How do you set up a Swiss digital ID (SwissID / e-services) in 2026?

Register a free SwissID account with an email address at the SwissID site, then enable two-factor authentication. Install the SwissID app on a phone that can receive SMS or app prompts. Many banks and insurers that offer remote onboarding ask you to log in with SwissID and complete online identification: scan a passport or identity card and record a short video selfie so the bank receives a certified identity copy.

A basic account is not always enough. Services that need a verified identity, a qualified electronic signature, or access to the electronic patient record require you to finish "My verified identity" in the SwissID account. Online verification is free; some identity cards still need agent review. Keep a Swiss mobile number handy for codes: Get a mobile phone.

Order matters for banking. Some online products already expect SwissID during onboarding, while branch openings still accept passport and residence evidence without it. Finish municipal registration and consistent address papers first: Register your address. Then open the account with the documents your bank lists: Open a bank account.

AGOV is the authentication service for Swiss public authorities. Cantons such as Zurich, Bern, and St. Gallen increasingly require AGOV for online tax returns and other BE-Login or e-tax style services. New federal ePortal users should register with AGOV directly; older CH-Login users are being moved across on a fixed timetable. AGOV does not replace SwissID for Post, banking, or private apps that never list AGOV as an option.

Some cantons still run their own accounts (for example ZugLOGIN) and may let you link SwissID as one login method. Always check the canton of your registered address before you assume one national password works everywhere.

A state e-ID stored in the swiyu Wallet is planned as a free federal credential and as an additional AGOV login factor. Official timelines have shifted for security reasons, and the exact launch date is not fixed yet. Treat it as a future option, not as something that unlocks your first Swiss tax return or bank app today. Until it ships, SwissID plus AGOV or the cantonal portal cover the mover's real needs.