Next consultations (phone and in person): *Update soon*

KOMIBA

This website is called KOMIBA. Here you can find links concerning authorities in the city of Bern and the municipalities Köniz, Ostermundigen, Bremgarten b. Bern, Muri and Zollikofen. There are also cantonal authorities which you must contact no matter which municipality of the canton of Bern you live in. Various authority are in charge of different issues people in Switzerland have to deal with. These issues may be related to money/finances, family, foreign nationals in Switzerland, relocation, work or mobility/car.
The platform “KOMIBA” helps you finding the right authority for the issue you face.

 

There also further websites providing information for foreigners in canton of Bern

General information for the canton of Bern
https://www.hallo-bern.ch/

General information for the city of Bern
https://www.bern.ch/sozialwegweiser/adressen/migration-integration (German)
https://www.bern.ch/en/topics/foreign-nationals

Money/Finances

Income support/social welfare

Income support is money you get from the government This service is for people who do not have money and cannot work.

 

Taxes

Taxes are money you have to pay to the state. Foreign nationals in Switzerland must pay taxes.

 

This is called foreign withholding tax. Foreign withholding tax is directly deducted from your salary and you do not have to do anything further. If you have a residence permit “C”, you pay normal income tax. Not foreign withholding tax. This means you will be required to fill out a tax form.

Here you can find information on the foreign withholding tax in the canton of Bern.

https://www.sv.fin.be.ch/de/start/themen/quellensteuer.html (German)
https://www.sv.fin.be.ch/fr/start/themen/quellensteuer.html (French)

Cantonal Prosecution

A public prosecutor is a person working in a court. They check whether someone is to be punished for a crime they committed. A public prosecutor works for the cantonal prosecution.

 

When a public prosecutor decides if someone has broken the law and is to be punished and issues an order of punishment. This comes in the form of a letter that says what the penalty is. Here you can find information concerning orders of punishment in the canton of Bern.

https://www.staw.justice.be.ch/de/start/themen/strafbefehl-einsprache.html

Criminal law sets out what a person's rights and duties are.
Here you can find information on prosecutions:

https://www.staw.justice.be.ch/de/start/themen/stellung-im-strafverfahren.html (German)
https://www.staw.justice.be.ch/fr/start/themen/stellung-im-strafverfahren.html (French)

Insurance premium reduction

 

In Switzerland every person must have a health insurance. This costs you money. When you do not have a lot of money, you get money back from the state. This is called (insurance) premium reduction. For that you get a letter from the canton. Here you can find more information to the insurance premium reduction:

https://www.asv.dij.be.ch/de/start/themen/pv/pv_anrecht-auf-pv-beantragen.html (German)
https://www.asv.dij.be.ch/fr/start/themen/pv/pv_anrecht-auf-pv-beantragen.html (French)

Family Matters

General

 

Authorities regulate many things to do with families. Childenr for example have to go to school and to the dentist.

Here you can find a lot of information for families in the canton of Bern.

https://www.fambe.sites.be.ch/

Birth

 

The registry office is an authority. When you have a child it will be registered at the registry office. The hospital or birthing centre does that. When you give birth at home, you have to go the registry office Bern-Mittelland yourself to register your child.
Here is a list with all registry offices in the canton of Bern.

https://www.zivilstand.sid.be.ch/de/start/zivilstandsaemter/zabm.html

Here you can find information about the registration.

https://www.zivilstand.sid.be.ch/de/start/dienstleistungen/geburt.html

Preschool Children

A young child does not go to school. They can go a daycare center. There they are cared for professionally. This costs you money. A part of the money is paid by the state. For this you get “childcare vouchers” from the according municipality.

 

Schooling and Education

Children must go to kindergarten and school. First, a child must go to kindergarten. When your child is of the when it has to go to kindergarten or school you will get a letter from the municipality arrives with a registration form. You must fill out the form about yourself and your child. After that, you have to bring the form to the municipality office.

 

Day Care Centers for School Children

Often parents work longer in the day than children go to school. In this case children can go to a day care center for school children (Tagi). This a place where children are cared for professionally after school.

 

School Dental Service

Children going to school must go to the dentist once a year to ensure dental hygiene. This is ensured with the school dental service and the check-up will not cost you anything.

 

Problems with children and family

Sometimes you have to deal with problems concerning your children or you may have questions about parenting. In these cases, you can get help in advisory centers. There are different advisory centers for different kinds of problems.
When a child is in danger and the parents need help, there is the children and adult protection authority called KESB.

 

Relationships and Marriage

 

Here you can find information if you or someone you know would like to get married. (German)

https://www.zivilstand.sid.be.ch/de/start/dienstleistungen/heirat-egp.html (German)

You have to contact the right authority in the case of marriage. This is the registry office Bern Mittelland.

https://www.zivilstand.sid.be.ch/de/start/zivilstandsaemter/zabm.html (German)

If married people would like to separate and get a divorce, they have to go to the court. The right court for this manner is the regional court Bern Mittelland.

https://www.zsg.justice.be.ch/de/start/ueber-uns/regionalgerichte/bern-mittelland.html (German)

Here you can find information on the topic of divorce.

https://www.zsg.justice.be.ch/de/start/themen/zivilrecht/familienrecht/scheidung.html (German)

In case two people from two different countries want to get divorces, you can contact the counseling service frabina.

https://www.frabina.ch/beratung/ (German)

Foreign Nationals in Switzerland

Naturalization – becoming a Swiss Citizen

In case you would like to get naturalized, the state, the canton and the municipality checks whether you may become a Swiss citizen.
In order to become a Swiss citizen, you have to fulfill certain requirements.

