The Zurich Filming Guide (2026)

Urban Switzerland in one place: a medieval old town, a former industrial quarter, a lake, a financial district and an international airport within a few kilometres.

According to the Film Commission Zurich, around 600 films a year are shot in the canton, more than in any other. Steven Soderbergh's Black Bag used the old town for several scenes.

First call: the Film Commission Zurich (welcome@filmzurich.ch, +41 43 555 80 80) acts on behalf of the City, Zurich Tourism, the canton's Office for Economy and the Zurich Film Foundation.

• Needed when any one applies: more than 1 hour including prep; infrastructure such as lights, track or props; more than 5 people.
• Not needed: one camera, one tripod, one hand reflector, under an hour, without obstructing traffic; news coverage; private ground with no effect on public space.
• Apply at least 4 weeks ahead with photos, a detailed site plan and, for larger shoots, a concept.
• Fees follow the city's fee schedule for use of public ground and are quoted with the permit.
• On Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Whit Sunday, the Federal Day of Prayer and Christmas Day only stills and small silent shoots are allowed, and no advertising shoots.
• Outside the city, rules change at the municipal border. Winterthur asks for 10 days, 20 with a road closure.

Sources: Stadt Zürich · Film Commission Zurich · Stadtpolizei Winterthur

• Road closures: 20 working days. Parking suspensions: 7 working days, for load-in and load-out only.
• The old town's pedestrian zones allow deliveries from 05:00 to 12:00, in some streets until 19:00. A day access permit costs CHF 10 (Dienstabteilung Verkehr, +41 44 411 89 16).

• Quiet hours in the city: 22:00 to 07:00 (from 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays during summer time), 12:00 to 13:00 on working days, and all day on Sundays and public holidays. Exceptions need a police permit.
• Night and Sunday work also needs authorisation under labour law and carries premiums (see the Switzerland guide).

Sources: Stadt Zürich · everyday noise

Rates as published by Zurich Airport when we last checked on 7 October 2026. The airport can change them at any time; its fee schedule is the binding version.

• Apply 4 weeks ahead for film, 2 for stills; more than 20 people only in individual cases.
• No lock-offs: passenger flow must not be obstructed.
• Airside only with a paid airport escort and in exceptional cases.
• Airlines and other airport partners give their own permission.
• The airport railway station belongs to SBB.

Sources: Zurich Airport · filming and photography · Zurich Airport · fee schedule

• SBB has a separate request form for commercial shoots. It asks for the intended use, the station or train, the date, artificial light, boom poles and crew size.
• Zurich main station is SBB property even though it sits in the middle of the city.
• Trams and buses belong to VBZ, which is contacted separately.

Sources: SBB · commercial filming

• On the lake and the Limmat the production is responsible for safety on the water; shipping rules apply near harbours and ferry routes.
• City pools: best off-season or outside opening hours; during opening hours only before 11:00 and for 3 hours at most; apply 4 weeks ahead.
• The China Garden is a protected site with its own conditions.
• Contact ZSG in advance for commercial filming aboard its vessels or a shoot involving its ships; its media team handles these requests. ZSG is not the permitting authority for all of Lake Zurich. For an independent boat shoot, agree the setup with the vessel operator and check any navigation or special-use requirements with the cantonal navigation authority and water police.

Sources: Film Commission Zurich · ZSG · Kanton Zürich · Schifffahrt

• Zurich’s city police explicitly state that electric drones have no additional municipal flight restrictions beyond federal rules. A commercial shoot may still need the usual film permit, and privacy and property rights still apply.
• In the open category, stay within visual line of sight and no higher than 120 m above ground. Never fly over crowds, including packed streets, events or busy beaches. Commercial use does not itself change the flight category.
• Separation from uninvolved people depends on the drone’s class: C0 / drones below 250 g may overfly individuals, but never crowds; C1 should avoid overflight; A2 prohibits overflight and requires the applicable separation; A3 must stay away from uninvolved people and at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.
• A filming drone with a camera normally requires operator registration, including below 250 g unless it is a toy; pilot training depends on class/category. Liability cover of at least CHF 1 million is mandatory from 250 g.
• Check the current FOCA drone map for the exact location and altitude, especially around Zurich Airport and Dübendorf. Obtain the clearance named for each zone through Skyguide or the relevant authority. Flights outside the open-category limits need FOCA authorisation.

