Does my credit score count in Switzerland?

I have built up a pretty sweet credit history in the U.S. over the past decade. I've just recently moved to Switzerland, like it, and want to lease a car and possibly get a mortgage.

What I want to know is this: Do my credit score from FICO and my credit reports from Experian, Transunion, Equifax etc. count for squat in Switzerland?

Has anyone had experience with this? Do Swiss lenders accept foreign credit reports and give you credit or loans based on your foreign score?

It would be great if they did, because otherwise I will have to build up a credit history in Switzerland from scratch before I can do much. Or maybe I have it all wrong and they don't even use credit scores here? How do Swiss banks and leasing companies decide if you are a good risk?

As a general rule, Swiss lenders do not accept foreign credit reports as a means of determining creditworthiness.

In Switzerland, your creditworthiness is determined primarily by your income-to-expenses ratio. You can find more information about this in our guide to loan eligibility criteria.

Your credit repayment behavior during your stay in Switzerland is recorded by the Swiss credit beureaus ZEK and IKO, and by local debt collection offices.

Only negative entries (late payment of bills, unpaid debt, etc.) will affect your ability to get credit. Positive credit behavior is assumed to be the rule so it does not build your creditworthiness, but simply maintains it.

More on this topic:
ZEK Swiss credit bureau
Getting a Loan in Switzerland: Criteria

Important notice on new laws regarding credit reports from debt collection offices:

As per January 1, 2019, residents of Switzerland have the right to instruct municipal debt collection offices not to include a negative entry on credit reports given to third parties. This instruction can be made 3 months after a negative entry has been added or later.

Once the instruction has been implemented, negative entries are withheld from credit reports provided to third parties until you dispute them and begin the litigation process.

I will be moving to the US next year for a work stint. From what I've read, it seems that if you don't have a "good credit history" you can't do much of anything there. I get conflicting answers on this.

But what I want to know is: is there a credit scoring service in Switzerland which lets me build a history that I can then use when I get to the US? I don't cherish the thought of arriving there and being unable to rent a flat or get electricity or a phone contract.

Any suggestions? Thanks

Swiss credit bureaus do not collect "positive" information about paying bills on time. They only collect neutrals and negatives like whether you have debts or unpaid bills, and whether you repay them or default. This is for legal reasons, as laws here protect consumers from profiling.

I have heard of web-based credit scoring, where credit bureau services of sorts use your information from social media and smartphones to determine your credit behavior and create a credit score. I'm not sure if you can use these in Switzerland, but it may be an option if you are desperate to build a good credit score for the US.

Get your statements from Swiss credit bureaus and take them with you. These can help serve as proof that you don't have debts, to some extent. Get there with cash and offer to pay up front for rents and basic services. Being able to pay up front will make it easier to get the basics without a credit history. Once you move to the US, get a secured credit card and use it for a while to build a good credit score.

You can find detailed information about how credit scores work in Switzerland in the moneyland.ch guide to Swiss credit scores.