AForwarding orderforwards your mail to the new address for a set period of time during the move. It costs online at Swiss PostCHF 45.– for 12 months, alternativelyCHF 35.– for 6 monthsorCHF 55.– for 18 months.
If you're standing between packing boxes, handing over the keys and handing over the apartment, this is exactly one of the points that is quickly forgotten. And then suddenly not just any brochure is missing, but an invoice, a bank note or a letter from an authority.
Atpostal forwarding order SwitzerlandIt is therefore not about bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy. It's about securing the transition properly. The new apartment may already be organized. The physical move too. But your address still lives in several places at once. It is precisely in this phase that the forwarding order prevents important shipments from going unnoticed.
Your move is coming up The post office is moving with
On moving day, a lot of things happen in parallel. Someone is waiting for the van, there is still no handover protocol in the old apartment, and there is nothing in the new mailbox. It is precisely in this phase that the typical gaps arise. A letter goes to the old address, the sender does not yet know about the change, and you often only notice it when a deadline has already passed.
The forwarding order closes exactly this gap. It bridges the weeks in which your new address exists but is not yet properly recorded in all locations. In practice, this is less of a formality and more of a safeguard for everyday life. Especially if invoices, contract documents or personal shipments do not know the date of your move.
I recommend not treating the forwarding order in isolation. It belongs in the same plan as electricity, internet, resident registration and key delivery. If you need a clear order for this, awill help Moving checklist for Switzerland. This means you don't have to wait until the first few items arrive at the wrong address.
The why behind it is also important. The forwarding order does not replace a complete change of address at banks, insurance companies, authorities or online shops. It buys you time. And it is precisely this reserve that often decides whether everything goes smoothly when moving or whether you have to chase after individual letters, packages or official correspondence later.
If you plan early, you save questions, detours and unnecessary effort later.
The forwarding order explains what it can and cannot do
Many people confuse the forwarding order with a complete change of address. That's not him. He is aForwarding solutionfor the transition. This is practical, but not the same as an official notification to authorities, banks or insurance companies.
The basic idea is simple. The post office recognizes shipments to your old address and forwards them to your new address. According to the product description from Post, this applies Letters, parcels and addressed newspapersas part of the serviceChange of address with forwarding.
What the service covers well in practice
In everyday life, the forwarding order is particularly helpful for shipments where you cannot control when the sender actually takes over the new address.
These often include:
- Invoices and contract documents. Especially when it comes to energy, health insurance or administration, mail often still comes to the old address.
- Personal letters and membership mail. Not critical, but annoying if they stay at the old address for weeks.
- Orders and addressed deliveries. This has become more important because e-commerce has remained strong. During the pandemic, the Post2020 182.7 million packagesto.2023the volumes were185 million packages. This development shows how important correct address management has become, especially for orders and deliveries in everyday life, asHistory of Swiss Postholds on.
What the service does not replace
This is where most misunderstandings happen. The forwarding order ensures that mail continues to flow. It does not ensure that every office automatically adopts your new address as their official address.
In practical terms this means:
| Area | Forwarding order helps | Alone is not enough |
|---|---|---|
| Private letters | Yes | No, if the sender should permanently switch to |
| Packages | Yes, as part of the | service No, if dealers still work with the old address |
| Contacts with authorities | Partially for incoming mail | No, official reporting remains your responsibility |
| Contracts and accounts | Transitional | No, master data must be changed directly |
Practical rule:Use the forwarding order as a safety net, not as a replacement for your address list.
Another point is the yellow diversion adhesive. It shows the sender that the shipment has been redirected. This makes sense because it allows the sender to recognize that the address may be out of date. What this also means for you is that the forwarding order is clearly intended as a temporary solution, not as a permanent situation.
Set up your forwarding order online A guide
You're sitting between moving boxes, the internet contract has already been adjusted, the electricity is running from the day you move in, and then there's still the mail. It is precisely at this point that the forwarding order is often quickly entered in passing. The actual problems almost never arise when paying, but rather with small input errors that later have real consequences: a forgotten first name, an incorrect start date, a c/o line that was not copied over cleanly.
How to set up the order cleanly online
The online process is short. Good preparation saves more time than any quick entry.
Create an account or log in
To register you need a login at the post office. This also works with SwissID. It's best to clarify this in advance and not just the evening before the move.Record old and new address exactly
Enter the street, house number, any additional information and c/o data exactly as they appear on your shipments. Especially in the case of multi-family homes, company addresses or subletting, small deviations can lead to queries or gaps.Select start date with reserve
The order should be recorded a few working days before the move. I always plan some buffer for this, especially when moving at the end of the month, on holidays or when several people are moving at the same time.Add people individually
Separately record each person who receives mail at the old address. This includes partners, children, shared apartment members and in some cases also company names or club names.
This video will help you see the process visually:
The point at which families and shared apartments most often stumble
The post office only forwards shipments for the names recorded. If you live with several people, you should spend two minutes before filling it out and write down all the names that appear on letters, bills, health insurance mail or orders.
In practice, these cases are the typical gaps:
- Children with their own mail
- Partner with different last name
- Shared apartment members who rarely receive postal mail
- Company or club names
- Shipments with c/o or suffix
The spelling is crucial. If shipments arrive sometimes on "Anna Meier" or sometimes on "Anna Meier-Huber", check carefully which variant is actually used. The forwarding order is only as good as the names you enter.
