October 1st: Less stringent ‘Secondary Residences Act’ comes into force
New rules will apply to homes and buildings constructed before the national vote on the Secondary Residences Initiative, held in 2012.
The Federal Act on Secondary Residences (LRS), which came into force in January 2016 as a result of this referendum, prohibits the construction of new second homes in municipalities where the proportion of secondary residences exceeds 20 percent.
However, it provides for special rules for dwellings built under the old law — that is, houses that existed legally before the referendum on second homes was held in 2012.
Under the law that comes into force on October 1st, owners of these ‘old’ dwellings are not subject to restrictions imposed in 2016, which means their properties can be demolished, rebuilt, renovated, sold or rented — unless the cantonal legislation provides for stricter rules.
READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland are most second homes located?
October 1st: New tobacco law
The Ordinance on Tobacco Products and E-Cigarettes, which the Federal Council adopted on August 28th, will come into force on October 1st, at the same time as the Tobacco Products Act.
The latter aims to protect the population, particularly minors, from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine consumption.
In addition to traditional cigarettes, the Act also regulates e-cigarettes and other products containing tobacco and nicotine. Protection against passive smoking now applies to all product categories.
October 1st: New waste bag is introduced to close a gap in recycling system
Switzerland has recycling bins for all kinds of materials, except for milk and fruit juice cartons, as well as plastic packaging for salads, yogurts, and other foods — all of which still end up in ‘regular’ trash.
But from October 1st, consumers across Switzerland will be able to dispose of significantly more packaging waste, which will be processed into recycled material.
The organisation called RecyPac is planning a Switzerland-wide collection of beverage cartons and other plastic packaging that currently ends up in conventional waste.
The effort is backed by retail chains like Migros, Coop, Lidl, Aldi and Spar.
Specifically, RecyPac will provide uniform collection bags to retailers throughout Switzerland, which will be cheaper than the taxed (cantonal) bag in most areas.
Throughout October: Autumn school holidays
The autumn school break in most Swiss cantons falls some time in October, and lasts either one or two weeks, depending on canton.
This calendar shows when public schools will be off, and for how long, in each canton.
Sometime in October: Health insurance carriers will inform you of 2025 rates
This time is probably the most feared period for Switzerland’s residents — except possibly for tax time.
You already know that health insurance premiums for the compulsory health insurance (KVG / LaMal) will rise again in 2025, though not exactly by how much.
READ ALSO: How much will your Swiss health insurance premiums increase by in 2025?
This will be revealed soon: the exact rates must be communicated to policyholders no later than October 31st — though you will likely get the letter from your provider before that date.
A reminder: all those who wish to switch to a cheaper insurance in 2025 must do so by November 30th.
October 27th: Daylight Saving Time ends
A sure sign that the warm and sunny weather is over is having to wind the clocks back ahead of the coming winter.
On Sunday, October 27th, clocks in Switzerland will be turned back one hour at 3 am.
This means that sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier.
The good news is that we all get an extra hour of sleep. The bad news is that it’s going to get darker earlier in the morning and evening.
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