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WHAT CHANGES IN SWITZERLAND

Everything that changes in Switzerland in May 2024

From new cross-border traffic rules to days off work, here are the changes to know about in Switzerland in May 2024.

Published: 25 April 2024 12:21 CEST
Updated: 1 May 2024 06:33 CEST
Everything that changes in Switzerland in May 2024
Switzerland and Germany will fine each other's speeders. Photo by K8 on Unsplash

May 1st : Labour Day

Like many other countries, Switzerland is celebrating Labour Day on May 1st (which has nothing to do with the Labor Day in the United States, which falls on the first Monday of September).

In Switzerland, it is also known as International Workers’ Day and May Day, and is mostly marked by trade unions and left-leaning groups.

It is not, however, a public holiday throughout Switzerland— it is celebrated in some cantons but not in others.

It is a holiday in Zurich, Basel–City, Basel–Country, Jura, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Thurgau and Ticino.

In Aargau and Solothurn, people are usually given a half day off (from noon).

READ ALSO: Why is May 1st not a public holiday everywhere in Switzerland?

May 1st: Switzerland and Germany agree on fining each other’s motorists

Until now, fines that German drivers got in countries outside the EU (including Switzerland) were not enforceable.

But a new police treaty between the two countries, which will enter in force on May 1st, stipulates that German motorists fined in Switzerland for traffic violations will soon be required to pay the fine in Germany — and vice-versa.

The new regulation applies if the fine imposed exceeds 70 euros or 80 francs.
 
In Switzerland, these thresholds are reached quickly: exceeding the speed limit of 20 km per hour on the motorway already costs 180 francs (184.30 euros), and even more on secondary roads. In Germany, of this type of offence costs 60 euros.

READ ALSO: The dos and don’ts of driving in Switzerland

May 2nd: Zurich launches its cannabis test phase
 
After the cities of Basel, Zurich and Lausanne, the canton of Zurich will launch the controlled sale of cannabis on May 2nd.

With 7,500 participants expected, it is the largest pilot project of this type in Switzerland.
 
May 9th : Ascension Day

Thursday May 9th will mark the Ascension Day, which is a national public holiday in Switzerland.  

While the following day, Friday the 10th, is not a public holiday — that is, stores and most other businesses operate as usual — schools and some offices remain closed until Monday.

May 15th: Tax time in Bern

The tax deadline in Switzerland was on March 31st.

But residents of Bern who filed for extension must send in their tax declarations by May 15th.

The six other cantons with tax extension deadline in May (the 30th to be exact) are  Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Luzern, Schwyz, St. Gallen, Uri, and Valais.

May 19th: Pentecost —Whit Monday

Following closely after Ascension is Whit Monday, a religious observance also called Pentecost, taking place on May19th. 

It is national holiday, except in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Soloturn, Valais, and Zug.

Also in May: remaining Swiss ski resorts close

While most resorts shut down already, some, located at high altitudes, remain operational.
They will, however, officially end their ski seasons in May:

They include Ischgl/​Samnaun – Silvretta Arena (to close May 1st), as well as Titlis – Engelberg, and Adelboden (May 5th),

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For members

CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

Scores of foreign residents have received an email recently telling them their residency rights in Switzerland have been revoked.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:17 CEST
Updated: 2 May 2024 15:04 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

A number of foreign nationals, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, have received an official-looking letter, purportedly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) informing them that the Free Movement of People agreement between Switzerland and the EU has been nullified, and therefore “your residence permit is no longer valid.”

Faced with enquiries from concerned recipients, SEM responded that the letter is fake, advising recipients to ignore it and, above all, not to click on the QR code on the top.

“Fake letters from the SEM have been circulating since the beginning of this week,” the immigration authority said on its website as well as on X (formerly Twitter).  

“The letter has no impact on the recipient’s  residence status,” SEM added.

Fake jobs, real threats

However, this is only the latest scam perpetrated in the name of SEM.

There have been others in the past.

For instance, many foreigners have also received emails from addresses swissimmigration@consultant or eu_immigration@consultant, that pretend to be the Swiss immigration authority.

“In most cases, a fictitious job in the hotel industry is offered, with the senders demanding payment of 300 to 1,000 euros for a permit in Switzerland and for health and accident insurance,” SEM reported.

The first clue that this email doesn’t come from  SEM, which is part of Switzerland’s government, is that it is asking for payment in euros. If the scammers were smarter, they’d demand Swiss francs.

“These e-mails do not come from the SEM and should be considered as an attempt at fraud,” the agency said. 

Extortion attempt

And a few years ago, a number of foreigners received emails coming allegedly from SEM, Swiss border control authorities, or even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).

They threatened to revoke the victim’s residence permit or even expel them from the country altogether if they didn’t pay a certain sum of money into an anonymous account.

Needless to say, no government authority would ever resort to blackmail or demand payment for such ‘services’.

So a good rule to remember (for foreigners and Swiss alike) is that if threats and pressure are involved, letters / emails / phone calls ( WhatsUp messages are more than likely scams.
 
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of 

Don’t respond

SEM as well as police urge everyone contacted by scammers, by whatever means to:

  • Ignore these messages by hanging up the phone and / or deleting emails, moving them to the Spam folder
  • Never give out your credit card number or bank account information to people you don’t know
  • If you did give your card number, contact your credit card company immediately to have the card blocked. Likewise, if you gave out your banking details, get in touch with your bank.
  • In the event of threats of extortion attempts, consider filing a criminal complaint. You can search for police stations in your area on the Police website. 
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