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Tenants will receive more information from the administration in future. (symbolic image)
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Several changes will come into force in Switzerland on October 1. blue News shows you the most important changes and adjustments.
In October, several changes come into force in Switzerland that affect very different areas of life. From tenancy law and everyday IT to dealing with invasive species - you should be aware of these changes.
The free trade agreement between the EFTA states and India comes into force on October 1. On March 10, 2024, Minister of Economic Affairs Guy Parmelin co-signed the EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with India in Delhi. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are also parties to the agreement. These are the other three member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
The Confederation has high hopes for the agreement. It will bring customs relief for almost 95 percent of current Swiss exports to India. A wide range of Swiss products will gain improved access to the Indian market, such as pharmaceutical and chemical products, machinery and watches. I
The agreement also includes investment promotion. The EFTA states committed themselves to promotional activities - a first, according to the Federal Council. Their target is 100 billion US dollars in investments from EFTA states and one million jobs in the 15 years after the agreement comes into force.
Border crossings into the Schengen area are to be recorded digitally from the fall. The European Commission has set October 12 as the start date for the so-called entry/exit system. In Switzerland, the system will be introduced at airports.
With the Entry/Exit System (EES), data of travelers from third countries will be digitally recorded when they enter, transit or leave the Schengen area. Personal data from the passport, the date and place of entry or exit as well as fingerprints and a photo of the face would be stored. The aim is to simplify exchanges between border authorities and improve security within the Schengen area.
It is also intended to make identity fraud more difficult. The system will only be used for people traveling for a short stay of no more than 90 days. In Switzerland, the three "major Schengen external borders" of Basel-Mulhouse, Geneva and Zurich are to be connected to the EES as a first step.
Divisional Commander Christian Oppliger takes up his new post as Commander of the Swiss Air Force on October 1. He was appointed by the Federal Council. Oppliger succeeds Peter Merz, who has resigned and will become the new CEO of Skyguide at the beginning of November. Oppliger, 52, joined the professional flying corps as a military pilot in 1993.
As a squadron pilot and instructor, he was also involved in various project groups. In the summer of 2021, Oppliger took on the role of chief of operations for the introduction of the US F-35 fighter jet purchased by Switzerland. At the beginning of January 2024, Oppliger was appointed deputy commander of the Air Force.
From October 1, landlords in several cantons will have to provide new information when renting out an apartment. The form for the initial rent must now also state the most recent reference interest rate and inflation.
This should make it easier for tenants to assess whether the rent charged is justified - and whether it is worth contesting. However, the obligation only applies in cantons with mandatory forms such as Zurich, Lucerne or Basel-Stadt.
The Federal Council hopes that this will increase transparency, while tenants' associations see it as an important step in the fight against excessive rents. For landlords, the change means that they will have to fill out their documents more carefully - mistakes could quickly lead to legal proceedings.
An era ends for millions of computer users on October 14: Microsoft is discontinuing free support for Windows 10. Security vulnerabilities will no longer be closed automatically and updates will no longer be available.
If you want to continue working securely, you will either have to switch to Windows 11 or get Extended Security Updates. This additional solution is available free of charge in Switzerland for one year, after which it costs around 30 dollars per device per year.
Companies in particular must act now to ensure that their systems do not remain vulnerable. Anyone still working with older PCs at home should check whether it makes sense to switch to Linux or other systems. IT experts warn: without an update, the risk of hacker attacks increases significantly.
Daylight saving time ends on October 26: at 3 am, the clocks are set back to 2 am. From then on, standard time, Central European Time, will apply again. The clocks will be set to this time for five months until March 29, 2026. Central European Time has set the pace in Switzerland for more than 125 years.
As the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (Metas) writes, people are mistaken when they talk about winter time. There is only summer time and standard time. With standard time, it gets dark earlier in the evenings. The time change has been in place in Switzerland since 1981.
The Asian hornet has been spreading in Switzerland for several years and is becoming a problem for bees, beekeepers and entire ecosystems. From October, authorities and specialist companies will be allowed to control their nests in forests for the first time using approved biocides. Previously, this was only permitted in urban areas - exactly where the animals build small nests in spring.
In summer and fall, however, they move into the treetops, where the colonies become huge. The new regulation is an important relief for beekeepers: the invasive species can considerably weaken bee colonies. Citizens should continue to report suspicious nests, but should not under any circumstances try to remove them themselves.
This is how the various wasp species that we most frequently notice - and the hoverflies that are similar to them - differ.
dpa-infografik GmbH/dpa-tmn
Experts emphasize that confusion with harmless native species must be avoided.
On the night of October 25 to 26, 2025, daylight saving time will end: at 3 a.m., the clocks will be set back to 2 a.m.. This will extend the night by one hour - but many people will sleep through this extra time and hardly notice it.
