Before you start

Unlocked handset
Passport or identity card for mandatory registration
Swiss address and bank account for postpaid contracts

Step-by-step

1
Buy a prepaid SIM on arrival
Available at the airport, in Migros and Coop and in operator shops. Registration against your passport is a legal requirement, so carry it.
In personWho: YouCommonly CHF 10–30 including credit
2
Check the discount brands before the flagships
Wingo runs on Swisscom, Yallo on Sunrise, and M-Budget and Coop Mobile on the main networks. Identical coverage, substantially lower price, usually without a long tie-in.
OnlineWho: You
3
Ask about student and under-thirty tariffs
With EPFL, UNIL and the HES campuses here, all three operators run aggressive youth plans. They are not always visible on the main pricing page.
OnlineWho: You
4
Move to postpaid once you have an address and a bank account
Contracts need both and sometimes a permit. Prepaid is a bridge rather than a compromise.
OnlineWho: You
5
Check EU roaming if you cross into France regularly
Évian is a ferry ride and the French border is half an hour by road. Swiss plans vary widely in how much EU data they include, and the cheapest plan is often not the cheapest once you add it.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport or identity card
Swiss address for postpaid
Swiss bank account for direct debit

Things most newcomers don’t know

EU roaming rules do not apply to Switzerland in either direction.

An EU SIM roams here at non-EU rates and a Swiss SIM in France can be expensive unless the plan explicitly includes EU data. Arrivals who keep their old European number for the first few months are the ones who receive a shocking first bill, usually after a weekend across the lake.

Source: Switzerland's non-EU status under the roaming regulation

The cheap brands are the expensive networks under another name.

Wingo is Swisscom and Yallo runs on Sunrise. Same masts, same coverage, same speeds, materially lower price — the difference is the customer service tier. In one of Europe's most expensive telecom markets this is a saving with almost no trade-off.

Source: community-reported, widely corroborated

Coverage in the Alps and the Jura is genuinely good, and that is part of what the price buys.

Swiss network coverage extends far into mountain terrain, including on ski areas and hiking routes an hour from Lausanne. If you spend weekends above the treeline this matters — and it is worth checking your specific operator's map rather than assuming, because the discount brands ride the same masts but the flagship networks build them.

Source: OFCOM — coverage obligations

SIM registration against an identity document is compulsory and has a downstream consequence.

Switzerland does not sell anonymous prepaid SIMs. A SIM bought and registered in a flatmate's name cannot easily be ported to a contract in yours later, which is exactly what you will want to do a few months in. Register it correctly on day one.

Source: OFCOM — telecommunications regulation

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming EU roam-like-at-home covers Switzerland.
Keeping an EU number for the first months and paying roaming daily.
Signing a 24-month flagship contract without checking the discount brand on the same network.
Missing a student or under-thirty tariff you qualify for because it is not on the front page.
Registering a SIM in someone else's name and being unable to port the number.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.