 

You must live in Switzerland for more than ten years and two of those years (without interruption) in the canton of Bern. Also, you must fulfill requirements in your municipality.

Here you can find information about the usual naturalization in the canton of Bern.

https://www.einbuergerung.sid.be.ch/de/start/einbuergerung/ordentliche-einbuergerung/aufenthalt.html (German)

Here you can find information on the usual naturalization in Switzerland.

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/integration-einbuergerung/schweizer-werden/ordentlich.html

Naturalization is easier if you are married to a Swiss citizen. This is called simplified naturalization. For this, you must fulfill certain requirements. Here you can find information on the simplified naturalization in Switzerland.

https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/integration-einbuergerung/schweizer-werden/verheiratet.html

Conditions by levels

  • Condition:
    You must live for at least 2 years continuously in the city of Bern. (Source)

    Contact:
    Bürgerrechtsdienst
    Orts- und Gewerbepolizei
    Predigergasse 5
    3011 Bern
    Tel. +41 31 321 52 86
    einbuergerungen@bern.ch

  • Condition:
    None(Source)

    Contact:
    Chutzenstrasse 12
    3047 Bremgarten
    +41 31 306 64 64

  • Condition:
    You must live for at least 2 years continuously in Köniz (Source)

    Contact:
    Polizeiinspektorat Köniz
    Einbürgerungen
    Sägestrasse 42
    3098 Köniz
    T +41 31 970 93 78 einbuergerung@koeniz.ch

  • Condition:
    None (Source)

    Contact:
    Thunstrasse 74
    3074 Muri bei Bern
    +41 31 950 54 54

  • Condition:
    You must live for at least 2 years continuously in Ostermundigen (Source)

    Contact:
    Gemeinde Ostermundigen
    Schiessplatzweg 1
    Postfach 101
    3072 Ostermundigen
    +41 31 930 14 14 info@ostermundigen.ch

  • Condition:
    You must live for at least 2 years continuously in Zollikofen (Source)

    Contact:
    Wahlackerstrasse 25
    3052 Zollikofen
    +41 31 910 91 11
    +41 31 910 91 06 (Fax)
    info@zollikofen.ch

Residence permit – staying in Switzerland

If you would like to stay in Switzerland as a foreign national, you must apply for a Swiss residence permit.

 

You can get this from the canton. Here you can find the information on the application for a residence permit.

https://www.migration.sid.be.ch/de/start/aufenthalt.html (German)

The responsible authority in this case is the “Amt für Bevölkerungsdienste” which means the authority for population matters.

Amt für Bevölkerungsdienste des Kantons Bern
Migrationsdienst
Kundenzentrum
Ostermundigenstrasse 99B
3006 Bern
Tel. +41 31 633 53 15
Kontaktformular

Relocation

Relocation

If you would like to move, you must inform the municipality office.
You must de-register from the municipality you have been living in. Then you must register in the new municipality you relocate to. This must happen within the first 14 days of relocation.

 

Work

Work Permit

 

Not every person in Switzerland is allowed to work. If you want to work you need to apply for a work permit. Here you can find more information

https://www.migration.sid.be.ch/de/start/arbeit.html (German)

Unemployment - not having a job

 

When you do not have a job or lose your job you must register at the regional employment center called RAV. Here you can find more information:

https://www.weu.be.ch/de/start/themen/wirtschaft-und-arbeit/arbeitnehmende/anmelden-rav-alk.html (German)

Mobility

Car

 

When you live in Switzerland and you have a car, you must register it at the cantonal office for traffic matters. Here is the link

https://www.svsa.sid.be.ch/de/start.html (German)

If you would like to drive a car in Switzerland, you need a Swiss driver's license. You must contact the cantonal office for traffic matters to get one.
If you have a driver’s license from a different country, you will get a Swiss driver’s license. Here you can find information on that.

https://www.svsa.sid.be.ch/de/start/fuehrerausweise/rund-um-fuehrerausweis/umtausch-fuehrerausweis-ausland.html (German)

In case you do not already have a driver’s license and cannot drive, you must learn how to drive and pass the driving test before you can drive a car in Switzerland. Here you can find more information:

https://www.svsa.sid.be.ch/de/start/lernfahrer/lernfahrausweis.html (German)

 Consultation

 

KOMIBA also offers consultations concerning issues related to authorities for migrants in Bern and surrounding municipalities and volunteers in the field . If you have any questions, you can reach us in person.


Next consultations (phone and in person):
*Update soon*

always 5:30pm to 7pm

phone: +41 44 585 22 69
in person: Kapellenstrasse 24a, Bern, Switzerland (no postal address)
email: infokomiba@gmail.com

We are available for consultation concerning different topics that are related to state authorities, for example taxation or day care for children. We do not provide legal advice.

 

Contact Us

Reach out over the form and we will get in contact with you

infokomiba@gmail.com
+41 44 585 22 69 (We are available by phone on Wednesday evenings from 5:30pm to 7pm)

Reach out over Facebook or Instagram.

 

Komiba