Every year, around 25,000 people of retirement age leave the UK to live abroad. Most of those emigrate to Australia or countries within the EU, but a few choose Switzerland as their ideal place to retire.
Switzerland is one of the top rated countries among British expats, not least for its beautiful scenery and excellent transport system. The cost of living is higher, with prices for most items being significantly higher than elsewhere on the continent, but this isn’t always a deterrent.
Switzerland has a very low crime rate, low taxes, clean environment, great recreation and leisure facilities and of course, skiing.
Although there is no visa requirement for British passport holders to enter Switzerland, there are some mandatory requirements if you intend to live there.
There are some differences between moving to Switzerland to work and moving there to retire. For instance, if you are moving there to retire, you will need to be over 55 and no longer looking for work either in Switzerland or elsewhere. You will need to have close personal ties, such as family members in the country, a history of frequent stays or past residency. You must also have the necessary financial resources.
If you are entitled to a UK State Pension, you will need to contact the International Pension Centre in the UK, so you can still receive your pension while living in Switzerland. UK pension credit is not payable in Switzerland. You should contact the IPC early in your preparation process.
You will also need to have health insurance and accident insurance. In Switzerland, it is mandatory for employers to provide accident insurance, but if you are retired you will need to purchase this yourself.
Considering the excellent healthcare in Switzerland, insurance policies are quite reasonably priced, but it is still worth shopping around for the best policy to suit retirees.
Once you have made the decision to move to Switzerland, you should contact a reputable removals company to relocate all your belongings. Contacting a moving company can be done before you have a destination address as pricing and availability are largely dependent on how much is to be moved and how much packing and export wrapping is involved.
Central Moves is an experienced European removals company and a member of the BAR, FEDEMAC, AIM and Eurovan. They offer services ranging from transporting a few items to full house removals, including packing, unpacking and even transporting the family car.