Retirement Visa, without gainful employment, Permit B

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
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Hi there,
I’m new to the forum and you all seem so helpful, I wondering if I could ask some advice?

My husband and I are looking to retire to Switzerland (we are both British), on the Permit B ‘retirement visa’. We are not looking to work, but we do still have school aged children. We don’t have any family ties in Switzerland, so we are visiting a lot and looking to join the local community as best we can.

I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direct for a good immigration lawyer? Ideally based in Switzerland, specialising in retirement, and English speaking. Or whether there are more specific forums, or websites I could look at? I can find so much information on Permit B, but they are nearly always linked to working.

Thanks so much!

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I am not recommending this firm, as I found them on the internet:

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Basic requirements are (assuming you are not super rich and going for lump sum taxation - in such cases, get your advisor to sort it out!):

  • the retiree must be 55 years old minimum.
  • has strong ties with Switzerland, such as proof of regular trips over the past years and existing social or family ties.
  • proof of sufficient private funds to settle in Switzerland in the long-term

When I got my (non-retirement) B-Permit, I just flew over, went to the municipal offices and asked for one. Maybe you can do the same.

4

Did I get that right? You flew in, asked for a B permit and got it? Without job or wife?
When was that? 1815? :smiley:

2 Likes
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That does sound easy! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:Thanks for your reply

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Thank you Bowlie.

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It would be great to benefit from your insights and experience on the costs associated with early retirement in Switzerland.

Am I correct in understanding that the tax liability in Switzerland for such a person is:

  1. regular income tax on any global earnings including interest on savings, as per Tax calculator: Calculate and compare taxes

  2. wealth tax, same website as 1)

  3. AHV payments until Swiss retirement age as per https://www.moneyland.ch/en/early-retirement-oasi-calculator.

Thanks for any help / clarity on that.

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I’m not retired yet, but you are broadly correct: the tax is pretty much the same as before you retire only instead of AHV on interest, you have AHV calculated based on wealth. Plus you also lose a lot of tax deductions related to work and kids.

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I have to say that I am surprised at how easy the link on this thread implies it could be for a non-EU citizen to move here on a retirement visa, or without work sponsorship.

I know several ‘mere millionaires’ who were turned down for retirement visas. Implication being that HNW wasn’t enough.

Yet if the requirement is simply having sufficient funds to cover living expenses, that implies a far lower threshold.

Out of sheer curiosity, has anyone seen any real numbers?

(I suppose this might be a ‘varies by canton’ thing…)

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but did they “have strong ties with Switzerland, such as proof of regular trips over the past years and existing social or family ties.”?

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I can find no statistics on visas issued or renewals processed (these permits are 1 year only.

The strong connections to Switzerland isn’t just home ownership or having relatives or friends here. See:

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The folks I know visited Switzerland regularly for decades, one owned property, one had worked in Switzerland in years past, one had gone to uni here. They had developed friendships here, but had no family in Switzerland.

I’m curious because I keep hearing contradictory things about how easy/hard it is to move here as a non-EU, not sponsored, person.