19 - Moving to Switzerland? What You Need to Do After You Arrive with Serge Baur

0:36Julia I couldn't help but wonder why does moving to Switzerland look so organized until the moment you actually arrive? job contract signed, boxes labeled, apartment has been found, and then suddenly you're standing in a new country with a residence permit application, a health insurance deadline, three letters from three or four different authorities, a recycling system that seems to require a university degree on its own. Moving is one thing and settling in is something else entirely. here at Taxum we often meet international clients once the excitement of the move has started to wear off already. so they have a Swiss address, Swiss salary, perhaps even a Swiss bank account. they are still trying to understand how all the pieces fit together. When does the tax liability begin? What still needs to be registered, which letter is routine? Which one should not remain unopened on the kitchen table for three weeks. my guest today works with exactly this part of international life. Serge Bauer is founder of Beyond Services. And after more than seven years in HR, he realized that people often do not need more information, but they need a reliable person. Someone who understands the bigger picture and explains what matters and helps them to work out what to do next, like actually what to do Serge supports international employees, companies, and individuals as they navigate Swiss administration and everyday life with more clarity and considerably less stress. Serge, I'm very happy to have you here. Welcome to Tex in the City. Thank you so much Julia for the invitation. It's a pleasure to be here and talk about this interesting topic with you. It definitely is an interesting topic. So Serge, can you take us back. you worked in HR and then you decided to found Beyond Services. Why did you? Correct. So we go back much further. So I grew up in Switzerland, so I'm a local and I have a good knowledge of the system. And I worked internationally for seven years in a in a company in the canton of Zug in HR, and we had a lot of international people, so people coming from different countries to Switzerland. To settle in. And it was interesting to see that through all the support they got with relocation, with with a tax support, initial tax support, with health insurance, that they still struggled. They still had a lot of questions there. And yeah, HR became more of a concierge service, but we don't want that, right? We want the HR in the company to be really focused on the HR questions and HR topics to target. not to to to help people with with with outside of work topics. And so when I left by the by the beginning of this year, 2026. I realized that there was still a need of people who are already here after relocation. So they moved here, they're now in their apartment, their house, and then suddenly after three months a letter comes in. they don't understand, it's German, and they have yeah, one A4 page and they struggle with that. And that's why I was trying to combine my Swissness with my knowledge of the system, because I grew up here, I went through most of the parts. Yeah. and to combine that with the with the international aspect of of people coming here where the issues then then begin after they they moved here, they unpack the the boxes that as you said before. So to me it sounds like you are closing the gap. So when relocation services end, so like the physical move happened and HR did the official work permit stuff and yes work can start. They are paying salary and then like the big question is now. Right? Correct. Yeah, that's that's my goal that the person can turn turn up to me or or just calls me and say, Hey, this is my situation, what should I do? Yeah. Because they're stuck in between providers, right? In in advisors in HR. So then HR says this is a a tax issue. Then you go to the tax office, then another topic comes up, and then the the tax office says, this is a a pension fund topic, this is a health insurance. So you have like in the end 10 different contact persons, then 10 different people you talked to, and you just want to have one reliable contact in Switzerland, and that was my goal to be this person here to combine the bits and pieces. that sounds great. what is the biggest mistake people make after they move to Switzerland? It's it's an interesting one because the system here is not very difficult but it's complex, right? So So a lot of people they come here and they're like, my colleague he had the same issue and he was able to do that and this and then it was solved. But what they didn't consider that this this colleague didn't live in for example Zug lived in Zurich. They had a family, that the colleague had kids, so has another work permit, has another employment contract. So it all combines with that that they think like one standard process is enough, right? the other side is also that they think that HR takes care of everything. Of course, HR supports a lot in in the companies here in the international companies, but they don't do everything. So you still have to to to check the deadlines you have. So they think HR can take over everything. And I think these are the two most common mistakes that that the people do when they when they arrive here. So do I get you right that it's like the misconception that things are being done or handled automatically. Correct, yeah. I have the impression what a lot of internationals don't realize in the beginning is that compared to other countries we have very different depending on the canton where you live, things vary. then it's not the same if a tax office asks you something or the migration office or the local recycling department