Moving to Switzerland From the UK: What Changes After Brexit?

For many British citizens, Switzerland remains one of the most attractive countries in Europe to live, work, retire, invest or establish a business. Political stability, high salaries, excellent infrastructure, low crime, an efficient healthcare system and an exceptional quality of life continue to attract professionals, entrepreneurs, families and retirees from the United Kingdom. Within Switzerland, Ticino and Lugano offer a particularly distinctive combination: all the advantages and security of the Swiss system, together with an Italian-speaking environment, a milder climate, an international business community and easy access to northern Italy and Milan.

Since Brexit, however, one fundamental aspect of relocating has changed. For British citizens arriving today, moving from the UK to Switzerland is no longer as straightforward as it was when the United Kingdom benefited from the EU-Switzerland free movement framework. A British passport alone no longer provides the same freedom to establish residence and work in Switzerland that generally applies to EU and EFTA citizens.

This does not mean that British citizens cannot move to Switzerland. They certainly can, and many continue to do so successfully. It simply means that the reason for moving, residence permit, employment situation, financial circumstances and timing of the relocation need to be considered before the move takes place. Understanding your route to Swiss residence first makes everything that follows — housing, taxation, health insurance, banking, schools and the physical relocation itself — considerably easier.

Moving to Switzerland After Brexit: Residence and Work

British citizens moving to Switzerland today are generally treated as third-country nationals for immigration purposes, unless they benefit from rights acquired under the arrangements protecting UK nationals who were already resident in Switzerland before Brexit. This distinction is important because Switzerland applies different immigration rules to third-country nationals than to EU/EFTA citizens.

For many British professionals, employment is the most obvious route. If you receive a job offer from a Swiss company, your employer may be able to support the necessary authorisation for you to live and work in Switzerland. The process, however, is more selective than for an EU citizen accepting a position in Lugano, Zurich or Geneva. Switzerland generally prioritises highly qualified professionals, specialists, executives and people whose expertise is considered valuable to the Swiss labour market, while quotas and labour-market requirements may also apply.

This is why the idea of moving to Switzerland first and looking for a job afterwards requires particular caution. British citizens can visit Switzerland for short stays under the applicable Schengen rules, but visiting Switzerland and establishing Swiss residence are two completely different things. Being physically present in Lugano does not automatically create a right to remain there permanently or to begin working.

The same principle applies to entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals. Moving a business from the UK to Switzerland, opening a Swiss company or becoming self-employed can form part of a relocation strategy, but incorporating a company does not automatically give its owner the right to reside in Switzerland. The authorities may consider the substance and economic relevance of the activity, the viability of the business and the broader circumstances of the applicant. For British entrepreneurs considering company relocation to Ticino, the corporate structure, tax implications and personal residence permit should therefore be analysed together rather than as separate decisions.

Remote workers face a similar issue. Working online for a British company may make living in Lugano perfectly possible from a practical perspective, but your employer's permission to work remotely is not itself a Swiss residence permit. Once your work is physically performed from Switzerland, questions can arise regarding immigration, Swiss tax residence, social-security contributions, payroll and the obligations of the UK employer. International remote working therefore needs to be structured properly before relocation.

Retiring or Moving to Switzerland Without Employment

Switzerland, and Ticino in particular, is also highly attractive to British citizens considering retirement or a move that is not connected to employment. Lugano, Locarno and Ascona combine safety, high-quality healthcare, excellent public services and beautiful surroundings with a climate that is considerably milder than in many other parts of Switzerland, making the region particularly appealing for retirees and financially independent residents.

After Brexit, however, a British citizen cannot simply decide to retire in Switzerland on the basis of a UK passport. Residence without gainful employment is subject to specific conditions, and factors such as financial resources, age, personal circumstances and the intended nature of the residence can all become relevant. For wealthy international residents, taxation and potential Swiss tax arrangements may also form part of the wider discussion.

This is an area where immigration planning and financial planning should ideally happen together and before the relocation. A move that looks simple from a lifestyle perspective can have consequences for UK pensions, investment structures, tax residence, banking relationships and estate planning. The objective is not necessarily to change everything, but to understand how an existing UK financial structure will work once Switzerland becomes your country of residence.

Choosing Ticino: Lugano, Housing and Everyday Life

Once the residence route has been clarified, attention can turn to where and how you actually want to live. For British expats, Ticino offers a very different Swiss experience from Zurich, Basel or Geneva. Italian is the official language, but Lugano has a substantial international community and English is widely used in many professional and financial environments. At the same time, Milan and northern Italy are easily accessible, while residents remain fully within the Swiss infrastructure, healthcare, education, banking and administrative systems.