Sources: Stadt Zürich · FOCA / BAZL · FOCA / BAZL · map · Skyguide

• Production incentive: up to CHF 30,000 per project. It is top-up financing, not a rebate: at most 6% of the minimum qualifying spend.
• Conditions: international production or minority co-production; at least CHF 500,000 spend in the canton; 80% of financing secured; application at least 4 weeks before the first shooting day; annual funds are limited.
• Eligible: feature films, TV films, series, documentaries. Not eligible: short films, corporate films, reportage, music videos, photo shoots.
• Counts: supplier invoices where the company's tax-law principal place of business is in the canton, and wages or fees where the individual's tax domicile is in the canton. Costs are stated net of VAT and must be documented. Confirm the current eligible-expense rules before budgeting.
• Scouting incentive: up to CHF 6,000, also for commercials. Check the current call and its deadlines.

Larger rebates exist in other cantons; see incentives in the Switzerland guide.

Sources: Film Commission Zurich · incentives · Zürcher Filmstiftung · Zurich effect

• No closed shop. Terms follow the industry's general terms of employment (AAB) and SSFV guideline wages, which are recommendations.
• Weekly wages: 50 contractual working hours per week, normally 10 hours a day over five days. Including breaks and overtime, each day must fit within a 14-hour span.
• Day-rate engagements: 9 working hours, within a 14-hour span including breaks. This is the arrangement often used for commercials; agree the pay structure before budgeting.
• Weekly overtime: hours 51–59 +25%, from hour 60 +100%; night work 23:00–06:00 +25%. Day-rate overtime has its own bands: hours 10–11 +25%, 12–13 +50%, 14–15 +100%, from hour 16 +150%; night work 23:00–05:00 +25%. These premiums do not remove the working-time limits.
• Normally allow 11 hours between shifts; reductions are subject to the applicable AAB conditions. Meal and rest-break rules differ between weekly and day engagements; do not count lunch as working time.
• Guideline base wages per week: DoP CHF 3,665–4,765; production assistant or driver CHF 1,145–1,490.
• Fringes: holiday pay 8.33% of base, plus employer on-costs of roughly 15–20% of gross.
• Departments run lean; one experienced crew member often covers what two people do in the US or UK.

Sources: SSFV · AAB · SSFV · guideline wages · SSFV · AAB 2026 · weekly · SSFV · AAB · day

• Entry is not permission to work: Non-EU/EFTA crew sent by a foreign employer may generally work in Switzerland for up to 8 days per calendar year without a work permit. A Swiss hire needs a permit from day one, and visa rules still apply. Fedlex · VZAE Art. 14
• EU / EFTA crew: Online notification at least 8 days before work starts, up to 90 working days a year. Kanton Zürich · EU / EFTA notification
• Non-EU and UK crew: Posted crew need a cantonal work permit beyond 8 days; a Swiss hire needs one from day one. The employer applies, and admission conditions and quotas may apply.

Allow time for a complete work-permit application before confirming travel. Zurich’s official application pages do not give a fixed 2–4-week processing period; ask the Amt für Wirtschaft for the current lead time for your crew’s case. The 8-day EU/EFTA notification period is separate from work-permit processing. When we crew a shoot, we file these applications and notifications as part of the job.

Sources: Kanton Zürich · work permits

• Foreign performers: Non-resident film actors working in the canton are covered by ZStB 95.2: a 50% flat cost deduction and four daily-income rates, 10.8%, 12.4%, 15% or 17%. This artist tariff does not apply to technical crew; ordinary employee withholding and treaty rules may still apply. Kanton Zürich · ZStB 95.2

For artists, deduct a flat 50% from gross taxable compensation, including taxable allowances and benefits. Divide the remaining taxable income by the contractually agreed performance and rehearsal days to select the rate below. The rate applies to that taxable income, not to the entire gross fee.

