🇨🇭 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
Ending your nanny's or cleaner's contract in France: notice, indemnity and the CESU documents (CCN 3239)
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)
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 decides which country taxes your salary from 1 January 2026. 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.
Renting Out Your French Property in 2026: The Rules That Changed (Le Meur, DPE, Registry)
If you own a French property and rent it out — or planned to start this summer — three sets of rules moved under your feet, and July 2026 is when they all become visible at once. The **loi Le Meur** tax split showed up for the first time in this spring's income declaration (it applies to 2025 income). The **national registration teleservice** for short-term lets came into force on **20 May 2026**. And the **DPE letting-ban calendar** keeps tightening, now reaching tourist rentals too. This guide walks a non-resident or expat owner through what actually changed, what it costs to ignore, and what to check before the next tenant or guest arrives. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.
French Rental Notice Period for Expats: 1 or 3 Months? The 2026 Rules
You've found a new flat, accepted a job in another city, or you're leaving France altogether — and now you need to give notice on your French rental. How long is the *préavis*? The honest answer is "it depends, precisely": three months by default for an unfurnished lease, one month for a furnished one, and one month for an unfurnished lease if your commune or your personal situation qualifies — under conditions most blog posts get subtly wrong. Get the reduced notice wrong and you owe up to two extra months of rent; get the delivery wrong and the clock never starts at all. This guide walks through the 2026 rules under **art. 15 of loi n°89-462** as an expat tenant actually experiences them: which notice applies, the *zone tendue* list subtlety that trips up even French sites, when the countdown really begins, the exact end-date arithmetic, and how to claim the one-month notice without accidentally forfeiting it. This is general information, not personalised legal advice — verify your own case against the official sources linked throughout.
Security deposit (dépôt de garantie) for French rentals: landlord rules, deductions, return deadlines and disputes
Few moments in a tenancy generate as much friction as the day the keys come back and the tenant asks for their deposit. In France the **dépôt de garantie** is tightly regulated: how much you may hold, what you may deduct, and — crucially — how fast you must return it are all fixed by statute, not by the lease. Get the deadline or the paperwork wrong and you don't merely refund the money; you can owe a legal penalty on top. This guide is written for landlords who want deductions that are lawful and defensible. It covers the legal cap, the make-or-break role of the *état des lieux*, the one- versus two-month return clock, which deductions actually hold up, the special *copropriété* rule for service charges, the late-return penalty, and what happens when a tenant contests. The framework comes from [loi n°89-462 du 6 juillet 1989 (art. 22), summarised on service-public.fr](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F31269). Treat this as information, not personalised legal advice — verify any figure at the official source before you act.
IRL Rent Revision in France: When and How a Landlord Can Raise the Rent (and the F/G Energy Freeze)
Revising a rent in France looks simple — apply the IRL index once a year — but the rules around it trip up landlords constantly. Miss the one-year window and the increase is gone for good. Pick the wrong reference quarter and your tenant can contest it. And if the property is a DPE-rated F or G "passoire thermique", the rent is frozen outright, whatever the index says. This guide explains, with the current 2026 figures, when a landlord may legally raise a residential rent, how to calculate the increase to the cent, and where the energy freeze and rent-control zones override the index. It is grounded in article 17-1 of the [loi n°89-462 of 6 July 1989](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1311?lang=fr) and the loi Climat et Résilience, with links to the official texts throughout. Read it before you send a revision notice — a mistake here usually costs you the whole year's increase.
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.