Six big news stories from Switzerland you need to catch up on this week

Foreign drivers to be slapped with a ‘transit fee’, and was US president right about the number of illegal immigrants in Swiss prisons – these are among the news that The Local reported this week. You can catch up on everything in this weekly roundup.

Foreign drivers may have to pay a transit tax in Switzerland

Switzerland’s Council of States unanimously accepted a motion seeking to tax foreign tourists using Swiss motorways just to transit through the country.

The fee would apply to vehicles entering Switzerland from a neighbouring country and exiting in another, without stopping on the way.

Tourists who enter Switzerland from abroad and remain in the country for a certain period of time (to be defined) will not be subject to this tax, since they don’t use the road infrastructure merely to transit.

Is Trump’s claim that Swiss prisons are filled with foreigners true?

US President Donald Trump recently claimed that 72 percent of prisoners in Switzerland were foreigners and tied it to illegal migration.

Based on official government data, on January 31st, 2025, 6,994 people were in prison in Switzerland, including 5,069 foreign nationals. That works out at 72.48 percent.

However, this data lacks context which shows that there are various categories of foreign inmates in Swiss prisons, and not just illegal ones; many are foreign nationals with residency permits, as well as “other foreigners or unknown status” – a group that defies classification.

Switzerland passes a pro-tenant law

From October 1st 2025, landlords in several Swiss cantons and municipalities – Basel-City, Fribourg, Geneva, Lucerne, Zug, and Zurich, as well as in certain districts of Neuchâtel and Vaud – will have to provide new information when renting out an apartment.

Concretely, landlords will need to use an official form for the notification of the initial rent when concluding a new residential lease.

This will ensure that tenants are informed about the previous rent and their right to contest their own.

The use of the official form – which must contain the most recently valid reference interest rate or the most recently valid inflation rate – is also intended to encourage the landlords to exercise restraint when increasing the rent or when changing a tenant.

READ ALSO: What tenants in Switzerland need to know about new rent law

E-ID will become reality in Switzerland, at last

The long-controversial electronic identity card was approved by a narrow majority of Swiss voters on September 28th.

When it enters into force at the end of 2026, it will enable users to identify themselves with this digital alternative to the Swiss passport or ID card.

It will, however, remain optional rather than mandatory, and will be free of charge.

Non-Swiss residents who have a foreign national identity card issued in Switzerland will be able to apply for an e-ID as well.

Zurich residents to get cheaper public transport fares

Voters in Zurich have approved a plan to cut the cost of an annual travelcard on local public transport (ZVV) down to 365 francs (1 franc a day) from the current price of over 800 francs.

The fare will also fall significantly for children and young people: instead of 586 francs currently, they will only pay 185 francs per year.

Under the plan, all residents of Zurich will be entitled to receive and use the discounted travelcard – regardless of their income.

However, people who commute to the city for work but live outside it, will continue to pay the regular price.

Health insurance rates may increase by more than announced

The government had said health insurance premiums in Switzerland will increase by 4.4 percent on average in 2026 but, in fact, consumers may end up paying quite a bit more.

According to an analysis carried out by Deloitte consulting firm, many policyholders paying the cheapest premiums on the market will face a 7-percent hike on average.

For a household, this represents an average of 23 francs more per month and per adult than current rates – and not 16.60 francs that the government mentioned.