FAQ Life at CERN and Local Area
Selected postal services are available from The Kiosk, located in the main building.
A CERN Community exists on the Mov’ici carpooling plaftform provided by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which is also available free of charge in French-speaking Switzerland. For more information and to register, visit: movici.auvergnerhonealpes.fr
In addition, Hé! Léman is also a carpooling network operating in the Pays de Gex/ Meyrin area.
Family members of Associated Members of the Personnel (Users, COAS, VISCs), who also hold a French Special Residence Permit (TSS), are allowed to complete a mandatory internship (paid or unpaid) in France as part of their studies, within a maximum of 960 hours per year, without having to request a prior authorisation from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Not all areas of the CERN site are safe for wearers of active implanted medical devices. To check a specific situation, please contact the EP Departmental Safety Officer.
To change the email address displayed for you in the Phonebook, please follow the steps outlined in the dedicated Service Portal Knowledge Base article.
Access cards are mandatory for children over the age of two.
It is possible to get an access card for babies but it is not a requirement.
Please refer to knowledge base article KB0010295.
Please refer to knowledge base article KB0010295.
The Users Office has received feedback from Users who confirmed that they could open accounts and receive their allowances through direct banks operating exclusively online (e.g. Revolut). As a “CH” IBAN may not be accepted by CERN for the processing of claims/payments, it is generally possible to obtain another type of IBAN (e.g. “GB”) through direct online banks.
Information on the acquisition of property in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud by members of personnel of international organisations is available on the website of the Swiss Mission.
N.B.: the attestation (“bien immobilier”) should be sent by the person concerned or by their agent/fiduciary directly to the Swiss Mission by post.
The conditions and means of access to the French labour market for spouses and children of members of personnel are available on the CERN Host State Relations Service website.
Information about France’s social security scheme for self-employed workers are available on the CLEISS website.
The CERN Social Affairs Team is available to help with the completion of personal formalities in the Local Area (e.g. housing; education; childcare; taxes; etc.).
Children aged 20-25 can obtain a family access card and enter the site. A declaration is however necessary and should be provided to the Users Office.
Declaration with a view to the issuance of an “F”-type CERN family card.
Rules on access to CERN for the children of associated members of the personnel.
For Users: Experiments Secretariats
For COAS and VISC: Departmental Administrative Officers or Group Administrative Officer.
Please see this page for further information.