Switzerland Economy and Currency

By | July 20, 2021

ECONOMY

Business etiquette

Business cards are common.
Zurich
You should always address Swiss colleagues by their last name (as well as academic or honorary title) and talk to them until you know each other better. Punctuality is also important, and business cards are exchanged frequently. If you are invited to a Zurich home, you should bring a bouquet of flowers (these should be unwrapped) or chocolate. Business people dress quite casually, except in financial companies, where the clothes are a bit more conservative and you should definitely wear a suit or costume.

Opening hours

Business hours are usually Mon-Fri from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. In Geneva, the working day usually starts an hour earlier.

Economy

Trade department of the embassy of the Swiss Confederation
Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee 4a, D-10557 Berlin
Tel: (030) 390 40 00.
Internet: www.botschaft-schweiz.de

Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Austria-Liechtenstein
Schwindgasse 20, 1st floor, Top 4, A-1040 Vienna
Tel: (01) 512 59 59.
Internet: www.hk-schweiz.at

Osec Business Network Switzerland
Stampfenbachstrasse 85, CH-8035 Zurich
Tel: (0844) 81 18 12.
Internet: www.osec.ch
branches in Lausanne and Lugano.

economiesuisse – Association of Swiss Companies
Hegibachstrasse 47, Postfach, CH-8032 Zurich
Tel: (044) 421 35 35.
Internet:www.economiesuisse.ch/d
Further information from the regional chambers of commerce in the individual cantons.

Business contacts

Trade department of the embassy of the Swiss Confederation
Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee 4a, D-10557 Berlin
Tel: (030) 390 40 00.
Internet: www.botschaft-schweiz.de

Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Austria-Liechtenstein
Schwindgasse 20, 1st floor, Top 4, A-1040 Vienna
Tel: (01) 512 59 59.
Internet: www.hk-schweiz.at

Osec Business Network Switzerland
Stampfenbachstrasse 85, CH-8035 Zurich
Tel: (0844) 81 18 12.
Internet: www.osec.ch
branches in Lausanne and Lugano.

economiesuisse – Association of Swiss Companies
Hegibachstrasse 47, Postfach, CH-8032 Zurich
Tel: (044) 421 35 35.
Internet:www.economiesuisse.ch/d
Further information from the regional chambers of commerce in the individual cantons.

COMMUNICATION

Phone

The country code is 0041. Telephone cards (Taxcard ©) can be used in telephone booths and are available from Swisscom shops, post offices, kiosks and petrol stations. They are available in values of 5 CHF, 10 CHF and 20 CHF. Emergency numbers are: Police 117, Ambulance 144 and Fire Brigade 118.

Cellphone

GSM 900 and 1800. The main network operators are Swisscom (Internet: www.swisscom.com) and Orange (Internet: www.orange.ch). International roaming agreements exist. The network quality is excellent even in the rural regions. Cell phones are called Natel in Switzerland, a country located in Europe according to hyperrestaurant. Local SIM cards are usually sold in newsagents and kiosks.

Internet

Internet access is available in Swisscom’s public telephone booths, for example, and can be paid for with a phone card or credit card. Internet providers include upc cablecom (Internet: www.upc-cablecom.ch) and Bluewin (Internet: www.bluewin.ch). Internet cafes are everywhere. Numerous train stations and airports as well as many hotels, bars and other companies offer free access to the Internet via Wi-Fi. Mobile surfing on the Internet is made possible by the Goodspeed Wi-Fi hotspots, which are subject to a charge (Internet: goodspeed.io/de/index.html).

Post Office

Letters are on the way for up to 3 days. Poste restante items can be sent to all post offices. Post office opening times: Mon-Fri 7.30 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1.45 p.m.-6.30 p.m. The post offices close at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Switzerland Economy

MONEY

Currency

1 Swiss franc = 100 cents. Currency abbreviation: sfr, CHF (ISO code). There are banknotes in denominations of 1000, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 sfr; Coins are in circulation to the value of 5, 2, 1 and 1/2 sfr as well as 20, 10 and 5 cents. A new series of banknotes is planned for the period 2016-2019.

Credit cards

American Express, MasterCard, Diners Club, Visa and other major international credit cards are accepted everywhere. The Mastercard and Visa credit cards are accepted in almost all shops. Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.

ATMs

EC / Maestro card / Sparcard
With the EC / Maestro card and PIN number, cash in the local currency can be withdrawn from ATMs across Europe. In many European countries it is also possible to pay in shops with the ec / Maestro card. Cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted in Europe and worldwide. Further information from banks and credit institutes. The same applies to the German Sparcard, the successor to the postal savings book as a means of procuring currency in other European countries. With the Sparcard and PIN number, cash can be withdrawn from European ATMs with the Plus logo. Further details from all Postbank branches.

Attention: Travelers who pay abroad with their bank customer card and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.

Bank opening times

Mon-Fri 8.30 a.m. / 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. / 6 p.m. in major cities; Mon-Fri 8.30 a.m.-12.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m.-4.30 p.m. / 5.30 p.m. in rural areas (regional differences possible). In key business centers, counters sometimes stay open over lunchtime.

Foreign exchange regulations

No restrictions.

Currency Exchange

Money can be exchanged in banks. There are exchange offices for currencies and travelers checks at airports and train stations. These are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., often until 11 p.m. Hotels can also change money.