Does Switzerland have a golden visa or residence-by-investment programme?

No. Swiss law has no admission ground based on an investment amount. Non-EU clients who will not work usually rely on the retiree route (art. 28 AIG) or on important cantonal fiscal interests (art. 30 para. 1 let. b AIG), both discretionary and subject to SEM approval.

Can a non-EU client get a Swiss permit by setting up a company?

Not by itself. A company formation is examined as self-employment under art. 19 AIG, which requires an overall economic interest, a business plan and SEM approval. Working in Switzerland also rules out lump-sum taxation.

Can a non-EU client with a B permit buy a home in Switzerland?

Yes, a main residence at the place of actual domicile can be bought without a Lex Koller permit. A holiday home is subject to quotas and cantonal rules. A 2026 reform proposal would change this for third-country nationals, but it is not law.

How soon must a new resident take out Swiss health insurance?

Within 3 months of registering with the commune. If the deadline is met, cover is backdated to the registration date.

How long does the process take?

No official timeline is published. Duration depends on the route, the canton, whether a tax ruling is needed first, SEM approval and how complete the file is.

Non-EU clients moving to Switzerland: an adviser checklist

Non-EU clients who do not need to work in Switzerland have two main routes: the retiree route from age 55 with special ties to Switzerland (art. 28 AIG), and a permit based on important cantonal fiscal interests (art. 30 para. 1 let. b AIG), often linked to lump-sum taxation. Both are discretionary, the canton decides and SEM must approve. There is no golden visa, and neither a company nor a property purchase creates a right to reside. Use the checklist below to screen a client before the first call.

Key facts (as of September 2026)

Topic	What applies
Retiree route	Art. 28 AIG: age 55+, special personal ties, lifelong means, no work in Switzerland or abroad
Fiscal-interest route	Art. 30 para. 1 let. b AIG and art. 32 VZAE: centre of life in Switzerland, work only abroad
Approval	Canton decides at its discretion; SEM approval is mandatory for both routes
Investment visa	None in Swiss law
Lump sum, federal	Minimum base CHF 435,000 for tax year 2026; no gainful activity in Switzerland
Health insurance	Within 3 months of registering with the commune
Lex Koller	Non-EU B holders may buy a main residence at their actual domicile without a permit

1. Screen the route

Check	Why it matters
Nationality of each person moving (and any Swiss or EU nationality)	EU/EFTA nationals follow a different, simpler regime; a Swiss dual national cannot use the lump sum
Age of the main applicant	The retiree route starts at 55
Ties to Switzerland	Long or repeated stays, close relatives here or Swiss ancestry support the retiree route; property or business ties alone do not
Work plans, in Switzerland and abroad	The retiree route excludes any work; the fiscal-interest route allows work abroad only
Expected tax contribution	The fiscal-interest route weighs the canton's tax interest; few cantons publish a figure
Reputation factors	Fiscal interest is weighed against Switzerland's reputation, for example in a sanctions context
Centre of life	The client must actually move it to Switzerland

What does not work:

No golden visa. Neither the AIG nor its ordinance contains an admission ground based on an investment amount.
A company is not a residence right. A company formation is assessed as self-employment under art. 19 AIG: overall economic interest, a business plan, a first permit of up to 2 years and SEM approval. It also rules out the lump sum.
Property is not a permit. Owning Swiss property gives no right to reside.

For background to share with the client, see residence for non-EU nationals and is there a Swiss golden visa?.

2. Documents typically requested

Cantons set their own lists, so treat this as a starting point.

Fiscal-interest route

A formal commitment not to work in Switzerland or abroad, other than managing one's own assets (Vaud)
A copy of the lump-sum agreement with the cantonal tax authority (Vaud)
The deed or a land-register extract, if buying (Vaud)
For the tax side: a letter describing the situation, a proposed lump-sum amount, the lease or a property valuation, and a lifestyle form (Geneva); worldwide income and wealth and a living-cost budget (Uri)

Retiree route

Evidence of the special personal ties relied on
Evidence of sufficient means, reliably available for life
Proof of retirement and a commitment not to work

3. Tax pre-assessment and ruling

Compare lump-sum and ordinary taxation for this client and canton before deciding.
Check the lump-sum conditions: not Swiss, first Swiss tax liability or after 10 years' absence, no gainful activity in Switzerland, and both spouses qualify.
Estimate the base: the highest of worldwide living costs, CHF 435,000 federal minimum (2026), 7× annual rent or rental value, and the control calculation. Cantonal minimums differ.
Check treaty relief on income from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Norway, Canada, Austria or the USA (modified lump sum).
Prepare a tax ruling request: a written advance assessment by the cantonal tax authority of a concrete situation about to happen.

See how lump-sum tax is calculated and tax rulings before moving.

4. Family members

On the retiree and fiscal-interest routes, the spouse and minor children may come too.
For B holders, family members may join if they live together, housing is suitable, there is no social assistance or supplementary benefit, and there are local-language skills (enrolling in a course is enough at first; not required for children under 18).
Deadlines: family reunification must be requested within 5 years, and within 12 months for children over 12. Later requests need important family reasons.
If the spouse plans to work in Switzerland, the lump sum is lost for both spouses.

5. After arrival

Register with the commune within 14 days of entry.
Take out Swiss health insurance within 3 months of registering. If on time, cover is backdated to registration.
The tax authority checks the lump-sum conditions every year; report any change without being asked.

See the first 90 days checklist.

6. Lex Koller status by permit

Status	Lex Koller position
Non-EU national with a B permit	Subject, but may buy a main residence at the actual domicile without a permit
Non-EU national with a C permit, living in Switzerland	Not subject
EU/EFTA national living in Switzerland	Not subject
Anyone not yet resident	Subject; holiday homes only within cantonal quotas where cantonal law allows them

Actual domicile must be proven; a permit and commune registration alone are not enough. A consultation opened on 15 April 2026 proposes that third-country nationals would need a permit even for a main residence. It is a proposal, not law.

7. Timeline factors

No official processing time is published, and we do not promise durations. What drives the timing:

the route, and whether a tax ruling must be agreed before the permit file goes in;
the canton's own practice and workload;
the SEM approval step after the cantonal decision;
how complete the file is on first submission;
the client's own sequencing at home (sale of assets, school years, exit steps).

How we help

We run the Swiss side of the file with you: route assessment, tax ruling, permit application, property checks and arrival, while the client relationship stays with you. See what we handle and what stays with you, or send us an anonymous profile through the adviser introduction form.

This checklist is general information as of 30 September 2026. Each client's situation needs its own assessment and, where relevant, a tax ruling.