What are the key dates in Switzerland in 2024?
From referendums to new road rules and higher rents, here are some key dates for your Swiss diary in 2024.
January 1st
End of tax breaks for electric vehicle owners
As an incentive for people to buy electric vehicles (EVs), which are more environmentally-friendly than conventional automobiles, the government had exempted these cars from the import tax since its introduction in 1997.
However, from January 1st, EVs will be subject to the same 4-percent import duty imposed on traditional fuel vehicles.
AHV reform 21 enters into force
The latest AHV reform comes into force on January 1st 2024, beginning with a rise in VAT rates.
Then from 2025, the reform will see the reference age (formerly retirement age) for women gradually increase to 65 - a move that is expected to boost coffers of the old-age pension scheme.
From January 1st, 2025, the reference age will be raised by three months every year until it aligns with the male reference age (65) in 2028.
Police force can order blood tests
Also from January 1st, police will be able to independently order blood tests if they see so fit without having them approved by a public prosecutor.
The Road Traffic Act only requires a blood test in exceptional cases, such as when drug or medication consumption is suspected. The same will also apply to urine samples.
Extra parental leave
January 1st will see an amendment to the Income Compensation Act (EOG) coming into force. The amendment dictates that if one parent dies shortly after the birth of a child, the surviving parent is entitled to extra leave.
Specifically, if one parent dies within 14 weeks of the child’s birth, the surviving parent is entitled to additional maternity or paternity leave to ensure the well-being of the baby.
READ MORE: What changes in Switzerland in January 2024?
February 14th
February 14th will mark (aside from the Valentine’s Day) the beginning of Lent, which starts with Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday (see below).
Sadly, there are no public holidays in Switzerland in month of February.
March 1st
Anyone with a learner’s license or driver’s license who would like to acquire a new ID category in 2024 will no longer have to take an additional eye test from March 1st.
This new rule also applies to anyone wanting to acquire a professional ID category. Instead, your eyesight will be checked during the traffic medical examination which will next year be mandatory for anyone over the age of 75 – and not 65 as is the case until March 1st.
Also from March 1st, driving tests for categories A - motorcycles over 48 hp (35 kW) - and B - motor vehicles under 3.5 tons total weight - must include a drive on public roads for at least 45 minutes as opposed to the current 30 minutes.
March 3rd
On March 3rd, the first round of the national 2024 referendums is due to take place. Two pension and retirement issues will be voted on, including one on the 13th pension.
March 31st
Daylight savings time will begin, when we will set our clocks forward one hour and lose an hour of sleep.
Easter will also fall on Sunday, March 31st.
And, finally, March 31st, is also the deadline for Swiss tax returns to be filed.
April 1st
From April 1st, 2024, all new fast e-bikes - which is any e-bike with a pedal assistance of up to 45 km/h - will only be allowed on Swiss roads if they’re equipped with a speedometer.
Fast e-bikes that are already in use must be retrofitted with a speedometer by April 1st, 2027, to ensure that maximum speed limits, particularly in Switzerland’s 20 and 30km/h zones, are observed.
Anyone caught riding without a speedometer could be fined 20 francs, while those riding faster than the 20 and 30 km/h speed limit could be hit with a 30-franc fine.
Mandatory assistance systems for cars
Also, from April 1st (and the EU from July 7th), all new cars will need to be equipped with mandatory assistance systems for safety reasons.
This means that each car, regardless of the model’s launch date, will need to have the ISA cruise assistant, drowsiness and attention warning, emergency lane departure warning, emergency brake lights, a reversing assistant, and a black box.
Rent
In December, the reference interest rate rose to 1.75 percent. Landlords can now request an increase for the next termination date on a form approved by your canton and this usually falls on April 1st.
But don’t worry. In Switzerland, landlords must notify the tenant of the increase at least ten days prior to the start of the notice period.
June 9th
On June 9th, the second round of national referendums will be held, with issues to be put to vote yet to be determined.
August 1st
This month starts with Switzerland’s National Day on August 1st which is a public holiday in all cantons.
August also marks the back-to-school month, with dates varying by canton.
August 1st will also see an important change for high school graduates as the 1995 legal regulations for the Matura (maturity diploma) will be replaced.
The Federal Council has now specified a minimum duration of four school years to obtain the secondary school leaving certificate. The curriculum will now also offer economic, law and computer science as basic subjects while student exchanges are to be promoted.
September 16th
On September 16th, all Swiss cantons (except Geneva) celebrate the Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer, locally known as Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag (German), Jeûne federal (French), Digiuno federale (Italian) and Rogaziun federala (Romansh).
It is a day of solidarity and fraternity, bringing people together and showing worshippers that they have a shared responsibility for each other and the world.
September 22nd
The third round of national referendums is scheduled for September 22nd.
October 29th
On October 29th, Daylight Savings Time will end, with clocks turned backward one hour, which means there will be more light in the morning.
Also in October, Swiss health insurance providers will also publish their official rates for 2025 which, hopefully, will be lower than current ones.
October 31st
Anyone in possession of a paper driver’s license must exchange it for the new card-format one by October 31st, 2024.
Should you hit Swiss roads with your old paper driver’s license, this will be considered illegal from November 1st and may result in a fine.
November 26th
In what has by now become a familiar trek to the polls, the Swiss will vote in the fourth (and last) round of referendums on November 26th.
November 30th
This is also an important month for people who have a compulsory health insurance (which is practically everyone in Switzerland), as November 30th is the deadline to cancel your plan and switch to another one for the following year — if that’s what you would like to do.
December 8th
As each year on the second Sunday of December, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will publish their 2025 timetable on December 8th.
Trains, buses, and trams across Switzerland will adjust their schedules accordingly.
December 25th
Christmas Day is a national holiday and luckily falls on a Wednesday this year, which means you get a day off work.
