The rules, tax rates and banking world have changed since then. The psychology of moving countries has not.
At first, Switzerland exists as a spreadsheet: tax rates, rent, salary, permit, health insurance. Then one day it becomes ordinary life. You need a key, an address, a bank card, a doctor and people you know.
Switzerland teaches you quickly that the postcode can matter almost as much as the country. Tax, housing, commute, language and family life vary over short distances.
For the surrounding context, see Swiss residence routes.
I would never choose a canton today from a league table alone. I would model the household and then go spend time there.
If this decision changes the viability or sequence of your move, a Swiss relocation strategy consultation can apply it to your own facts.
The second lesson: do the difficult thinking before the move
A foreign company, brokerage account or large shareholding does not become easier to restructure after you are already Swiss resident. The clean moment is before the move, when you can still choose sequence and timing.
The third lesson: Switzerland rewards people who arrive prepared
The country is rule-driven, but the rules are usually knowable. A complete file works better than persuasion. A good landlord dossier, clean source-of-funds records, correct registration and a thought-through tax structure remove most of the drama.
For the surrounding context, see EU/EFTA residence.
And the final lesson: tax is not why you stay
Tax can be the reason you look at Switzerland. It is rarely the reason people stay for decades.
For the surrounding context, see the B permit.
Safety, predictability, landscape, proximity to the rest of Europe and the feeling that the country still functions are harder to put into a model, and often more important in the end.
What has changed since 2000
The Switzerland I moved to was not the Switzerland of 2026. Banking became more transparent internationally, permit administration became more digitised, property and rent in the most desirable areas became far more expensive, and the relationship with the EU continued to evolve.
But the core lesson of the move is still the same: the legal plan is only half the project. You need a place you can actually live, people around you, a bank that understands you and a tax structure that survives contact with daily life.
I lived in Freienbach in Schwyz, one of the places that taught me how dramatically Swiss cantonal and communal choices can affect tax and lifestyle. A few kilometres can change the tax bill, the commute, the housing market and the feel of everyday life.
That is why SwissPlan does not start with “which canton has the lowest rate?” It starts with what you are bringing with you, family, company, portfolio, nationality, income and the next phase of your life.
The Switzerland move is close enough to look easy. That is exactly why people underestimate how much should be decided before the removal truck arrives.
Sebastian's longer English writing on moving countries and what it does to a life is collected in The Brief.
General information on Swiss law and practice, not individual legal, tax or investment advice.
