Relocation services in Switzerland: what a relocation partner does for a family

A relocation partner in Switzerland organises the practical side of a family's move: finding a home, placing children in school, registering with the commune, arranging insurance, moving belongings and cars through customs, and making the first months run smoothly. For a family moving with significant wealth, the most useful partners also make sure these steps follow the tax and permit decisions, not the other way round. This guide explains what relocation and destination services cover, what changes for a wealthy family, and how to choose someone you can trust.

Key facts (as of September 2026)

What relocation and destination services cover

"Relocation services" and "destination services" are used almost interchangeably in Switzerland. Both describe help on the ground once you have decided to come. A full-service partner typically covers:

• Orientation visit. A few days to see communes, neighbourhoods and schools before you commit. A well-planned visit saves months of second-guessing.
• Home search. Briefing agents, arranging viewings, checking leases and keeping a shortlist moving. In sought-after areas, someone needs to be ready to act when the right place comes up.
• Schools. Shortlisting international, bilingual and local schools, arranging visits and tracking applications. Admission decisions stay with each school. Our guide to international schools in Switzerland covers the main names.
• Permits and registration. Preparing the file for the migration office and registering with the commune. For non-employed people staying longer than three months with an entry permit, registration is due within 14 days of entry (art. 10 VZAE).
• Insurance. Basic health insurance is compulsory. With a B or C permit you must join within three months of registering, and cover is backdated if you are on time (art. 7 para. 1 KVV). Accident, household and car insurance follow.
• Banking. Introductions to banks used to onboarding new residents. Opening an account remains the bank's decision, and banks will ask about residence, source of wealth and tax status.
• Removals and customs. Coordinating licensed movers and the customs declaration. Household goods and motor vehicles enter duty-free as relocation goods if you move your domicile here, have used them personally for at least six months, and keep using them.
• Pets. The veterinary and import formalities for bringing animals with you, which depend on the country you come from.
• Cars and driving licences. Registering vehicles locally and exchanging licences. A Swiss licence is needed once you have lived here for 12 months without a break of more than three months abroad (art. 42 para. 3bis VZV).
• Household staff. Onboarding domestic staff with payroll and employment-law specialists.
• Everyday set-up. Utilities, telecoms, waste rules, parking permits and the local habits nobody writes down.

Most of this is described in more detail in our first 90 days checklist.

How a wealthy family's move is different

For an employed transfer, the employer's permit and payroll set the frame and a relocation company fills in the rest. A private family moving without a Swiss employer has no such frame. Three decisions shape everything else, and they come before the home search.

Tax structure first

Many non-EU families, and some EU families, look at lump-sum taxation (taxation according to expenditure). It is open only to people who are not Swiss, who become taxable in Switzerland for the first time or after at least 10 years' absence, and who do not work in Switzerland; both spouses must meet the conditions (art. 14 DBG). The amount is agreed with the canton before or on arrival, so it has to be settled before you sign a lease that fixes your canton. Our guide to Swiss lump-sum taxation explains how it works. If you want to understand when Swiss tax liability actually begins, see Swiss tax residency.

Canton choice

Cantons differ in tax rules, languages, schools and property markets. Lump-sum taxation has been abolished in Zurich, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Basel-Stadt, and in Basel-Landschaft it only applies for the arrival year. Cantonal minimum bases differ widely among the cantons that keep it. A relocation partner who starts showing you villas before this is settled can lead you to fall for a house in the wrong canton. Our guide to the best cantons for wealthy families sets out the trade-offs.

Ruling, then permit

For non-EU nationals without work, the usual routes are the retiree route (from age 55, with special personal ties to Switzerland) and the fiscal-interest route. In both, the canton decides at its discretion and SEM approval is mandatory. In Vaud, a signed lump-sum agreement with the cantonal tax administration is one of the documents required for the fiscal-interest permit. In Geneva, the lump-sum request goes to the tax administration together with the migration procedure. So the order is usually: tax position, then permit file, then home, then schools and the rest. EU/EFTA nationals who do not work follow the free-movement rules instead: sufficient financial means and comprehensive health and accident insurance.

Property comes after the permit

Owning Swiss property gives no right to a residence permit. Non-EU nationals with a B permit may buy a main residence at their actual domicile without a Lex Koller permit, but holiday homes and second homes are restricted. Many families rent for the first year, then buy once they know the area. See buying property as a foreigner.

How to choose a relocation partner

Most relocation companies are competent at the practical work. The differences show up in scope, coordination and discretion. Questions worth asking:

1. What exactly is in scope, and what is not? Ask for a written list. Does it include the permit file, schools, customs, cars, staff? Who handles each step if it is out of scope?
2. Who is my day-to-day contact? One named person who knows the whole file is worth more than a team you meet one at a time.
3. How do you work with my tax and legal advisers? A good partner fits around your existing advisers and keeps them informed, rather than replacing them.
4. Do you know the canton I am moving to? Practice differs between cantons and communes. Local knowledge of Geneva does not automatically transfer to Zug or Valais.
5. How do you choose the providers you introduce? You want introductions chosen for your needs, not by default, and clarity about any commercial relationships.
6. How do you handle confidentiality? Ask how documents are stored and who sees them. Families with a public profile should ask about non-disclosure agreements.
7. What will you not promise? A trustworthy partner will say plainly that permits, school places, bank accounts and tax outcomes are decided by others. Be wary of anyone who guarantees them.

Warning signs

• A promise of a permit "through" property, investment or a company. Switzerland has no golden visa, and setting up a company does not by itself give a right to reside.
• Pressure to sign a lease or reserve a property before the tax and permit route is clear.
• A quoted timeline presented as certain. No official processing time is published for the non-EU routes, and cantonal practice varies.
• Vague answers on who does what, especially for the permit file and the customs declaration.

How we coordinate with partners

We sit between the decisions and the practical work. We look after the tax position and the ruling, the permit file and the relocation plan, and we coordinate trusted local partners for home search, removals, schools, insurance and staff. The choice of home, school and bank always stays with you. Tax filings are handled with our partner firm Ark Fiduciaire SA in Geneva, and we work alongside your own lawyers, bankers and family advisers rather than in place of them. Details of the practical side are on our settling-in service page, and the permit and tax side on our residence permit and tax ruling services.

How we help

If you are planning a family move and want one team to connect the tax, permit and practical steps in the right order, contact us. We will listen first, tell you honestly what depends on the canton and the authorities, and suggest a sensible sequence for your situation.

This guide is general information as of 30 September 2026 and is not legal or tax advice; permits, tax arrangements and deadlines should be confirmed with the canton for your specific situation.