Bank Account for Expats in Switzerland: Open an Account Without Swiss Residency at Alpian
Updated · Bank account for expats in Switzerland, step by step
Finding a bank account for expats in Switzerland is usually the first big hurdle after moving here. Without a Swiss bank account, it’s hard to even get your salary paid. For most accounts, banks first ask for an Aufenthaltsbewilligung (residence permit) or an officially registered address, and that often takes weeks or even months. At Alpian things now work differently. The FINMA-regulated Swiss private bank lets you open a bank account in Switzerland without residency, with no residence permit at all. All you need is a Swiss address, an ID document and an employment contract. And with my code liebef you’ll get a welcome bonus of up to CHF 120 straight away.
In this post I’ll show you step by step how a Swiss bank account without residency works. You’ll find out which documents you need, how Alpian differs from UBS and Migros Bank, and what you should bear in mind as a German opening an account. On top of that, I’ll introduce three more new features at Alpian, the Investment Calculator, the AI Spending Assistant and the new Visa card benefits.
Up to CHF 120 welcome bonus in total, even without a residence permit.
The benefits Alpian offers expats
Short and simple, this is what you get at Alpian when you’re just moving to Switzerland, including a bonus with the code liebef.
-
Account without residencyYou can open your account even without a residence permit. A Swiss address is all you need.
-
Everything in the appNo appointment, no branch. You do everything comfortably from your phone, in just a few minutes.
-
A real Swiss bankAlpian has its own FINMA banking licence. Your money is protected up to CHF 100’000.
-
Free Visa cardYour Visa card costs nothing. It comes with benefits such as the Hotel Collection, Air Refund and paying with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Garmin Pay.
-
Cheap currency exchangeYour multi-currency account offers fair exchange rates, handy for money from your home country.
-
Up to CHF 120 bonusWith the code liebef you get CHF 55 when you open your account and CHF 65 with an investment mandate.
Redeem the code now and claim your bonus Code liebef · Up to CHF 120 · Opened in just a few minutes
Open an account now →Can I open a bank account in Switzerland without residency?
Yes. As an expat you can open your bank account in Switzerland at Alpian without residency and without a residence permit, all you need is a valid Swiss address, a valid ID document and your employment contract. You simply submit your residence permit in the app later once it has been issued, even if that takes quite a while.
- Alpian offers a bank account for expats in Switzerland that you can open without residency and without a residence permit, using your home address, ID and employment contract.
- The new Investment Calculator shows you online how much capital you could build up over the years with a lump sum and a savings plan.
- The AI Spending Assistant analyses your transactions automatically and you’ll find it directly under “All transactions” in the app.
- All Alpian Visa cards now come with the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection and Visa Air Refund as added benefits.
- With the code you get a welcome bonus of up to CHF 120.
Bank account for expats in Switzerland: open an account without residency
With this offer Alpian specifically targets expats. They move to Switzerland for a new job and quickly need a bank account for expats in Switzerland, without residency and without a residence permit. Instead of waiting for the residence permit, three things are enough, and don’t forget the code liebef when you sign up.
🏠 Home address
A valid home address in Switzerland, for example via your tenancy agreement or a registration confirmation from your municipality.
🪪 ID document
A valid ID document, such as a passport or identity card, to identify yourself when opening the account.
📄 Employment contract
Your employment contract as proof that you’ve been hired for a job in Switzerland.
As soon as you’ve uploaded these three documents, your account can be opened. You then upload the residence permit itself via the app once it has been issued. This still works even if some time has passed since you opened the account.
- Download the Alpian app and start the sign-up.
- Upload proof of your home address, your ID document and your employment contract.
- Enter the Alpian code when you register.
- Use your account right away for your salary, card and payments.
- Submit your residence permit directly in the app as soon as you have it.
