Swiss Residents and Permit Holders

B & C Permits

For EU citizens who work in Switzerland with a relevant contract of employment or those who are retired and not gainfully employed. Valid for 5 years, the B Permit is the most common type and you are permitted to buy any type, size, number of properties you like.

Types of Permit Available

G Permits

For those commuting across the border to a place of employment and only allow you to purchase in the area of employment

L Permits

These are issued to EU citizens who work on short term, one year rolling contracts in Switzerland. This permit is renewable and can be changed to a B Permit on application. The L Permit allows you to own property in Switzerland if you can show you are a resident of Switzerland.

Embassy Employees

Employees of the Embassy’s are allowed to purchase second homes in Switzerland.

The most common Permit that allows you to buy a property in Switzerland is the Residents B Permit and these are quite easy to obtain, allows you to reside in Switzerland for more than 6 months of the year and therefore take advantage of the high standard of living, the healthy lifestyle, low crime and taxation if you plan to live there for tax purposes.

Obtaining your permit also has the added advantage of removing restrictions on the size of chalet you can build, the number of properties you can own, where you can own, being able to sell immediately, as well as allowing you to buy as soon as your Permit is processed. For more information on the advantages of buying as a Swiss Resident, what permits allow you to buy Swiss Property and where you can buy, please refer to our Swiss and Permit Section.

As Switzerland integrates itself further into the EU, it is now becoming easier for EU passport holders to live and work in Switzerland. For those over 50 who don’t need to work in Switzerland and have the financial means this is an easy process and applications are processed within a couple of months.

It is also possible for younger people to obtain residency with a range of different options to explore without necessarily any negative tax issues though these applications tend to take longer.

Any reservation deposit paid for land, chalet or apartment that is dependant on you obtaining Residency is paid onto the Notary’s Client Account and is completely refundable should you not be granted your permit for any reason.

We work with an English speaking Notary who specialises in the field of Residency and he will be able to assist you with your Permit application as part of the purchase procedure.

For more information please visit the Federal Office for Migration website : http://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home.html and click on the Free Movement of persons in Switzerland section.

Obtaining Residency to Purchase a Property

· No restrictions on any property, be it chalet, apartment or land

· No restrictions on size (foreigners 200m2)

· No restrictions on the number of properties you own

· You can purchase in any Canton and in any resort (foreigners restricted to tourist resorts)

· No re-sell time limit. (Foreigners have to wait between 5—10 years)

· Access to land only available to Swiss and Permit Holders.

Advantages to Taking Residency or Buying as a Resident

The Swiss Apartment and Chalet Pages for Sale

These pages are clearly marked showing which properties can be bought by foreigners and those which require the necessary permit. Should you like one of the properties requiring a permit, please contact us to find out how to buy as a Resident.