DISCLAIMER! This page is based on my experience coming to CERN on a long-term basis. For you short-term people, I don't know exactly how the procedures differ (I've made some guesses below). Maybe you can ask Jeff, he's been through it.

A Guide to Coming to CERN for Wisconsin CMS Students


Upon arriving at CERN you may find yourself inundated with registration, paperwork, and other necessaries. Here is a short guide to everything you'll need to do.

Before you come:

0.0 PASSPORT. Enough said.

0.5 If you plan on staying here for more than three months, make sure you have a residence visa (probably French) before you come! (Even if you want to live in Switzerland, to work at Point 5 -- which is in France -- they say you need a French visa.) If you don't, you'll have to go through the whole Note Verbale thing and visa application process at CERN, in addition to getting a lecture from the ladies in the Users' Office. You will need a letter of invitation to apply for a visa, which you will need to get from Tami Kramer (the American secretary for CMS). NOTE: the latest word is that you need a French visa AND a Swiss visa. See the USCMS webpage on visa requirements.

When you get here:

  1. Get registered at the Users' Office! The Users' Office is in the same building as the cafeteria, UBS bank, and auditorium. It's on the same floor as the cafeteria, down the hallway to the right on the other side of the stairs to the auditorium. The entrance looks like the logo on their webpage. The webpage also has links to the forms you'll need along with other useful information.

    To register, you'll need
    Here are the requirements from the Users' Office for long-term and short-term registration.

    When you register you will get a copy of your contract (keep it, you might need it later, like for getting a bank account if you're long-term) and a temporary version of your Swiss card (if you'll be here for an extended time). The permanent version of your Swiss card will come later. You will also probably get instructions on doing some of the other things on this list, too (like getting an access card, etc.) The User's Office will also help you in doing things later on, like applying for a French card (if you're long-term), which you do once you have a permanent address, etc.
  2. Go to Building 55 (near the main gate) and up the stairs to the second floor (in Europe they call it the "first floor", or first floor above ground level) to get your access card. You will need your passport and maybe your copy of your contract. (This is also where you can get a parking sticker for your car, if you ever have to worry about that, and an LHC access token if you need one.)
  3. Do the safety training video course in Building 55 in the designated room on the first floor ( = ground level). The English video runs twice a day (10 AM and 3 PM); make sure you get there on time, because the door locks automatically (I guess this is to make sure people don't just show up at the end of the video and say they were there the entire time). You need to get your access card BEFORE you do safety training, because the system registers you as having attended by reading the barcode on your card.
  4. Visit the CMS Secretariat on the fifth floor of Building 40 to register and get a key to the UW office. If you don't yet have a computer account, let them know; they'll get you started on it and send you to Martti Pimia (the computer accounts guy). Side note on computers: to use your own laptop on the CERN wireless network, you need to register it with the network. When you first try to connect, a webpage will come up where you go through the process of registering. You may need someone who's been here a while to enter their information, if your registration is brand new.
  5. For long-term people: get a bank account with UBS in the cafeteria building. There's a door to the left of the teller windows; go through the door and down the stairs to the left, and at the bottom of the stairs there are people who can set up your account. You'll need your passport and your copy of your contract (and maybe your CERN ID and/or Swiss card), as well as an address. (They can set your mailing address to be your office, which is handy if you haven't found a permanent place yet.)
  6. To be able to do work at the CMS site:
  7. To be legitimately allowed to drive the car, you should go to EDH and request access to area V (for vehicle). You'll need to attach an electronic copy of your driver's license (or send them a paper copy). Make sure the copy is readable, or they'll complain and ask for another one. To be legitimately allowed to drive the car to/from home or the grocery store, you should request a work order (job order, mission order) in EDH for that purpose.
  8. If you will be working with any computers underground (i.e. if you will be doing anything remotely related to controlling the hardware), someone in charge (like Pam or Monika) will need to request an online cluster computer account for you.
  9. Once you have your address in France (assuming you already have your French visa), go back to the Users' Office to apply for your French card. You will need to know your parents' full names and dates and places of birth, as well as bring all the usual documentation (passport, CERN ID, Swiss card, maybe your copy of your registration, etc.). The French card may take a couple months to arrive, so start early!

Here are several other webpages with lots of useful information on arriving and getting settled in; however, not all the information may apply to you.

Here are some random pages with useful information to help you navigate life here:
Let me know if you have other questions or if you come up with or find something else that should be on this webpage.


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Jessica Leonard, Apr. 12, 2007
Last modified: June 23, 2009