Ready for your Swiss bank account? FINMA-regulated · Code liebef · Up to CHF 120 bonus
Open an account →Alpian compared: UBS, Migros Bank and others for an account without residency
When you look for an account in Switzerland without residency, you almost always come across UBS and Migros Bank. It’s important to distinguish between two situations. Either you’re just moving to Switzerland and already have an address but no permit yet. That’s exactly the case Alpian was built for. Or you continue to live abroad and simply want a Swiss account with no link to Switzerland at all. For that, UBS, Migros Bank or a Kantonalbank (cantonal bank) are more likely options, usually with much higher fees.
| Provider | Residency required? | Surcharge without Swiss residency | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpian | No, a Swiss address is enough, permit follows later | None | Fully online in the app |
| UBS | Yes, for the standard private account | Approx. CHF 300, 450 per year, exceptions for Grenzgänger (cross-border commuters) | Usually a branch appointment required |
| Migros Bank | No, but with a surcharge | CHF 30, 40 per month | Online only with Swiss residency, otherwise by post/at a branch |
For expats starting a job in Switzerland who already have a home address, Alpian is usually the quickest and cheapest option. You need neither a UBS branch visit nor a fee surcharge.
Opening a UBS account in Switzerland: what applies to expats
Opening a UBS account in Switzerland is easiest if you’re already resident in Switzerland. Without residency, UBS mainly accepts cross-border commuters and wealthy clients, usually with a branch appointment and a fee surcharge of CHF 300 to 450 per year.
Opening a Migros Bank account: what applies to expats
You can open a Migros Bank account even if you live abroad, but it will cost you an extra CHF 30 to 40 per month. Fully digital opening by video is usually tied to Swiss residency, and without an address it tends to be done by post or at a branch.
If, on the other hand, you live abroad permanently, for example as a cross-border commuter or a Swiss citizen living abroad, UBS and Migros Bank remain the more established, if more expensive, alternatives.
Swiss bank account for the Swiss abroad
As an Auslandschweizer (Swiss citizen living abroad), sooner or later you’ll also ask yourself which bank is right for you. Unlike expats who are just moving to Switzerland, as a Swiss citizen abroad you usually don’t have a Swiss home address. That narrows down your choice. A UBS account for the Swiss abroad is possible in principle, but with the same surcharges as for other people without Swiss residency, usually CHF 300 to 450 per year. When it comes to bank account fees for the Swiss abroad, it’s therefore always worth comparing the big banks with specialised offers, for example at PostFinance or selected cantonal banks.
Which Swiss bank do I recommend? That depends very much on your situation. If you’re just moving to Switzerland and already have an address, Alpian is usually the quickest and cheapest solution. If you live abroad permanently and only occasionally need access to a Swiss account, for example for your pension or an inheritance, UBS, Migros Bank or a cantonal bank remain the more established, if more expensive, options for the best Swiss bank for the Swiss abroad. You’ll find an overview of more Swiss neobanks in my Swiss neobank comparison.
Opening a bank account in Switzerland as a German
Anyone looking for the best Swiss bank for Germans almost always ends up weighing up exactly these options, Alpian, UBS and Migros Bank.
As a German, you benefit from the Freizügigkeitsabkommen (Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons) in Switzerland. So opening a Swiss bank account is generally no problem. All you need is a Swiss address and a valid national ID card or passport. At the big Swiss banks, there’s often a fee surcharge for you as someone resident in Germany without a Swiss residence permit. At Alpian there’s none, as soon as you’ve uploaded your Swiss address, your ID and your employment contract.
Opening an online account in Switzerland as a German
Opening a Swiss bank account as a German, free of charge and fully online, is therefore realistic. This applies above all if, like many expats, you’re moving to Switzerland for a new job. You simply upload your documents in the app, with no branch visit. Without a Swiss address, in other words purely resident in Germany with no plans to move, the choice is smaller and the fees higher, and there it’s more worthwhile to look at the special cross-border commuter offers from the big banks.
Investment Calculator: calculate your capital online
Alpian now offers an Investment Calculator on its website. You enter a lump sum and a monthly savings amount. You also choose your investment horizon and your risk profile. The calculator then shows you a projection of how much capital you could build up over the years. It displays both the expected total amount and the pure growth in value.
