🇨🇭 Living in Switzerland: Expat Guides
Essential guides for expats and cross-border workers in Switzerland: work permits, housing, healthcare, taxes, and Switzerland-France commuting.
Essential Guides
France's New Lease Template From 1 October 2026: What Changes for Landlords and Tenants
From 1 October 2026, every residential lease signed or renewed in France must follow an updated official template. The change comes from Décret n° 2026-596 of 6 July 2026. It is a short text, and most of a lease stays exactly as it was. But one clause is now written by the State word for word, and a lease drafted from an old model will no longer match. This guide explains what changed, what did not, and what to check before you sign.
Declaring your nanny or cleaner every month: CESU and Pajemploi
Employing someone at home in France comes down, month after month, to a single act: **the declaration**. Get the service right, the window right and the figures right, and the payslip, the contributions and the CAF payment all follow. Get any of the three wrong and you are chasing a missing *complément* or arguing about hours nobody wrote down. Here is how the month works — and where it usually goes wrong for a first-time employer.
What a nanny or childminder really costs in France (2026)
Hiring someone to look after your children at home — or entrusting them to an **assistante maternelle** — makes you an employer under the **convention collective IDCC 3239**. That convention, not the market, sets the floor: a minimum hourly rate, a formula that turns it into the same salary every month, and a set of allowances that are not salary at all. Here is what each piece costs, with the article it comes from, as it stands since **1 June 2026**.
Ending a nanny or cleaner contract in France: the 13 documents, who writes which, and what CESU still does for you
A household contract in France ends on paper. Between the first registered letter and the last payslip, a nanny, cleaner or home carer and the family that employs them exchange a dozen written documents, each attached to an article of the collective agreement for household employers (**CCN IDCC 3239**), and four more come out of the **CESU or Pajemploi** account. This walkthrough lists the 13 documents now available on AdminLanding's home-employment page, states which party writes each one, when, and who receives it, and separates them from the URSSAF documents that the platform deliberately leaves to CESU and Pajemploi.
Ending your nanny's or cleaner's contract in France: notice, indemnity and the CESU documents (CCN 3239)
**Updated 27/08/2026** — the 13 end-of-contract documents and the shared calendar are live on AdminLanding (since 04/10/2026 the documents come with the AdminLanding membership); the trial-period and notice-waiver rules were added. You are moving back, the children have started school, or the household budget has changed: the contract with your nanny, cleaner or home carer is coming to an end. In France, a household employer paying through **CESU or Pajemploi is a real employer**, and the end of the contract follows a written procedure with its own deadlines, notice periods and an indemnity. The rules come from the collective agreement for household employers (**IDCC 3239**), not from the general dismissal chapter of the Labour Code. Here is the sequence, article by article, and the documents both parties will hold at the end.
Working for a family in France: your rights when the contract ends (nanny, carer, cleaner, assistant maternel)
**Updated 27/08/2026** — the 13 end-of-contract documents and the shared calendar are live on AdminLanding (since 04/10/2026 the documents come with the AdminLanding membership, which covers both parties); the trial-period and notice-waiver rules were added. You look after a family's children, clean their home or care for a relative, and the contract is ending, whether the family is moving, the need has changed, or you are the one leaving. In France the family that declares you through **CESU or Pajemploi is your employer** in the full legal sense, and the end of the contract comes with a written procedure, a notice period, in most cases an indemnity, and four documents you are entitled to receive. The rules are in the collective agreement for household employment (**IDCC 3239**). Here is what they say, article by article, in both directions.
Can Your AI Assistant Handle French Admin? MCP, Explained for Expats
Ask a chatbot whether Lyon is in a zone tendue, or what notice period applies to your tenant, and you will get a confident answer — **which may be quietly wrong**. French administrative rules change by decree, by quarter and by commune, faster than any AI model's training data. In 2026 there is a better way: the Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets your assistant call real, maintained legal calculators instead of guessing. Here is what that means in practice, what you can already do free of charge, and where the limits are.
How to Count Your Telework Days as a Frontalier: the 40% Tax Rule vs the 49.9% Social-Security Rule
Every France–Switzerland frontalier who works from home now lives with two numbers: 40% and 49.9%. They look interchangeable. They are not. The 40% ceiling comes from the Franco-Swiss tax avenant signed on 27 June 2023 (and, for the eight 1983-accord cantons, from the amicable agreement of 22 December 2022) and decides which country taxes your salary — its text applies the rule to pay from 1 January 2023. The 49.9% ceiling comes from the EU/EFTA social-security framework agreement in force since 1 July 2023 and decides which country's social system you contribute to. Two legal instruments, two reference bases, two sets of consequences — and one shared practical problem: you can only show you are under either line if you actually count your days. This guide is the counting how-to: what goes into each count, how mission days are treated, and a simple monthly method that holds up if anyone asks. It is general information drawn from official French, Swiss and EU sources — not personalised tax or legal advice — and for anything specific to your canton or contract it points you to the competent bodies.
Frequently Asked Questions
▸Do I need a work permit to work in Switzerland?
EU/EFTA citizens benefit from freedom of movement but still need to register. Non-EU citizens require a work permit sponsored by an employer. The permit type (B, C, L, G) depends on your situation and residency status.
▸How does cross-border work between Switzerland and France work?
Cross-border workers (frontaliers) live in France and work in Switzerland, typically in Geneva or Basel areas. You need a G permit, must understand tax obligations in both countries, and have appropriate health insurance. Our dedicated guide covers all aspects.
▸Is housing expensive in Switzerland?
Yes, Switzerland has high housing costs, especially in cities like Zurich and Geneva. Many cross-border workers choose to live in France for more affordable housing while working in Switzerland. Our housing guides help you understand rental markets and costs.
▸How does healthcare work in Switzerland?
Switzerland has mandatory health insurance that residents must purchase privately. Cross-border workers have options between Swiss and French health systems. Premiums vary by canton and coverage level. Our healthcare guides explain your options.