Relocating to Switzerland
Updated 20 September 2026
Relocating a family to Switzerland touches every part of life at once: residence, home, schools, health, banking, security and the household. We coordinate the move as one mandate, from the first conversation in Dubai, Hong Kong or Düsseldorf to the day the family is settled in Switzerland. The order in which we work is set out below.
First published on 21 August 2021.
Moving to Switzerland: the order of things
Relocating a family brings all nine of our concierge services into one year. This is the order we work in.
- Residence. Which permit, on what basis, in which canton. Most of what follows is easier with it settled, so a specialised lawyer is among the first people we bring in.
- The home. The search starts at once. Whether a lease or a purchase comes first depends on your status and the canton, which the lawyer clarifies; viewings, negotiation and handover are one mandate.
- Schools. Day schools, boarding schools and universities through our partner network at Swiss Private Education, chosen around the child and timed to the school year.
- Medical. Health insurance is mandatory and has to be in place within three months of taking up residence. Beyond it, we open the door to private clinics and specialists through private medical coordination, with Veltracon Medical and the Switzerland Clinics network.
- Banking and tax. Most families arrive with a private bank and an adviser; where they do not, we introduce one. We give no tax advice ourselves.
- The household. Staff, cars, security, the cellar, the art on the walls: the part that decides whether the new house becomes a home.
Lump sum taxation in Switzerland
Switzerland allows certain foreign nationals to be taxed on their expenditure instead of their income. Under the federal rules the option is open to people without Swiss citizenship who take up tax residence for the first time or after at least ten years' absence and who pursue no gainful activity in Switzerland; both spouses must qualify. The tax is assessed on worldwide living costs, subject to minimum amounts set by federal law. Not every canton offers it: Zurich abolished it in 2010; Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt followed. The cantons that keep it set their own minimum amounts. Whether it applies to you is a question for your tax adviser.
Who it is for, and who does it
Families from the Gulf and from Asia whose move starts in Dubai or Hong Kong; executives with a corporate concierge mandate behind them; and family offices that hand us the private side of a principal's move, as our piece on family office and lifestyle management sets out. Once the family is settled, the mandate usually continues as lifestyle management.
How the work is charged
A relocation is quoted as one mandate, scope and fee agreed in writing before anything is committed; lawyer, school and clinic invoice their own work. We sell no memberships and publish no rate card; the three models the industry uses are explained in our note on what a concierge service is.
Straight answers.
How long does relocating to Switzerland take?
Count in months, not weeks. The permit decision rests with the cantonal authorities, the kind of home you can take depends on the permit, and school places follow the academic year.
Do you help with the residence permit?
We coordinate; we do not represent you before the authorities. A specialised lawyer or relocation adviser prepares the application; we hold the timetable so that home, school and bank do not wait on each other.
What is lump sum taxation in Switzerland?
Taxation on expenditure instead of income, open under the federal rules to foreign nationals taking up tax residence for the first time or after at least ten years' absence who pursue no gainful activity in Switzerland, whether employed or self-employed, board seats included; both spouses must qualify. The base is worldwide living costs, subject to legal minimums. Your tax adviser decides whether it applies.
Which schools can you place our children at?
Private day and boarding schools across Switzerland, and universities, through our partner network at Swiss Private Education. The choice follows the child; we arrange visits and paperwork.
Do we need Swiss health insurance?
Yes: it is mandatory and has to be taken out within three months of taking up residence; your adviser or ours arranges the policy.
Do you work with families moving from Dubai or Hong Kong?
Yes. Much of our relocation work begins in the Dubai and Hong Kong offices and ends in Zug, with one file at both ends.
Making an enquiry
What helps us move quickly:
- Who is moving, from where and when
- Children's ages and the school year you are aiming for
- Whether a home, a permit or a school is the most urgent question
What happens next
A partner reads the request personally and comes back to you on the channel you named with what depends on you, what depends on the authorities and what we can start at once. Nothing is signed or promised to a third party until scope and fee are agreed in writing.
Anything. Anytime. Anywhere.
Please contact us with any VIP requests by phone or email, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.