No tax is collected if total compensation paid by the payer per event is below CHF 300. Actors engaged for at least 30 days by a Zurich-based employer use ordinary employee tariffs instead. Tax treaties can change the result; check the applicable treaty before settling payroll.

Camera, lighting, grip, sound and production crew do not fall under this special artist tariff. Ordinary salary withholding may still apply depending on their employer, residence and treaty position; crew are not automatically exempt from all withholding tax.

Sources: Kanton Zürich · ZStB 95.2 · 2026

• ATA carnet / temporary admission: Professional filming equipment can be admitted temporarily. An ATA carnet is generally available when a foreign-resident user brings in and uses the equipment personally. It cannot be used for goods covered by a rental agreement with a person or company resident in Switzerland; use a Swiss ZAVV temporary-admission declaration instead, with security for the import charges. If the equipment is permanently imported or not re-exported as required, standard import VAT of 8.1% applies, plus any customs duties. BAZG · ATA carnet and temporary admission

Zurich's rental houses stock current ARRI, Sony and RED cinema cameras, including the Alexa 35, Alexa Mini LF, Venice 2 and Burano, plus Super 16 film cameras, lighting, dollies and cranes.

Picture-vehicle licence plates are arranged through the Film Commission Zurich; power and water through EWZ on advance request; Ça Tourne runs an 1,800 m² props house in Opfikon-Glattbrugg.

Sources: Film Commission Zurich · resources

More urban locations →

Zürich/Fluntern, MeteoSwiss 1991–2020 normals. Rain days: monthly mean number of days with at least 1 mm of precipitation.

May to August are the wettest months as well as the brightest. From November to January the sun averages under two hours a day, and lowland fog can sit for days.

Sources: MeteoSwiss / MeteoSchweiz · 1991–2020 · MeteoSwiss · station normals (data)

Public holidays: 1 Jan, 2 Jan, Good Friday 26 Mar, Easter Monday 29 Mar, 1 May, Ascension 6 May, Whit Monday 17 May, 1 Aug, 25 Dec, 26 Dec. Local half days in the City of Zurich: Sechseläuten 19 Apr, Knabenschiessen 13 Sep. These are not full cantonal public holidays; confirm venue hours and event-related road closures.

Events that close streets or fill hotels

• Zurich Marathon: 11 Apr
• Sechseläuten: 19 Apr
• Zurich Pride: 11–12 Jun
• Street Parade: 14 Aug
• Weltklasse Zürich: 25–26 Aug
• Knabenschiessen: 11–13 Sep
• Zurich Film Festival: late September to early October (2026: 24 Sep–4 Oct)
• Christmas markets: from mid-November

Sources: Zurich Tourism · public holidays · Zurich Tourism · event highlights

• Zurich Airport to the city centre: about 10 minutes by train. Zurich to Lucerne: 41 minutes. Zurich to Geneva: 2 h 51. Zurich to Lugano: 1 h 53.
• Mid-range city hotels run roughly CHF 200–450 a night; accommodation VAT is 3.8%.

More in the Switzerland guide: rail and road · accommodation.

• No published city rates: public-ground fees are quoted per permit.
• Fixed public numbers a budget can start from: the airport rate card, guideline wages and fringes, the incentive, VAT 8.1%.

1. Before confirming travelNon-EU / UK work permits: confirm processing time with the canton
2. 8 weeksWeapons permits
3. 4 weeksCity film permit, airport filming, incentive application, pools
4. 20 working daysRoad closures
5. 14 daysChild performer notification
6. 8 daysEU/EFTA crew notification
7. 7 working daysParking suspensions

Zurich's rules are clear but spread across the city, the canton, the airport, the railway and private owners.

That is the job we do. ORISONO Film GmbH is our Zurich company; we run permits, crew, equipment, payroll and tax for international shoots in the city and canton. More on our service production in Zurich.

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