# Immigration to Switzerland



## Baylucas (Jun 3, 2020)

Hi there..hubby and I are retired and thinking of moving to Switzerland. Honestly, I could not make head nor tail of the official Swiss immigration page.
We are US citizens (I have dual with Canada), retired, good income. 
How do I begin?
Many thanks


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I suppose the key thing at the moment is that immigration to Switzerland is closed due to the pandemic. Unless you are Swiss returning to the country, there is no entry to Switzerland from anywhere outside the EU. And at the rate things are going just now, there is no telling when that ban is going to be lifted. 

In "normal" times, immigration matters are handled by the cantonal authorities, so once travel is restored, you may do best to plan one or more short stay visits to scope out what canton you would be interested in living in and find out what the cantonal requirements are for immigration.


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## ALKB (Jan 20, 2012)

Baylucas said:


> Hi there..hubby and I are retired and thinking of moving to Switzerland. Honestly, I could not make head nor tail of the official Swiss immigration page.
> We are US citizens (I have dual with Canada), retired, good income.
> How do I begin?
> Many thanks


Switzerland has the following conditions:

"_*Third-country nationals*

Citizens of non-EU-26*/EFTA** countries must meet the following criteria:_

_They must apply for a visa with a Swiss diplomatic/consular mission in the country of residence._
_They have adequate financial resources to cover the cost of living in Switzerland so as to ensure that they will not become dependent on welfare benefits, and_
_They have a health insurance policy that also includes accident coverage._"
Source: Conditions applying to foreign nationals wishing to pursue education and training or otherwise remain in Switzerland without working - www.ch.ch

You will have to find out what the cantonal authorities deem to be 'adequate' finances. I assume it would have to be well over the poverty line, which was last defined in 2019 as "_on average CHF 2279 per month for a single person and CHF 3976 per month for a household with two adults and two children under the age of 14._"

Two years on and for a couple without children, I am guessing that that line would fall somewhere around the 3000,- CHF/month mark. But remember that's the poverty line. Switzerland is not interested in people who have an income just above that and would risk slipping into trouble by any large unforeseen expense.

Also, living close to the poverty line would not be much fun, fantastic landscape or not, so I hope your retirement income is a lot more than that.

Also remember you may or may not owe taxes to Switzerland if you live there.

Where in Switzerland are you thinking?

Switzerland has a very high cost of living compared to other European countries. I used to live in Geneva and it was lovely but only because I had a Swiss job that paid a Swiss salary (and because Switzerland is close to the French border and I could do most of my shopping in much-cheaper France).

The health system is unusual as it's all private insurance style. One has to pay first, then hand all paperwork in to the insurance and then they decide what and how much they will reimburse. I hated it with a passion. It's a little known reason for Swiss families to fall into crippling debt.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

smithcurtis004 said:


> There are a couple of ways, the very wealthy can do it because the swiss government exacts a very high tax on non-citizens who emigrate to switzerland. A person who can pay the tax which is many thousands of dollars per year that person may remain as long he/she wishes as a “guest” of the country. Otherwise, a person can only stay continuously for six months per year, and another way to do it is to emigrate to a European nation, get legal status to work there, and then apply for a visa to live and work in switzerland.


I'm not at all sure of that information. Switzerland is part of the Schengen Zone, which means that US citizens can only stay for up to 90 days in any 180 day period as "tourists." It is also not necessarily possible to "transfer" work authorization from one country to another within the EU. Besides, the OP are looking to retire to Switzerland so work authorization is not an issue.


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## Paul C. (Apr 14, 2021)

Hi there. Similar situation except we are EU citizens so I believe we would be allowed to enter. Does anybody know how long it takes to
Process a long term (more than 1 year) residence visa application in Vaud? Many thanks.


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