or your landlords. So people assume that things are interconnected a lot more which they are not. Do you agree? Yeah I completely agree to that yeah. And what I always also hear is that people are amazed by how many actual letters on paper arrive with them compared to other countries. Yeah. Yeah, that's correct. Yeah. W I also see that with clients where they're they're like, I didn't get anything for for my permit and then yeah, did you check your letter box? No. Why why should I check my letterbox? And then they end up with like ten different letters with with missed deadlines and so they're yeah We start a lot of different topics. We target different topics because we the person realize, there is different things I need to do. As you said, different authorities, different providers, you need to sign the contracts, for example, for your health insurance. cannot just like, yeah, I I did it. Yeah, exactly. yeah. And they think it goes all automatically. Also if you register at the Office of Migration, then they're like, yeah, everything is organized, right? Because HR did it, Office of Migration, for example, did it. then it's fine, but there are like different offices, different topics to target and yes. I think this highly fragmented system that we have in Switzerland. I can imagine that this is a major challenge for internationals. are there life changes. I mean you arrive, maybe you're a single and then things happen. So which life changes tend to create an administrative nightmare for an international Yeah so I think when you getting married when then your spouse or starts to work or stops to work so it's always like there is the marriage, yeah cool, we have a party, we just do that then HR is not aware the municipality is not aware so like tax implications you you you will you can name it right also like the the withholding tax and you have like a lot of of of topics there also if you then have a child which is an amazing experience right to to have then your your first child but what what comes with that is like a different different story then and so people then also think again yeah it's automatically if I need to do something they will tell me but no one is gonna tell them right and and so then they end up half a year later with like invoices to pay or or they end up with with yeah not structuring the the the process when someone Is your client are you checking in with them regularly and checking okay, did their life actually change or like how do you do that? So my clients I have a first contact when they arrive here and then we're in a huge exchange, so back and forth. but then it also is then some month no contact. And this is fine because my goal is then to to be there when something happens. or if they have a uncertainty in life. I do not check in like a regular basis but I also have like the trust with clients that they're like, hey, I'm getting married, it's so excited, do can you recommend me any place to go, for example? And then it it comes with the with with natural for me to then c yeah ask them did you check with the with the office of immigration? Is your wife already here? Does she need a permit or is she Swiss? So then in Okay, so you are basically the better version of the I asked my colleague. Exactly. Because you actually know I'm I'm the external colleague, yeah. so yeah, I I really think that Switzerland is a very organized country. It is just it is organized. organized in small offices and boxes and until you really understand it can be quite confusing. Yeah. And yeah and we we hear that as well people are getting divorced or married yeah you can imagine yeah and And then yet they never have the idea, that could influence my withholding tax rate. And how will that influence my tax declaration next year? so this is all things I think you need to be very proactive and yeah. Yeah, that you don't miss such things, right? Yeah, yeah, definitely. so you have been doing this with Beyond Services and Also during your time in HR which was not your actual job but you you you advised people a lot. are there a few stories, situations that really stayed with you that you can share with us? Yeah, so you know, during my time in HR I also had the case where someone didn't have a health insurance for six months. goodness because the because the person moved, right? And so they registered in in one canton moved to the other, so the old canton forgot about it. Then the new one started to only realize after a certain month, then the whole family was here. And for for him alone it was okay, but then he had three little kids, right? And and what if something happened then he wouldn't be covered? So this this always stays in the back of my head to always check in, as you said. Do you check in? Yeah, normally not after certain months, but in the beginning where we have deadlines where we have really a health insurance for me is very important, also on on work permits. deadlines, it's very important. But then, of course, also small things where someone left the garbage in front of their their door for five months, right? and and where then nearly the police needed to to show up just to check on why there is the garbage, like five months in front of the door. You know, did something happen to the person? Is there something in there? You know, the the Swiss people, it was unusual for the Swiss people to see that. but now also I I realize that a lot of people also. Moving on, so they they leave Switzerland, so they're here for five years. So recently I had a client and he wanted to have the deregistration done, the forms for the pension fund, he wanted to cash that out, and then it came up with his car, for example, and he said, Yeah, I'll I'll give it back to the