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January 1st
End of tax breaks for electric vehicle owners
As an incentive for people to buy electric vehicles (EVs), which are more environmentally-friendly than conventional automobiles, the government had exempted these cars from the import tax since its introduction in 1997.
However, from January 1st, EVs will be subject to the same 4-percent import duty imposed on traditional fuel vehicles.
AHV reform 21 enters into force
The latest AHV reform comes into force on January 1st 2024, beginning with a rise in VAT rates.
Then from 2025, the reform will see the reference age (formerly retirement age) for women gradually increase to 65 - a move that is expected to boost coffers of the old-age pension scheme.
From January 1st, 2025, the reference age will be raised by three months every year until it aligns with the male reference age (65) in 2028.
Police force can order blood tests
Also from January 1st, police will be able to independently order blood tests if they see so fit without having them approved by a public prosecutor.
The Road Traffic Act only requires a blood test in exceptional cases, such as when drug or medication consumption is suspected. The same will also apply to urine samples.
Extra parental leave
January 1st will see an amendment to the Income Compensation Act (EOG) coming into force. The amendment dictates that if one parent dies shortly after the birth of a child, the surviving parent is entitled to extra leave.
Specifically, if one parent dies within 14 weeks of the child’s birth, the surviving parent is entitled to additional maternity or paternity leave to ensure the well-being of the baby.
READ MORE: What changes in Switzerland in January 2024?
February 14th
February 14th will mark (aside from the Valentine’s Day) the beginning of Lent, which starts with Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday (see below).
Sadly, there are no public holidays in Switzerland in month of February.
March 1st
Anyone with a learner’s license or driver’s license who would like to acquire a new ID category in 2024 will no longer have to take an additional eye test from March 1st.
This new rule also applies to anyone wanting to acquire a professional ID category. Instead, your eyesight will be checked during the traffic medical examination which will next year be mandatory for anyone over the age of 75 – and not 65 as is the case until March 1st.
Also from March 1st, driving tests for categories A - motorcycles over 48 hp (35 kW) - and B - motor vehicles under 3.5 tons total weight - must include a drive on public roads for at least 45 minutes as opposed to the current 30 minutes.
March 3rd
On March 3rd, the first round of the national 2024 referendums is due to take place. Two pension and retirement issues will be voted on, including one on the 13th pension.
March 31st
Daylight savings time will begin, when we will set our clocks forward one hour and lose an hour of sleep.
Easter will also fall on Sunday, March 31st.
And, finally, March 31st, is also the deadline for Swiss tax returns to be filed.
April 1st
From April 1st, 2024, all new fast e-bikes - which is any e-bike with a pedal assistance of up to 45 km/h - will only be allowed on Swiss roads if they’re equipped with a speedometer.
Fast e-bikes that are already in use must be retrofitted with a speedometer by April 1st, 2027, to ensure that maximum speed limits, particularly in Switzerland’s 20 and 30km/h zones, are observed.
Anyone caught riding without a speedometer could be fined 20 francs, while those riding faster than the 20 and 30 km/h speed limit could be hit with a 30-franc fine.
Mandatory assistance systems for cars
Also, from April 1st (and the EU from July 7th), all new cars will need to be equipped with mandatory assistance systems for safety reasons.
This means that each car, regardless of the model’s launch date, will need to have the ISA cruise assistant, drowsiness and attention warning, emergency lane departure warning, emergency brake lights, a reversing assistant, and a black box.
Rent
In December, the reference interest rate rose to 1.75 percent. Landlords can now request an increase for the next termination date on a form approved by your canton and this usually falls on April 1st.
But don’t worry. In Switzerland, landlords must notify the tenant of the increase at least ten days prior to the start of the notice period.
June 9th
On June 9th, the second round of national referendums will be held, with issues to be put to vote yet to be determined.
August 1st
This month starts with Switzerland’s National Day on August 1st which is a public holiday in all cantons.
August also marks the back-to-school month, with dates varying by canton.
August 1st will also see an important change for high school graduates as the 1995 legal regulations for the Matura (maturity diploma) will be replaced.
The Federal Council has now specified a minimum duration of four school years to obtain the secondary school leaving certificate. The curriculum will now also offer economic, law and computer science as basic subjects while student exchanges are to be promoted.
September 16th
On September 16th, all Swiss cantons (except Geneva) celebrate the Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer, locally known as Eidgenössischer Dank-, Buss- und Bettag (German), Jeûne federal (French), Digiuno federale (Italian) and Rogaziun federala (Romansh).
It is a day of solidarity and fraternity, bringing people together and showing worshippers that they have a shared responsibility for each other and the world.
September 22nd
The third round of national referendums is scheduled for September 22nd.
October 29th
On October 29th, Daylight Savings Time will end, with clocks turned backward one hour, which means there will be more light in the morning.
Also in October, Swiss health insurance providers will also publish their official rates for 2025 which, hopefully, will be lower than current ones.
October 31st
Anyone in possession of a paper driver’s license must exchange it for the new card-format one by October 31st, 2024.
Should you hit Swiss roads with your old paper driver’s license, this will be considered illegal from November 1st and may result in a fine.
November 26th
In what has by now become a familiar trek to the polls, the Swiss will vote in the fourth (and last) round of referendums on November 26th.
November 30th
This is also an important month for people who have a compulsory health insurance (which is practically everyone in Switzerland), as November 30th is the deadline to cancel your plan and switch to another one for the following year — if that’s what you would like to do.
December 8th
As each year on the second Sunday of December, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) will publish their 2025 timetable on December 8th.
Trains, buses, and trams across Switzerland will adjust their schedules accordingly.
December 25th
Christmas Day is a national holiday and luckily falls on a Wednesday this year, which means you get a day off work.
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