What is Serafe in Switzerland? Guide for expats

Serafe AG collects Switzerland’s household radio and television fee. In plain English, it is the Swiss TV fee that most private households must pay, even if nobody at home watches live TV in the old sense.

This guide goes into the details, including what it costs, who pays, when exemptions apply, and how to fix a bill that seems wrong.

Key takeaways

• Most households pay it: Serafe is a household fee, not a fee per person or device. The current private household fee is CHF 335, so an invoice after local registration is usually normal.
• One home, one bill: Couples, families, and most flatshares usually share one fee for the address. If several adults live there, agree early how you will split the cost.
• Streaming does not exempt you: The old no-device opt-out ended on January 1, 2024. If you only use Netflix or other streaming services, the Swiss radio and television fee still applies.
• Second homes follow the main residence: If your main residence is in Switzerland, you normally do not pay twice for a second Swiss home or weekly residence. If your main residence is abroad, check the Swiss address with your commune or Serafe.
• Exemptions are limited: Certain households linked to supplementary benefits, diplomatic status, or deafblind conditions may qualify. Verify the rule on OFCOM or Serafe before relying on an older English article.

What is Serafe and why does Switzerland charge it?

Serafe AG collects the Swiss radio and television household fee on behalf of the federal system and replaced Billag in 2019. If you have also seen the German term Fernsehgebühren Schweiz, it points to the same national charge.

The money helps fund SRG SSR, Switzerland’s public broadcaster, plus local and regional radio and TV providers across the country’s language regions. Importantly, this is a household-based, device-independent fee, so it is not tied to owning a TV, radio, laptop, or streaming box.

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How much does Serafe cost and how is it billed?

As of September 2026, the current private household Serafe fee in Switzerland is CHF 335 (Swiss francs) per year. Serafe staggers invoices through the year rather than billing every household at once, but if you prefer smaller payments, you can also request quarterly billing, which works out at CHF 83.75 per quarter.

If Serafe sends those quarterly invoices on paper, it adds CHF 2 to each bill, so the paper total becomes CHF 85.75 per quarter. Electronic quarterly billing avoids that extra charge.

Before you act on an amount or payment option, verify it on Serafe’s official fee overview or invoicing page, because rules and fee levels can change. If you are covering early Swiss bills from abroad, you may also compare a money transfer provider such as Wise with major local banks before sending CHF. The current fee is still CHF 335, but the Federal Council has approved a gradual reduction and Serafe says the first cut is planned from January 1, 2027.

Who has to pay the Serafe fee?

For private households, the core rule is simple: one household pays one fee, and the adults in that household are jointly responsible for it. The practical question is how your living arrangement appears in the residents’ register that Serafe receives from your commune or municipality.

Do flatshares, couples, and families pay once or more?

A flatshare, couple, or family home is usually treated as one private household, so you do not pay one Serafe fee per person. If three adults share one apartment as their main residence, the home still gets one annual fee of CHF 335, which works out to CHF 111.67 each if they split it evenly.

If several names appear on the bill, that does not mean several separate fees are due. It means adult household members can all be held liable for the same household bill.

• Check that everyone is registered at the correct address.
• Expect the invoice to list adult household members, not just one tenant.
• Agree early how you will share the cost inside the flatshare.
• Do not confuse a flatshare with a collective household, such as a student hostel or care home, which follows different rules.

What about second homes, weekly residents, and cross-border setups?

Second-home and weekly-resident cases are where many English summaries get thin. The key test is usually where your main residence is recorded in the residents’ register, not what your lease casually calls the property.

If your main residence is in Switzerland, the household fee normally covers that main home and a Swiss second home, so you do not usually pay twice. Weekly residents also normally pay only for the main residence. The main exception is people whose main residence is abroad, because a secondary or weekly address in Switzerland can then become the fee-liable household.

• Main residence in Switzerland: Usually one household fee, even if you also keep a second Swiss home.
• Weekly resident with main residence in Switzerland: Usually no second Serafe bill.
• Main residence abroad: A Swiss second home or weekly residence can trigger the fee in Switzerland.
• Moving between homes: Update your commune record promptly, then confirm the billing outcome with Serafe if needed.

Your commune’s registration record usually matters more than the wording in your rental contract when Serafe decides whether an address is your main or secondary residence.

Who can be exempt, and can you opt out?

Exemptions exist, but they are narrower than many older English articles on the same subject suggest.

Households linked to supplementary benefits: If someone in the household receives annual supplementary benefits tied to AHV, OASI, or IV, the household can qualify for exemption.

Certain diplomats: Households with a Federal Department of Foreign Affairs identity card can qualify under the official rules.

Deafblind households: This can apply if no other fee-liable person belongs to the household.

The old opt-out for homes without reception devices ended on January 1, 2024. That means streaming-only homes, student homes, and low-income homes do not automatically qualify just because they do not own a TV or radio.

It’s also important to note that ordinary social benefits are not the same as the specific supplementary benefits named in the rules. If you are unsure about a Serafe exemption in Switzerland, check the Federal Office of Communications FAQ or Serafe rather than relying on an older English article.

What to do if your Serafe bill is wrong or you are moving

This guide is for general information, not case-specific legal advice. If your Serafe bill looks wrong, or you are moving, use the steps below to sort the issue before it turns into a longer admin problem.

A faster fix is often to correct the commune registration before disputing the bill with Serafe. For case-specific records, use your own commune’s residents’ registration office page.

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What happens if you do not pay on time?

If you miss the due date, Serafe typically sends reminders and further collection steps may follow. OFCOM says continued non-payment can lead to prosecution of one household member.

This is different from the old myth about being “caught watching without a license.” The real risk is ignoring official billing letters, so contact Serafe early if you need clarification or want to ask about installments.

Managing Swiss household costs across currencies

For many new arrivals, Serafe is only one small part of a much bigger cash flow problem. Rent, deposits, health insurance, and everyday household costs often need to be paid in CHF while your savings or income still sit in another currency.

If you are comparing providers, look beyond the headline transfer fee. The key question is the total cost after exchange-rate markups, because that hidden margin is often where banks become more expensive than they first appear.

• Compare the total cost against major local banks such as UBS, Raiffeisen, and Zürcher Kantonalbank.
• Check whether you need a one-off transfer, ongoing transfers, or a way to hold CHF alongside another currency.
• One option is Wise for international money transfer and the Wise account, a multi-currency account from a financial institution, not a bank.

In Switzerland, those services are provided on a cross-border basis by Wise Payments Limited, an institution licensed in the United Kingdom by the FCA, rather than under a Swiss local license.

Take a look at Expatica’s guide to saving money in Switzerland as an expat for even more ways to budget.

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