Moving to Switzerland from Singapore, Hong Kong or India

Families from Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China and India move to Switzerland under the Swiss rules for non-EU nationals. If no one in the family will work here, the two usual routes are a permit based on significant cantonal fiscal interest, typically combined with lump-sum taxation, and a retiree permit from age 55 for people with genuine ties to Switzerland. Both are decided by the canton and need federal approval, so preparation and a well-documented file count for a great deal.

Key facts (as of September 2026)

One framework, four very different starting points

A family leaving Singapore, one leaving Hong Kong and one leaving Mumbai or Shanghai face different questions at home: tax residence, exit rules, how assets are held, how easily money moves. We have not verified those home-country rules on official sources, so this guide does not cover them. Ask your adviser at home to map them before the Swiss side is fixed.

In Switzerland, the picture is the same for all four: you are third-country nationals, and the Swiss route depends on what you plan to do here. If someone in the family will be employed or run a business in Switzerland, other permits apply that are outside the scope of this guide. The routes below are for families who will live here without working.

The fiscal-interest route

Many families from Asia who are not yet retiring look at this route first. A canton may issue a residence permit where it sees a significant cantonal fiscal interest. In return:

• your centre of life moves to Switzerland, and you spend most of your time here;
• you may keep working only abroad, apart from managing your own assets;
• the canton has wide discretion, and SEM must approve.

Published figures are rare. Geneva states that the major fiscal interest for third-country nationals amounts to an expenditure base of CHF 750,000. Vaud requires a signed lump-sum agreement with the cantonal tax administration as part of the permit file. Zurich, without a lump sum, refers to an annual tax of about CHF 1 million, confirmed by the tax authority. Other cantons set expectations case by case.

The Federal Administrative Court has confirmed that fiscal interest is weighed against wider considerations, including Switzerland's reputation. A clear account of the source of your wealth makes that weighing easier. Our guide to residence for financially independent non-EU nationals goes into the file in more detail.

The retiree route

From age 55, a non-EU national may apply to live in Switzerland as a retiree if all of these are met:

• special personal ties to Switzerland, such as long or repeated earlier stays, close relatives here or Swiss ancestry, and ties to Switzerland itself rather than only to family members;
• sufficient means, above the Swiss supplementary-benefits level and reliably available for life;
• no gainful activity, in Switzerland or abroad, other than managing your own assets.

Owning property or having business links is not enough to show ties. For many families from Asia without a Swiss history, this makes the fiscal-interest route the more realistic one.

Lump-sum taxation in brief

Lump-sum taxation (taxation according to expenditure, forfait fiscal or Pauschalbesteuerung) taxes you on your worldwide annual living costs instead of your income and wealth. It is open to non-Swiss nationals taking up Swiss tax residence for the first time, or after ten years away, who do not work in Switzerland. Both spouses must meet the conditions.

The base is at least CHF 435,000 for the federal tax in 2026, at least seven times the rent or rental value of your home, and at least the cantonal minimum, which ranges from CHF 200,000 in Jura to CHF 647,100 in Lucerne. Zurich, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Basel-Stadt have abolished it, and Basel-Landschaft allows it only for the arrival tax year. Any income on which you claim treaty relief enters a control calculation, so it helps to know early which countries your income comes from.

Bringing the family

A B permit holder's spouse and unmarried children under 18 may receive permits if:

• the family lives together, in suitable housing;
• the family does not rely on social assistance or supplementary benefits;
• the spouse speaks, or is learning, the local language (enrolment in a course is enough at first; children under 18 are exempt).

On arrival, each family member registers with the commune within 14 days of entry and takes out Swiss health insurance within three months of registering. If you are on time, cover is backdated to the date of registration. Our settling-in service handles these steps with you, and our guide to international schools in Switzerland is a good place to start on schooling.

Planning for the long term

A B permit is renewed while the conditions are met. The C permit (settlement) is available after ten years in Switzerland, including the last five continuously on a B, with good integration. An early C after five years is possible if you are well integrated and communicate well in the local national language. Language learning pays off twice: it helps daily life and it can shorten the path to settlement.

Non-employed residents also pay Swiss old-age insurance (AHV/AVS) contributions until 65, based on wealth and pension income: between CHF 530 and CHF 26,500 a year in 2026.

Buying property

Before you live here, you are a person abroad under Lex Koller and cannot freely buy residential property. Once you hold a B permit and have an actual Swiss domicile, current law lets you buy a main residence without a permit. A consultation opened on 15 April 2026 proposes that third-country nationals would need a permit even for a main residence, and would have to sell within two years of moving away. This is a proposal, not law, but it is worth factoring into timing. A C permit takes you outside Lex Koller altogether.

Common pitfalls

• Expecting an investment route. Switzerland gives no permit for buying property or investing a set amount.
• Relying on property as "ties". It does not count for the retiree route.
• Keeping a Swiss role. Any work in Switzerland, including a paid board seat, rules out the lump sum.
• Leaving home-country rules to last. Exit and tax-residence questions at home can set the timetable.

How we help

We help families from Asia choose a canton, prepare the lump-sum proposal and permit file, follow the case through SEM approval, and organise arrival, schools and insurance. See our Asia page or start with the eligibility check.

This guide is general information as of 30 September 2026 and is not tax or legal advice; your situation needs a cantonal ruling and specific advice, including in your home country.