Getting a Swiss mobile phone number

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.

Major Swiss carriers (Swisscom, Sunrise, Salt) sell prepaid SIMs and monthly plans. Prepaid is often practical for newcomers (no long commitment). Youth discounts exist on some brands, check age rules on the carrier site.

Practical checklist

1. Decide prepaid (top up as you go) vs a monthly subscription. Prepaid often needs only a passport in practice, useful on day 1 before you have a commune attestation (confirm in-store).
2. Bring valid ID/passport. Carriers typically require registration; some shops also ask for proof of address or residence, ask before you queue.
3. A Swiss number helps with TWINT and many Swiss sign-ups later.
4. Compare coverage, data, and roaming on the official pages (prices change often, do not rely on third-party blogs).
5. Consider eSIM if your phone supports it (Swisscom and Sunrise describe eSIM prepaid options on their sites).
6. Keep your foreign number temporarily if needed; porting a Swiss number later is possible under each carrier’s rules.
7. Once the phone works, install the free Alertswiss app (official public alerts) and add Vaud: see Alertswiss, sirens and public alerts.

Need internet at home too (fibre, cable or mobile data)? See Home internet for a private flat.

Cancelling a phone plan or another subscription (notice periods, automatic renewal, registered letters): see Cancelling phone, gym, streaming and insurance contracts.

Official carrier pages

Swisscom

• Prepaid overview, no fixed monthly fee; top-up credit; optional data/flat packages. Current starter and usage prices: check that page.
• Youth / kids prepaid add-ons exist for under-18s; for typical university ages, start from the main prepaid page and any “young” mobile plans listed on swisscom.ch.

Sunrise

• Prepaid, registration with ID/passport; starter pack fee and starting credit are stated on the official page (re-check before buying).
• Sunrise Young, subscriptions for customers under 27 (terms and migration when you turn 27: see their FAQ on that page).

Salt

• Salt PrePay, prepaid with no commitment; SIM/credit and data-pack prices on the official page.
• Monthly plans: browse Salt mobile plans on salt.ch (Salt’s dedicated “Young” subscriptions were withdrawn in past years according to secondary sources, confirm current youth offers only on salt.ch).

Unclear / verify yourself

• Exact ID and address documents accepted in-store can vary by outlet and residency status, ask the carrier or shop.
• Whether a commune attestation alone is enough before the permit card arrives is not consistently documented on public carrier pages; bring enrolment + commune attestation + passport and ask. For what the attestation can and cannot do, see the Permit section.