At EPFL, foreign students will now pay three times more to study.Keystone
Stocking for some students, trips to Thailand and bicycle in postal coaches, we take stock of the changes in laws that affect the country from May 1.
01.05.2025, 14:2701.05.2025, 14:27
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Schooling that increases for some students
Foreign students, domiciled or not in Switzerland for their studies, will have to pay higher schooling from the fall in the fall. This change applies to students of the federal polytechnic schools of Zurich and Lausanne. The modification of the law which corresponds to this new policy came into force on May 1.
The amount of schooling is set by the EPF council regulations. Following his decision made last summer, the costs will remain at 730 francs per semester for the Swiss. Foreign students will have to pay 2190 francs per semester, three times more than currently.
Students of Liechtenstein nationality will be exempt from this increase, as well as foreign students domiciled in Switzerland when obtaining their diploma of access to the Hautes écoles.
For students of the European Union, the new schooling should not settle over time. During the negotiations between Switzerland and the EU concluded in December 2024, Switzerland undertook to deal with EU students in the same way as Swiss students with regard to study taxes, as the Federal Council has communicated. The fact remains that for this, bilateral agreements must still be ratified.
New rules for road transport companies
From May 1, stricter rules concerning the headquarters of companies active in road transport will be set up. The goal is to prevent foreign companies from being present in Switzerland only in the form of a “mailbox company” to circumvent a road cabotage ban, writes the Federal Council. A restriction indeed prevents road transport companies with deliveries in Switzerland if they do not have their headquarters in our country.
Companies will also have to meet certain financial requirements. A license for cross -border transport of goods will also be compulsory now for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, but more than 2 and a half tonnes.
A special visa for Thailand
As of this month, travelers to Thailand will have to be in possession of a digital visa. The demand for this Thailand Digital arrival Card should be completed online at least three days before arrival in the country. Exceptions are planned for transit passengers who do not enter the territory, people with a passport to cross the border, or travelers who do not pass Thai border control.
This new system should make entry more efficient and reduce queues on arrival. In April, the United Kingdom had already introduced a similar digital entry system, ETA.
Reservation compulsory for bikes in postal cars
Between May and October 2025, the reservation of places for bikes will be compulsory on postal bus lines. According to La Poste, these lines experience a strong crowd of cyclists during the summer season. The reservation obligation applies to Graubünden, central Switzerland, Bernese Oberland, Valais and partly in Eastern Switzerland and French -speaking Switzerland. Ticino is temporarily exempt from this obligation. A reservation costs two francs, in addition to the ticket or the bicycle subscription. (con with ATS)
News in Switzerland is here
Translated from German by Joel Espi
The Swiss company Selecta announces an agreement with its investors, aimed at securing the future of its activities. However, donors face important losses.
Is it long-awaited salvation? For several months, the rumor has been running around the Swiss Society for Automatic Distributors: Selecta has been in difficulty. Would it be fully sold? Dismantled? Or, worse, threatened with bankruptcy in the face of the magnitude of its debts? The rating agency Moody’s had recently sounded alarm by evoking a “high risk”.
