne.
Vaud · free tool
See what you'd actually pay in tax in Vaud
Tax calculator — pre-filled for Vaud. No signup.
First 90 days in Vaud
- 1
Build a dossier in French: extrait des poursuites, 3 fiches de salaire, attestation employeur, copie du permis, courte lettre de motivation
- Deadline
- Before arrival
- Responsible office
- You / previous commune (Extrait du registre des poursuites)
- Typical fee
- Extrait du registre des poursuites ~CHF 17
- 2
Register at the Contrôle des habitants of your commune within 14 days (Lausanne, Pully, Morges, Nyon etc. all have their own counter)
- Deadline
- Within 14 days of arrival
- Responsible office
- Contrôle des habitants (commune) + SPOP for the permit
- Typical fee
- ~CHF 20–60, varies by commune
- 3
Apply for your permit at the Service de la population (SPOP) in Lausanne
- Deadline
- At/around registration
- Responsible office
- Service de la population (SPOP) in Lausanne
- Typical fee
- Set by the cantonal migration office — check its website for the current amount
- 4
Pick a KVG/LAMal insurer within 3 months and check OVAM subsidy eligibility — Vaud subsidies are generous
- Deadline
- Within 3 months, backdated to arrival
- Responsible office
- Any KVG/LAMal insurer · priminfo.admin.ch
- Typical fee
- Premium varies by insurer, model and franchise
- 5
Open a Swiss bank account — Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV) is the local default
- Deadline
- First 2 weeks (needed for salary and rent)
- Responsible office
- Any Swiss bank — cantonal bank, PostFinance or a digital bank
- Typical fee
- CHF 0–5/month account fee
- 6
Get a Mobilis abonnement (Lausanne agglomeration) or a Léman Pass if you commute to Geneva
- Deadline
- Before your first commuting month
- Responsible office
- SBB · regional transport network
- Typical fee
- Halbtax CHF 190/year · GA 2nd class from CHF 3,995/year
- 7
Above CHF 120k gross, file a regular declaration with VaudTax
- Deadline
- Filed the spring after the tax year (extensions on request)
- Responsible office
- Cantonal tax administration
- Typical fee
- Free to file
- 8
If you have kids, contact the Etablissement scolaire of your commune — primary school placement is sectorised
- Deadline
- Once your registration is confirmed
- Responsible office
- Your commune / the relevant cantonal office
- Typical fee
- Varies — usually free to enquire
Pick your stage in Vaud
Deadlines that start counting the day you land.
The weeks before your move — paperwork and housing.
Permits, budget and canton choice before you commit.
Schools, family reunification and partner work rights.
Company setup, AHV registration and VAT thresholds.
Student permit, insurance exemptions and part-time work.
Taxes, housing and insurance in Vaud
Budget-wise, Vaud sits at roughly 25.5% combined income tax on CHF 100,000 gross, with adult health insurance averaging about CHF 420/month. The full breakdown — commune-level tax spread, rents, insurance and where to live — is in the Moving to Vaud guide.
Vaud · free tool
Calculate your net salary after Vaud cantonal tax
Salary calculator — pre-filled for Vaud. No signup.
Keep reading
All 26 canton checklists
- Zurich Checklist
- Geneva Checklist
- Basel-Stadt Checklist
- Basel-Landschaft Checklist
- Bern Checklist
- Vaud Checklist
- Zug Checklist
- Lucerne Checklist
- Ticino Checklist
- Aargau Checklist
- St. Gallen Checklist
- Thurgau Checklist
- Schwyz Checklist
- Nidwalden Checklist
- Obwalden Checklist
- Uri Checklist
- Glarus Checklist
- Schaffhausen Checklist
- Appenzell Ausserrhoden Checklist
- Appenzell Innerrhoden Checklist
- Graubünden Checklist
- Fribourg Checklist
- Solothurn Checklist
- Neuchâtel Checklist
- Valais Checklist
- Jura Checklist
Vaud is set as your canton, so checklists and tools across HowToSwiss now use its rates.