Registering with the Gemeinde and Swiss house rules: bin bags, laundry rotas and quiet Sundays
In Zurich the paperwork is quick but strict, and the house rules matter more than you'd think. Get both right and your Swiss neighbours will be perfectly charming.
The short version
- You must register with the city of Zurich within 14 days of moving in, and you can only register once you've actually moved [1].
- Arrivals from abroad register in person at the Personenmeldeamt Süd, by appointment only, with the whole family present [1].
- Household rubbish goes in the official blue Züri-Sack, which you buy in shops; the price includes the city's waste fee [2].
- Glass and tins go to street collection points from Monday to Saturday, 7am to 8pm, and never on Sundays or public holidays [3].
- Quiet hours are set locally, but night rest usually runs from 10pm to 7am, with Sundays and public holidays kept quiet all day [4].
Registering: your first job
In Switzerland, everyone registers where they live. Your commune (Gemeinde) is the city of Zurich if you live in the city, or one of the surrounding communes such as Kilchberg or Dübendorf if you don't, each with its own residents' office (Einwohnerkontrolle). The rules here are for the city.
The city says you must register within 14 days, and only once you've actually moved in [1]. Some Swiss communes accept moves online through eUmzugCH, but that's for moves within Switzerland [1]. Coming from abroad, you must book an appointment and register in person at the Personenmeldeamt Süd. Without an appointment, they can't register you, and every family member must attend [1]. Older guides may tell you to go to your local Kreisbüro; for arrivals from abroad, the city now sends you to the Personenmeldeamt.
What happens next
- Book your appointment on the city's online booking system as soon as you have a moving-in date [1].
- Bring your papers. Expect to need your passport, your tenancy agreement and the permit assurance or approval your employer received. Check the list when you book.
- Register. The city records your address and passes your details on.
- Biometrics. You then get an appointment at the cantonal Migrationsamt for fingerprints and a photo, and your permit card arrives by post [5].
- Health insurance. From registration, you have three months to join a Swiss health insurer. Join in time and cover is backdated to your registration day; miss it and there's a late fee [1].
Registering with the city doesn't sort out your utilities. Tell the electricity company ewz and the water supplier yourself, so the meters are read before you move in [1]. Dogs over three months old must be registered with the city police's dog register within ten days [1]. The self-employed must register directly with SVA Zürich for social security [1].
If you need help, the city runs a free Welcome Desk in the Stadthaus at Stadthausquai 17, with information in English [6]. Moving out works the same way in reverse: you deregister before you leave.
Rubbish: the blue Züri-Sack
Back home the council takes your black bags for free (well, for your council tax). In Zurich you pay per bag. Household rubbish must go in the official blue Züri-Sack, sold in most shops [2]. The price includes a fixed waste fee set by the city, plus the shop's own costs and margin [2].
| Bag size | City fee per bag (excl. VAT) | Shop price for a roll, June 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 17 litres | CHF 0.63 (about 57p) | CHF 7.99–10.95 for 10 (about £7.30–10) |
| 35 litres | CHF 1.30 (about £1.18) | CHF 15.45–19.95 for 10 (about £14–18) |
| 60 litres | CHF 2.22 (about £2.02) | CHF 13.49–16.00 for 5 (about £12.30–14.60) |
| 110 litres | CHF 4.07 (about £3.71) | CHF 23.49–29.95 for 5 (about £21.40–27.30) |
Fees and prices from the city of Zurich [2]. Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = CHF 1.0976). There's also a 10-litre bag for households that recycle religiously [2].
Put rubbish in the wrong bag, or leave it out on the wrong day, and you risk a hefty fine. The city also invites residents to report illegal dumping on its "Züri wie neu" platform [7].
Recycling: what goes where
Recycling is free, and that's the whole point: the more you separate, the fewer bags you buy. The city's own guidance sorts it like this [3][8][9]:
- Glass bottles and jars, tins and small metal: the city's roughly 160 collection points (Wertstoff-Sammelstellen). Rinse bottles, take lids off, and put blue and red glass in with the green. Drinking glasses don't go here; a single broken glass goes in the Züri-Sack [3].
- Paper: collected free every two weeks. Tie it in bundles and put it out at the kerb before 7am on collection day. Not in paper bags or cardboard boxes, which fall apart in the rain [9].
- PET drinks bottles: back to the shop or a PET container. Other plastic can go in special paid-for collection sacks or the Züri-Sack [8].
- Batteries, paint, aerosol cans and medicines: special waste. Take it back to the shop or to the city's special waste collection, free up to 20 kg a person a year [8].
- Furniture, electrical goods and big metal items: the mobile recycling centre in your neighbourhood (free) or the recycling centres at Looächer and Werdhölzli [8].
Collection points are open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 8pm. The city asks you not to use them at night or on Sundays and public holidays, and "the neighbourhood thanks you" [3]. Clinking a bag of empties into the bottle bank on a Sunday morning is about the quickest way to meet the neighbours for the wrong reasons. The city's free ERZ app and personal collection calendar tell you the dates for your postcode [8].
The laundry rota
Most rented flats in Zurich don't have their own washing machine. Instead there's a shared laundry room (Waschküche) in the basement, with a rota or booking system set out in your building's house rules (Hausordnung). You get your slot, you use it, and you clean the lint filter afterwards. Leave your washing in the machine past your slot, or take someone else's day, and expect a polite but pointed note. Ask your landlord or caretaker for the house rules on day one.
Quiet hours and Sundays
Swiss communes set noise rules in their police regulations, and buildings add their own house rules [4]. The usual pattern, according to the Swiss noise information site Lärm.ch, is [4]:
| Rest period | Usual hours |
|---|---|
| Midday rest | About 12 noon to 1pm |
| Evening rest, weekdays | From about 7pm or 8pm |
| Evening rest, Saturdays | From about 5pm or 6pm |
| Night rest | About 10pm to 7am |
| Sundays and public holidays | Quiet all day |
So no DIY, lawn-mowing or drilling on a Sunday, and keep the late-night parties sensible. Check your own Hausordnung for the exact times in your building. It's less "Keep Calm and Carry On" and more "Keep Calm, Especially on Sundays".
New in town and baffled by the bin rota? Our community group for Brits in Switzerland has seen every recycling question there is.
Sources
- Stadt Zürich: Neu in Zürich – Erste Schritte (checked 7 November 2026)
- Stadt Zürich: Züri-Sack (prices as at June 2025)
- Stadt Zürich: Wertstoff-Sammelstellen (checked 7 November 2026)
- Lärm.ch: Alltagslärm (checked 7 November 2026)
- Canton of Zurich: Aufenthalt mit Erwerbstätigkeit für Drittstaatsangehörige (22 September 2026)
- Stadt Zürich: Information in English (checked 7 November 2026)
- Stadt Zürich: Wo und wann entsorgen (checked 7 November 2026)
- Stadt Zürich: Korrekt entsorgen (checked 7 November 2026)
- Stadt Zürich: Papiersammlung (checked 7 November 2026)