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.
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.
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…)
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.
So a bit late to this conversation, but our story is very relevant. 10 months after our “arrival” we have finally be granted residency.
The commune (Gryon) said it would take up to 3 months! They clearly had no idea.
We are retired, UK residents all our life. ‘Announced our arrival’ at Gryon commune office 28th March 2025.
Commune immediately delighted to have us - lots of brits here! Other communes will stop you right at the start.
Canton Vaud. Not easy. After lots of additional documentation and history eventually said no “you do not have enough money until your death”!! Charming. But they are required to give a chance of reply. We do have plenty of money till our ‘death’, but are not super rich by any means. So we stated why we do, explained more about our lifestyle and asked what level they require such that if we achieve that we could apply again. And then they said yes!! Didn’t expect that, but was at least reasonable. Suspect a junior reviewed initially, and then on appeal referred to a senior.
Then it went to Berne. A long wait. Pushed them after 3 months, told us not to bother them. Pushed Vaud to push Berne a month later and a week on got a letter saying ‘Yes’!! BUT you have not proved your ties. Prove this and you will get a residence permit. Great.
We have had a 2nd residence for 21 years, so we provided photos over the years, 11 letters from locals, and a letter from our French teach of 3 years (in the UK, who is French). Last 4 years stayed Gryon 5 months a year, previously 3 months per year typically. Provided proof of this. Etc. So really no one from the UK could realistically provide better ties than us, I would suggest.
And that was enough. Amazingly. So now we go to Lausanne in a couple of weeks to have our mug shots and finger prints taken so we can be easily traced for all our future wrong doings…
And during the process health insurance was a big issue. Have to have it within 3 months of arrival. And we are entitled to S1 cover. Constantly told we would not qualify. But we do, and eventually got past the jobs worths. But that then took us out of the UK NHS system long before we knew if we could reside en suisse.
All a bit ridiculous in some ways. But this shows it is possible. But when do you sell your UK house? And ‘residing’ in Switzerland but still needing to look after UK interetes is challenging.
Very very few retirees are allowed in each year - perhaps a handful? Of course if you are able/prepared to pay over CHF1million or more (1.5?) each they will welcome you with open arms. But you’d need arguably £30million plus to be comfortable with that…
The required financial means are different for EU and non-EU.
EU: a stable annual income (pension + dividends) of CHF 70,000 - 80,000 is considered “safe” for a permit. If no income the authorities can ask for liquid assets of CHF 1,000,000 to CHF 1,200,000.
Non-EU: Because these permits are discretionary, the bar is much higher. Unless you have “special ties” (family or prior residence), you may be expected to show an income of CHF 100,000+ or substantial liquid assets. In no income the authorities can ask for liquid assets
between CHF 1.5 Million to CHF 2.5 Million+.
Should also say that we did it all ourselves without any professional advice. Professionals will help and advise you of course, but really you pretty much have to do all the work to provide all the evidence, financial details, apostille of marriage certificate, etc, etc anyway.
Also apologies, typo in previous post, CHF1million plus in tax each year and they will welcome you…
The financial bar in Vaud is quite a bit higher than that, but it is one of the most stringent I believe. And as you say ‘discretionary’, so one never really knows. But the ‘ties’ bar with the Federal authorities in Berne is arguably more challenging than the financial, depending on your finances of course!
Thanks for your reply