Vaud Newcomer Admin Kit

Permit and commune registration

Last checked: 5 Oct 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

To verify This page has 1 item that could not be confirmed on an official page. Check it yourself before relying on it:

When you move to Switzerland for studies, you must register with the residents’ office (Contrôle des habitants) of the commune (municipality) where you actually live, and apply for your residence permit (permis de séjour). EPFL is not part of the official permit procedure, you handle this yourself with the authorities.

Permit letters (B / L / C / Ci / F / N)

These are residence-permit categories (not driving categories). EPFL says that as a student you typically receive:

Other letters you may see in Swiss admin:

You do not normally choose the letter yourself; the authorities issue the type that fits your situation. Confirm details on the EPFL residence-permit page.

Do not confuse residence-permit F with Swiss driving licence category F (slow motor vehicles ≤ 45 km/h), different systems entirely.

Order of operations (EPFL first, then commune)

The commune asks for a recent EPFL enrolment certificate (less than 3 months old). That certificate comes from IS-Academia (EPFL’s online study portal) after you have an EPFL login and have completed matriculation / semester registration steps so the certificate is available to print.

  1. Complete matriculation (and get your EPFL login) as instructed for new students.
  2. Log in to IS-Academia, complete the steps your faculty requires for the semester (e.g. FRAC / fee payment when applicable), then print an enrolment / matriculation certificate that is less than 3 months old.
  3. Only then go to the commune Contrôle des habitants with that certificate and the other documents below.

Deadlines and dates: see EPFL’s academic calendar / semester dates. How to get certificates from IS-Academia: EPFL, Certificates. New Bachelor arrivals: EPFL, New Bachelor students.

Checklist

  1. Find your commune on your rental contract or accommodation booking (not “EPFL” or “Lausanne” by default, many students live in Ecublens, Renens, St-Sulpice, etc.).
  2. Register quickly at your commune’s Contrôle des habitants. EPFL says within 14 days of arrival in Switzerland (EPFL residence permit). Override, Renens: the commune requires announcement within 8 days (Annonce d’arrivée ou de départ, Renens). Canton of Vaud also states 8 days for arrival in a new commune (Changement d'adresse | État de Vaud). Lausanne student formalities use 14 days (Lausanne students). Always follow your commune’s page when it is stricter than EPFL’s 14-day guidance.
  3. Use the right forms (download from EPFL’s residence-permit pages; confirm with your commune):
    • EU / EFTA nationals: Annonce d’arrivée
    • Non-EU / non-EFTA nationals: Rapport d’arrivée plus the Vaud temporary study-permit application form
  4. Bring (or upload) the usual documents, communes may ask for extras, so ask them:
    • Valid passport or ID (colour copy as required)
    • Recent (< 3 months) EPFL enrolment certificate printed from IS-Academia once you have your EPFL login / after matriculation (see order above; semester dates: academic calendar)
    • Passport photo(s)
    • Rental contract or landlord attestation
    • Birth / origin certificate, and marriage or divorce certificate if applicable (foreign certificates: see Getting documents accepted: apostille, legalisation and translations)
    • EU students: proof of sufficient funding for your stay, EPFL states CHF 2,000 per month; how to prove it is explained on the EPFL residence-permit page
    • Scholarship attestation if you have one (some communes may consider a residence-tax exemption, not guaranteed; this is not the same as income tax)
  5. Lausanne residents: EPFL notes registration is online only via the commune’s form (see EPFL links below).
  6. Ask for a registration attestation while you wait for the permit card, banks and carriers often accept this as proof of residence.
  7. Expect the permit card to take a few months (EPFL wording). The commune attestation is not a travel document and will not let you re-enter Switzerland if you leave the country. Before travelling abroad without your permit card, read EPFL’s section Going out of Switzerland without the residence permit on the same page (multi-entry visa vs return visa at the Population Office). Lost your passport or permit card? See Lost passport, ID or permit card.
  8. Non-EU students: after commune registration, the Vaud Population Office (Service de la population, SPOP) may invite you for biometric data in Lausanne, follow the letter and SPOP instructions.
  9. Tell the commune (and the post office) if you change address so the permit can reach you by post.
  10. Budget cash for fees, amounts depend on your commune and nationality. EPFL suggests bringing roughly CHF 200 to cover permit-related payments; confirm exact fees with your commune. Do not rely on any amount stated here as final.

Commune voting rights: foreigners with a B or C permit can vote and stand in commune elections once they have 10 years of continuous residence in Switzerland and the last 3 in Vaud (no cantonal or federal vote): see Voting as a foreigner in Vaud. Naturalisation counts residence years differently: see Becoming Swiss in Vaud.

Arriving with a dog? Announce it to your commune within 15 days and check its microchip and AMICUS registration: see Dogs in Vaud.

Residence tax (not income tax)

EPFL notes a student residence tax of often about CHF 37 per month; the exact amount varies by commune. It is paid via the landlord / tax collector for your municipality, ask your commune. Scholarship holders may ask for an exemption with their scholarship attestation; granting it is not guaranteed.

This residence tax is separate from cantonal / federal income tax (impôt sur le revenu). Do not mix the two when reading scholarship or tax pages.

Temporary housing

If you are in a hotel, friend’s place, or other temporary address, you still register there first. When you move to a longer-term address, update the commune and Swiss Post.

Commune offices near EPFL

Deadline conflict (verified 2026-10-05): EPFL says register within 14 days (EPFL residence permit). The Canton of Vaud says announce arrival within 8 days (Vaud changement d'adresse). The commune pages differ: Ecublens, Renens and Chavannes-près-Renens state 8 days; Lausanne states 14 days (its student page says 8 days for Swiss students); St-Sulpice says 8 days in its own arrival form (PDF) (which reprints the cantonal LCH art. 3) and its welcome brochure, matching the canton (its population-office web page itself gives no number of days). Each commune section below shows that commune’s own deadline. Rule of thumb: follow the deadline of the commune on your lease, and if in doubt use the shorter one, and do not wait for EPFL’s 14 days when your commune says 8.

Register at the Contrôle des habitants / Office de la population of the commune named on your lease or housing booking, not “EPFL” and not automatically Lausanne. Do this within the deadline stated by that commune (see the Deadline line in each section below); the kit’s Permit and commune registration section covers the documents. EPFL’s general 14 days (EPFL residence permit) matches Lausanne, but not Ecublens, Renens or Chavannes-près-Renens (8 days).

Reminder: your address’s commune may not be Lausanne even if the built-up area feels continuous. EPFL’s campus sits mainly in the Ecublens / St-Sulpice area; many students also live in Renens, Chavannes-près-Renens, or Lausanne. Check the commune on your contract before you start.

Hours, fees, and phone numbers change, use only the linked official pages.

Checked: 5 Oct 2026. Official commune / canton / EPFL pages only.

1. Ecublens

Also useful: État de Vaud, eDéménagement / address change (lists participating communes, including Ecublens).

2. Renens

3. Lausanne

4. St-Sulpice (Vaud)

St-Sulpice is also on the canton’s eDéménagement participating-communes list.

5. Chavannes-près-Renens (Chavannes)

Chavannes-près-Renens is on the canton’s eDéménagement list.