- Department: Ain.
- Place of work: Geneva.
- Route page: The Pays de Gex crossing (in French).
- Area: cross-border commuters in Geneva.
Saint-Genis-Pouilly, and where you cross the border
Saint-Genis-Pouilly is in the Pays de Gex, in the Ain department, right against Meyrin and CERN. In the 2022 census, according to INSEE, 4,856 of its 7,145 working residents work in Switzerland, that is 68.0%. They go first to the commune of Geneva, 2,470, then to Meyrin, 1,252.
Meyrin and CERN, right next door
The Pays de Gex plain is open, and Geneva stretches across it as far as Meyrin, on the other side of the customs post. From Saint-Genis-Pouilly, your phone can pick up a Swiss antenna without you moving. And at CERN, which straddles the border, two neighbouring buildings can be on two different networks.
With Flytel, a phone that picks up a Swiss network stays within its plan: calls and texts are included, and mobile data is taken from the Switzerland and Europe allowance, 20 GB or 50 GB depending on the plan.
The Meyrin customs post and buses 66, 67 and 68
The route de Meyrin links the town to the Meyrin customs post. Three Geneva Public Transport (TPG) lines run through Saint-Genis-Pouilly: the 68, from Vernier to Thoiry via Meyrin and the “Saint-Genis, CERN Alice” stop; the 66, from Geneva Airport to Thoiry via Ferney-Voltaire and Prévessin; and the 67, from Meyrin to Crozet. Tram 18 stops at “Meyrin, CERN”, right against the border; a bus rapid transit line is due to link this terminus to Saint-Genis-Pouilly, with no published opening date. Near the village, CERN’s ALICE detector is housed in a cavern 56 metres underground. Above ground, the question is simpler: at home, my phone shows a Swiss network, do I pay? With Switzerland included, the bill stays the same.
Your phone switches to the Swiss network in Saint-Genis-Pouilly without you moving? Why, and how to get back to the French network: the guide to the network at the border.
Geneva, Meyrin or CERN
Here, people work in Geneva, in Meyrin or at CERN, and the phone changes country several times a day, sometimes without you moving. The plan must count Switzerland as it counts France: calls included from both countries, and mobile data on both sides of the customs post.
Meyrin customs post, lines 66, 67 and 68 and the planned bus to tram 18 checked on 12 October 2026 (Geneva Public Transport, Pays de Gex agglo, CERN). INSEE figures: 2022 census. Something has changed in Saint-Genis-Pouilly? Write to us, and we will correct the page.
The journey is described on the crossing page (in French), and the area on the page cross-border commuters in Geneva. What a cross-border mobile plan should cover has its own page. To choose, compare the plans.
In the same area: Annemasse, Ferney-Voltaire and Saint-Julien-en-Genevois. Ferney-Voltaire is in English, the others in French. All the communes (in French), by area.