to the leasing company. And so then I was like, Why don't we explore to to sell it on the market? And it was an electric car, so it's more difficult now because the electric car market is a bit tough. So So then we were still able to to get the car sold in one week and he got some extra money. So he then traveled a bit around to Spain, to Portugal, and enjoyed the the the European summer. Yeah, with this extra money he got off the car. But yeah, you have always funny stories with like also the emergency lane on the highway where everyone is going you know, on on the side that the the police and the ambulance can drive in the middle. And people do not realize that, right? They they come up to me and say Hey, why why is there a lane? Is it for someone who who needs to travel fast, you know, like and then you need to explain that and How can I be this person? Exactly, exactly. and so yeah, you have like always like different topics and where you end up then in the in the bigger picture. there must be some like really classic only in Switzerland stories. So the recycling stories are an evergreen. Yeah. I never thought about the emergency lane on on the roadway, honestly, but yeah. Mm. Yeah. You're confused at first, right? Because everyone is is is going apart on the highway and no one is coming from behind because they're maybe far away. So you do not think in that moment that you yeah you're here one week, right? You didn't do the license here. and so yeah it's always always funny stories. luckily touch wood nothing ever happened, you know, never got in trouble any client or or something happened to them. So touch wood that it stays like that. But you get yeah interesting stories all the time. what I hear a lot is that people are so surprised that the tax office doesn't really know anything about your situation. So as long as you are subject to withholding tax, mm, yes, they know about your salary, but then they would be like, Yeah, but the the the tax office must know how much is in my bank account. No, they don't. Yeah. us Swiss we would hate the idea of like bank informing any official department about our bank account. but people are so surprised that things stay in their boxes and that you have to pull them out of these boxes and yeah declare them. Yeah and last time I talked to a to a lady from Finland and she said the the authorities they did the taxes for them because they had all the information. Yeah. And of course then yeah it ends up with a uncertainty and like why why don't they know that? And for us as Swiss we're like no, we're like We want it like Yeah exactly. so if I'm your client, I'm an international here in Switzerland, what do I gain besides like saving time and avoiding mistakes and angry neighbors? No and no police at home. No police, yeah. so so the thing is that the the biggest thing for me what I give my clients is the confidence so that they're here. I'm happy to see the people also So settling in quite well and then move around with confidence the whole family because normally they're not coming alone. but then yeah, as you said, it's also saving time and to spend that other than than just looking at admin in Tuk, there is on the official page an expat guide with one hundred thirty three pages. So they don't have to go through through that. right? so so for me it's really the confidence I can give to people to have a better integration. So that they can go out, maybe also do local events. They don't have to stay in their expat bubble if they don't want to. because also in Zug and Zurich you have a lot of expat groups. and yeah, when you look at studies that you can read that people also want to go out of this and interact with locals. And I think to give this confidence, even if they don't speak German at that time, because it's also a nightmare for them to to learn then the language, but to go out to go. to a local event and they can do it with confidence if they know how much or how they buy a bus ticket for example or or or just just small things like that and that's why I also have a lot on of on of clients on WhatsApp because they just want to have a fast immediate response right so if they want to park in Zurich last time I had a client and he wanted to park at 10 pm and he was can I park here? And I was just Literally take no, it's like double crossed, you know, like you your car is gone when you're back. Yeah. And so that's the that's what I also want to to give to the people that like yeah, giving the confidence but also the time. Okay. And I think this is something that Chat GPT can't give them, right? Yeah, so so I have this conversation quite a lot because also when I started I was like, Yeah, you can do everything with Chat G P T, right? of course then you need to test it as well. But what I see also especially now with Chat G P T and Google like having this huge placement on the market, but you know, you can you have so much information, you have like you can Google everything, you can chat G BT everything. you can filter everything you can search everything you have a lot of information but you don't have anyone who connects these dots together and these pieces and so if someone then then googles it they get an answer of course they get like 10 different answers right but then to connect like I'm married or I have two kids I'm not employed I'm changing employer. So you have like this different yeah personal situation where you need to consider that and what you get out of the system is normally information, more information, but not connected to each other and and and that's my big asset I give to the clients. Plus you take actual accountability for what you're saying. Exactly. And I'm a person, I'm here. And you know, like if someone