I have a friend who is currently living abroad but has a swiss B permit.
Up until recently he has been registered at living at a swiss address of his friends to keep his permit. This friend is leaving and now he has asked me.
He will register himself as living at my house but without actually living here to keep hold of his permit. Until the end of the year so they can move back here if needed.
I just want to know the risks or if anyone does this? It doesn't sound completely above board so I am hesitant. He wants to use an 'attestation de domicile'
Any advice would be appreciated
Is your place large enough to accommodate one more person? Local authorities sometimes look at the number of people registered in one address and then compare it to number of rooms. If you have enough space, no questions from local authorities.
If you have a zealous landlord, there may be questions about the extra name in the mailbox. If it's a real estate company, lower probability of request of clarifications.
Don't know if in your commune there's a tax for urban waste, and this is where things might go awry. There might be some expenses to be paid by the person "living there", but the person not earning an income in Switzerland may not the be most motivated one to pay.
I think you don't have to worry that much about the commune or the landlord, but think about your friend. You may find yourself doing all the work, asking your friend to pay, even find yourself in the position of "bad friend" for not being a good door mat. I'm an anonymous dude on the internet that has never met your friend. All I know is I lived several years in colocation, and I see possibilities of things going awry.
Does your friend know they can only be out of the country for 6 months before they lose their permit? Immigration will pick that up regardless of them having an address or not.
Thanks for the response.
It’s a large house with 5 bedrooms bedrooms so I think it’s big enough. I own the property also so no problem with landlords,
Plus he has offered to pay any extra charges etc. I was just worried about the commune, if it was considered fraud for example. I like living here and don’t want to be kicked out 😅
Not sure, he does come back periodically for work however
Depends on how much you trust your friend. It sounds he has reasons to be around and just does not want to pay for extra rent elsewhere which is ok.
I am not sure if it is possible but maybe you can draft a rental contract for 0 CHF which gives you rights to remove him without notice. I have never done it so not sure if it has anything negative for you or if it is doable at all - just an idea to protect yourself as it sounds you may have reasons for not being completely on board with the move.
If he's out of the country for more than the permitted amount, then I'd imagine that would be an immigration offence, and you'd be aiding and abetting.
It's only until the end of the year that he wants this, and that's just over 6 months away, so I guess so long as he decides within the first six months of being away, it's perfectly legal. He will have to come back to deregister if he decides to stay away.
Hahaha, I guess if you act in good faith (this thread never existed) the only one lying is your friend and you're not liable for other people's actions or omissions.
Of course it's not above board! Your so called friend is trying to deceive the authorities about his permit status and he has no hesitation in pulling you into his deception. If people are comfortable about telling lies to the authorities, they'll be very comfortable about telling you stories as well.
A good friend of mine, who is very helpful and not terrible wise to the ways of the world, allowed friend register at her address. And this so called friend ran up lots of debt and disappeared. Now my friend did not have to pay for this of course, but she had several visits from aggressive debt collectors trying to collect what was owed to them.
Had something similar - I drafted a subletting contract and both signed it. Approved by landlord, name tags on the mailbox added. Problem solved.
Where my friend actually stays is his business. I'm not the police, plenty of people rent an apartment closer to work, or in the mountains, and then don't stay there.