Address updating helps, but does not replace your own list
The optionoften appears in the online process Address update. The function can be useful because it alerts certain senders to the new address. This is a relief when moving, especially with less critical contacts.
Nevertheless, there remains a clear difference between a transitional and a permanent solution.
Continue to register authorities, banks, insurance companies, employers, online shops and subscriptions directly. Otherwise it will be difficult. The post office forwards the message temporarily, but the sender's master data remains out of date. For official mail, important deadlines or international shipments, you should never rely on this interim solution alone.
My practice checklist before clicking “Confirm”
Before submitting, check these points:
- Are all names completely recorded
- Does the start date really coincide with the handover of the apartment
- Are the house number, addition and PO box correct
- If a c/o information
- is missing Are there parcels, government mail or international shipments that you need to keep an eye on separately
Then check the confirmation immediately. A properly recorded order takes a lot of pressure out of the first few weeks after the move. An inaccurate job produces exactly the type of rework that is least needed at this stage.
Costs running times and the alternative in the branch
Not everyone wants to enter the order online. Sometimes it's easier to go to the branch, for example if you have questions or feel unsure about the details. Then you should know the price difference.
Online or branch direct comparison
The online version is cheaper. There is ain the branch Surcharge of CHF 12In addition, you also need ID. Those who are digitally fit usually travel better online. Anyone who wants personal support is more likely to get it at the counter.
| Variant | Terms | Price basis | Special feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online | 6, 12 or 18 months | CHF 35.–, CHF 45.–, CHF 55.– | cheaper and directly detectable |
| Branch | 6, 12 or 18 months | Online price plus CHF 12 | ID required |
The practical trade-off is simple. You save money online and often get it done quicker. In the branch you have the chance to address any ambiguities directly.
What works differently when moving abroad
Things get more confusing when moving across borders. The prices are clear for internal Swiss cases. According to Comparis, when it comes to forwarding orders from abroad, users in forums report possible additional additional fees after moving, which are often the case withCHF 5 to CHF 20 per shipmentcan lie.
In practice, this does not mean that every international forwarding will be expensive. It just means that you shouldn't expect the same level of planning here as with a purely Swiss move. When moving from Germany to Switzerland or back, reporting the address directly to important senders is often the safer route.
Common errors and important exceptions when forwarding
The biggest mistake in thinking is: I have a forwarding order. So my change of address is done. That's exactly not true.
The order intercepts mail. It does not replace an official report. If you rely solely on redirection, you'll end up picking up unnecessary work later. Not immediately, but if a place still has your old address as their main address.
You must inform these authorities yourself
A clean move almost always requires a separate report to important contacts.
Typical groups are:
- Authorities. Residents' control office, road traffic office, AHV and other official bodies keep their own registers.
- Financial partner. Banks, leasing providers and credit card companies need the new address directly from you.
- Insurance and health insurance. Otherwise correspondence will continue using old data.
- Employers, schools, clubs and subscriptions. These addresses do not change automatically.
The forwarding order is a safety net. He does not maintain your master data for you.
What often goes wrong in practice
There are three problems I see again and again when moving:
- The job starts too late. Then exactly the mail that was sent shortly before the moving date falls into the gap.
- Names are incomplete. This particularly affects families with children and shared apartments.
- Online shops remain at the old delivery address. Then the forwarding order only helps to a limited extent because orders are triggered incorrectly at the same time.
The easiest way is to keep a small list on paper or in your cell phone. Write down every place that regularly sends mail or has your address stored in a customer account. Once the report is made, check it off. This turns a diffuse risk into a manageable process.
The ultimate checklist for your mail when moving
The forwarding order remains important, even if the mail market has declined. According to the Baloise study on Swiss moving behavior, the letter market fell by aroundin around 20 years 40%, neverthelessIn 2023 there will still be 1.647 billion addressed lettersshipped. So there is still plenty of important mail.
Use this short checklist:
- Enter forwarding order early. Not on the day of the move, but in advance.
- Enter all household members individually. Don't think about anyone, but rather understand each person specifically.
- Inform important senders directly. Authorities, banks, insurance companies and employers first.
- Check online customer accounts. Check delivery address and billing address separately.
- Check order confirmation for errors. Read the name, start date and address again.
- Systematically check off address changes. A separatealso helps Overview of address changes when moving.
Anyone who does this does not treat the forwarding order as an individual measure, but rather as part of a complete moving plan.
Frequently asked questions about the forwarding order
Can I set up a forwarding order for a subtenant
Only if the person in question is correctly recorded in the order and the information matches the actual reception situation. What is important is not the type of living, but rather that the post office can clearly identify this person as the recipient.
Does the order also apply to my company
In practice, company moves require special care. Corporate mail, different name variations and multiple locations make things more prone to errors. Check carefully the name under which shipments actually arrive.
What happens to parcels from DHL or DPD
The Swiss Post forwarding order regulates forwarding within its service. You should not rely on other delivery services to follow the same rules. Change the delivery address directly with the retailer and in the respective customer account.
Can I change an existing order or stop it prematurely
If anything changes after sending, you should check the adjustment directly with the post office. This is particularly worthwhile when it comes to the date, spelling or person registration, before the forwarding starts.
Is the forwarding order sufficient for the complete address change
No. He is just a part of the whole. A separate list like the one in this guide to. helps to clearly announce your new address correct announcement of the new address after the moveis described.
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