Moving from the UAE to Switzerland: HNWI Planning Guide
Helping hundreds of people move to Switzerland since 2012.
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Define what the move needs to achieve
For a family based in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, a Swiss move may be about education, proximity to European business interests or a longer-term family base. Write down your own reasons rather than relying on claims about where other wealthy families are moving. Decide whether the plan is a full family move, a staged transition or an exploratory stay. These have different practical implications and should not be treated as interchangeable residence or tax arrangements.
Your passport matters as well as your current address
Living in the UAE does not determine which Swiss immigration rules apply. Start with each family member’s citizenship and existing status. EU/EFTA and third-country routes have different requirements. An active entrepreneur must assess the proposed work as well as residence. A property purchase, company registration or banking relationship does not itself secure permission to live and work in Switzerland.
Separate active entrepreneurship from private-wealth residence
Describe what you will do after moving: manage an overseas business, serve on a board, start a Swiss company or oversee private investments. Ask specialists to assess those activities before choosing a tax route. Expenditure-based taxation is restricted to eligible foreign nationals without gainful activity in Switzerland. It is not a general entrepreneur tax regime. Compare the relevant alternative with ordinary taxation and the family’s actual business and lifestyle plans.
Map the business and departure questions
Prepare an ownership chart showing UAE and other entities, where people work and where management decisions are made. Ask advisers in both countries about the implications of the proposed changes, including payroll, company management, contracts and any planned disposal. Build a departure checklist for your specific UAE residence arrangements, dependants, housing, business responsibilities and accounts. Obtain current requirements from the relevant authority or provider before cancelling arrangements the family still needs.
Prepare banking evidence before expected transfers
Organise ownership records and evidence of how wealth was accumulated, alongside the origin of the funds you expect to transfer. For a business sale, connect the transaction documents and payment schedule to the receiving account. A Swiss bank assesses the proposed relationship independently. Ask about its current client criteria, fees and evidence requirements; an introduction is not an acceptance decision.
Compare a real school and home combination
Choose school options using the children’s ages, current curriculum, language needs and likely length of stay. Compare public and international education, admissions and the journey to the actual campus. Zurich, Zug and Schwyz provide different starting points for a German-speaking base. Vaud and Geneva deserve a separate comparison if French-speaking schooling or business connections are important. Test daily travel and use current housing enquiries rather than an assumed canton-wide price.
Build a sequence the family can follow
Agree who coordinates immigration, tax advice, banking, the home search and school enquiries. Keep a target move window with fallback arrangements for decisions outside your control. We have helped hundreds of people move to Switzerland since 2012. Start with an online conversation about your family and business priorities; in-person meetings are available in Zurich. No sensitive financial documents are needed in the initial enquiry.
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Share the essentials privately, or start with the Swiss Arrival guide if you are still comparing options.