Lugano is usually the natural starting point for international professionals and families because it offers the canton’s largest concentration of businesses, financial institutions, international schools, restaurants, cultural activities and services. It is not, however, automatically the best solution for everyone. Families may prefer quieter municipalities around Lugano, retirees may be attracted to Locarno and Ascona, while people who travel frequently to Italy may find Mendrisio and southern Ticino particularly convenient.

Finding a home should therefore be part of the overall relocation strategy rather than the first decision. The Swiss rental market can feel unfamiliar to someone arriving from Britain, and landlords or property managers will normally want to understand the prospective tenant's financial situation and residence status. Identification, proof of income, employment information and residence documentation may all form part of a rental application, while Swiss rental contracts, deposits, notice periods and additional charges can differ from what a British tenant is accustomed to.

For families relocating from the UK, schooling should ideally be considered before choosing the property. Ticino offers public schools as well as private and international education, and the appropriate solution depends heavily on the children's ages, languages, expected length of residence and future educational plans. A young child moving permanently to Switzerland may integrate very naturally into the Italian-speaking public system, while an older teenager planning eventually to return to the British education system may have very different requirements. Where the children go to school can consequently have a major influence on where the family should live.

Healthcare, Tax, Banking and the Practical Side of Relocation

One of the most noticeable differences for someone moving from Britain to Switzerland is healthcare. British residents are accustomed to the NHS, whereas Swiss residents generally arrange mandatory health insurance individually and pay monthly premiums directly to an insurer. Deductibles, cost participation and supplementary insurance may initially be unfamiliar concepts, so health insurance should be considered early in the relocation process, particularly for families and retirees.

Taxation is another area where advance planning can make a significant difference. Becoming resident in Switzerland can change where and how you are taxed even if you continue to receive income, own property, hold investments, receive pensions or maintain business interests in the United Kingdom. For entrepreneurs, directors and individuals with significant financial assets, UK-Switzerland tax planning should ideally take place before the effective relocation date, when there may still be more flexibility in how assets and structures are organised.

Opening a Swiss bank account will normally make everyday life easier, particularly for salary payments, rent, health insurance, utilities and other local expenses. This does not mean that every UK bank or investment relationship needs to be closed. Many international residents maintain accounts and investments in several jurisdictions, but the overall structure should be reviewed once Switzerland becomes the new country of residence.

There are also smaller administrative matters that are easy to overlook. A UK driving licence, vehicle importation, Swiss vehicle registration and insurance may all need attention, particularly if you intend to bring a British car with you. Learning some Italian is also highly useful. It is perfectly possible to arrive in Lugano speaking primarily English, especially when working in an international environment, but Italian quickly becomes valuable for municipal administration, rental contracts, local correspondence and everyday life in Ticino.

Planning Your Move From the UK to Ticino

The biggest mistake British citizens can make after Brexit is assuming that relocating to Switzerland still works more or less as it did before the UK left the European Union. It does not mean that the move has become impossible; it means that the decisions need to be made in the correct order.

Before signing a long-term rental contract, restructuring a UK company, moving your family or making substantial financial commitments, the first question should be simple: on what basis will you become resident in Switzerland? Once the residence route is clear, the rest of the relocation — taxation, housing, schools, healthcare, banking, insurance and the physical move — can be organised around it.

A British executive relocating with a Swiss employment contract, an entrepreneur establishing a business in Lugano, a family moving with children and a retired couple looking for a home in Ticino will naturally follow different paths. What they have in common is that early planning makes the process considerably smoother.

At Knotted, we help international professionals, entrepreneurs, families and retirees organise their relocation to Lugano and Ticino, bringing the different parts of the move together rather than treating each issue separately. We can assist with the practical steps surrounding Swiss residence permits, apartment searches, schools, health insurance, banking, taxation and the everyday administration involved in establishing a new life in Switzerland.

If you are currently living in the United Kingdom and considering moving from the UK to Switzerland, Lugano or elsewhere in Ticino, you can contact us even if the project is still at an exploratory stage. Tell us why you are considering the move, your professional or family situation and approximately when you would like to relocate. We can help you understand what needs to happen first and how the different elements of your relocation fit together.

📲 WhatsApp: +41 76 771 30 22

📧 Email: info@knotted.ch

Moving to Switzerland after Brexit requires more preparation than it once did, but with the right structure it remains entirely achievable. The best relocation does not begin with paperwork. It begins with understanding your options — and putting the decisions in the right order.