Good to know, this is purely a projection based on assumptions about returns and volatility, not investment advice. Fees, taxes and other costs are not included. If you’re still at the very beginning of your investing journey, it’s also worth taking a look at my guide Investing for beginners in Switzerland.
AI Spending Assistant: your spending analysed automatically
Alpian’s new AI Spending Assistant automatically analyses your everyday transactions. You’ll find it directly in the app under “All transactions”. Instead of categorising every booking yourself, the AI does it for you and gives you a quicker overview of where your money actually goes.
Especially as an expat, this can help you get a better feel for local prices and your new fixed costs during your first few months in Switzerland.
Visa card benefits: Hotel Collection and Air Refund
Both Alpian’s digital and physical Visa cards now come with a whole range of added benefits. Two of them are particularly interesting for anyone who travels a lot.
Visa Luxury Hotel Collection
With the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection you get access to more than 900 hand-picked luxury hotels worldwide, including brands such as Peninsula, Park Hyatt and Mandarin Oriental. The benefits include the best available room rate, a room upgrade, a breakfast voucher, a food or beverage credit, VIP status and a late check-out. The programme is run directly by Visa, and Alpian itself has no influence on the choice of hotels or their availability.
Visa Air Refund
Visa Air Refund is about compensation for flight cancellations, delays, missed connecting flights or denied boarding. You submit your claim in just a few minutes. The service handles everything with the airline for you. Any compensation is paid directly into your account. The service is operated by Visa’s partner Yource under the name AirRefund, and here too Alpian itself has no influence on the outcome of a claim.
New to Switzerland and convinced? Code liebef · CHF 55 when you open your account · CHF 65 with an investment mandate
Claim your bonus now →FAQ about bank accounts for expats in Switzerland
Can I open a bank account in Switzerland without residency as an expat?
Yes. At Alpian you can open your bank account in Switzerland even without residency and without a residence permit. You need a valid Swiss address, a valid ID document and your employment contract.
Can I open an account at UBS without being resident in Switzerland?
For the standard UBS private account, Swiss residency with tax liability in Switzerland is a requirement. There are exceptions for cross-border commuters and wealthy clients, usually with a branch appointment and a fee surcharge.
Does Migros Bank offer an account without residency?
Yes, Migros Bank also opens accounts for people living abroad, but with a surcharge of approx. CHF 30 to 40 per month. Fully digital opening by video is usually tied to Swiss residency.
Can I open a free account in Switzerland online as a German?
Yes, thanks to the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons, opening an account as a German is straightforward. As soon as you have a Swiss address, you can open your account online at Alpian, with no fee surcharge and without needing your residence permit yet.
Do I need a residence permit to open an account at Alpian?
No, not straight away. You need a valid Swiss home address, a valid ID document and your employment contract. You submit the residence permit later via the app.
What does the Alpian Investment Calculator show me?
The calculator shows you a projection of how much capital you could build up over time with a lump sum, a monthly savings amount, your investment horizon and your chosen risk profile. It’s an illustration, not investment advice.
Where do I find the AI Spending Assistant in the app?
You’ll find it directly under “All transactions”, where it automatically analyses your everyday spending.
Do the new Visa benefits also apply to the virtual card?
Yes, both the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection and Visa Air Refund are available to all Alpian Visa Debit cards, digital and physical.
How do I redeem the Alpian code liebef?
Enter the code liebef when you register in the Alpian app. After a deposit of CHF 500 you receive CHF 55, and with an additional investment mandate another CHF 65.
Conclusion: the best bank account for expats in Switzerland
When you move to Switzerland, you usually have plenty of other things to sort out. A bank account without residency shouldn’t become an obstacle. With the option to open your Alpian account even before you have your residence permit, plus the new tools for investing and keeping track of your spending, Alpian is clearly positioning itself as the bank for a fresh start in Switzerland. You’ll find my detailed Alpian review with all fees and details in my separate test report, and my current Alpian voucher code right next to it. Don’t forget my code , so you’ll be credited up to CHF 120 after opening your account and mandate.
*This post contains affiliate links. This doesn’t cost you anything extra.