needs to me to come with them to to see something, to go to an office, I'm a person. I go in person. know, it's it's not an issue for me to to to go there and talk to people if they're it do not feel confident at the time. So let's make it like very practical. if if someone has is listening to this and has just arrived to Switzerland, so not all the boxes unpacked, but job started, they're not really sure what they signed, what they didn't sign. So what would be your list of things to prioritize during the first let's say thirty days? Yeah. So in the first week I would do the the work permit application. So if the HR department or the companies do do not support that or is not doing it beforehand or by the beginning, then I would do that. I would also familiarize myself with how the work permit process works because it always changes again, right? And if your colleague ten years ago arrived, he had a different process. So now it's different. So you get a post at home an invitation to go there. Do you have a biometrics to make? Like a picture, the fingerprint. Ten years ago it was not like that. You just sent in the picture and you got the permit. so work permit application, but also what is the work permit process looks like, right? so Then yeah, you also get like different deadlines, health insurance, all this stuff. for the work permit also the registration after certain days when you're here. so within then the first month I would familiar my myself with the health insurance, getting a bank account, because after a certain time you're getting paid, but the bank account setup is depending on the country you're from, not always that easy. Yeah. And yeah, then like the first three months I would also look at how is my pension fund? organized, how do I pay in, h how am I covered? Accurance because normally you're you're insured with the with the employer, right? but then also like tax topics like like you target, right? Because people they're like, I pay withholding taxes but then in the end they need to do a tax as well, right? the end of the year. And so familiarize myself then or the person with with these different topics then which can come up with like what is the with holding text. How is this calculated, right? Why do I have so many deductions on my payslip? And yeah, really, really inform inform and and and yeah, read some stuff because yourself, myself, we can help the people or the the the newcomers, but they also need to learn themselves like when they look at their pay slip, right? Maybe they can go through it, study it first and then see, where does the question end up? And they don't come to you and like, can you explain it to me, right? Because you want to target different topics maybe than than the HR would do or I would do. Yeah. Like really I wanna add on the tax topic. this misconception of I'm paying withholding tax, it's like done and dusted. and I highly recommend to not only get into the whole tax thing twelve months after you arrived. So like when you actually receive tax force. you might not automatically receive them, but you might have an obligation to let the tax office know. So I would high highly recommend asking an actual expert not your colleague that might have other obligations for reasons to to ha get clarity on the tax situation in the first three four months because then we can actually plan rather than react because if you if you only tell me twelve months later It's it's gonna be difficult. so if if there is one thing that you can tell people after this episode, so one action to do today, what would it be? Is there one you can narrow it down to? So what what I would do or what is my advice is to keep official documents. Like when you get a letter, just keep them. second one is yeah, just don't wait until you get the third reminder. And just do it whenever you get the the first one or get in touch with yourself or if it's like tax related, right? if if there is a tax topic, get in touch with a local provider or someone who you can turn to. and maybe also already inform yourself if there is a provider around or yeah, in the first three months go see Julia for for for a tax briefing or or an overview. but yeah really make sure that you keep the deadlines, that you don't wait like for third reminder. yeah, then get maybe a local person or a provider like Beyond Services for example. but also keep official documents because yeah sometimes after one year we they can refer to this document and you you d don't have any clue about it anymore. Regarding the document stuff I wanna add that Just keeping the document might not be sufficient. Actually read it and understand what it says. If it implies that there is an action that you need to take. Or if it is something that is just that you can put aside for information. Yeah. or if there is anything that you actually need to do. because we c we always call it the later pile. So documents that I don't really understand that do not contain a pay slip. They tend to end up on a pile. Yeah. and if they are being looked at a year later. There are chances you might have missed a deadline. Yeah. I I agree on that. so I have the impression it's you're coming to Switzerland thousands of kilometers and then you're here, and then it's more like baby steps that it that it is all about. So or smaller moments. It's it's understanding a letter, knowing which office to call or which person to call, realizing that your employer, your insurance, your the tax office. is they are not automatically talking to each other but they all belong to this one puzzle that is your life. and yeah to find someone, for example like Seash to be willing and able to look at the whole picture. Sesh, thank you for bringing clarity to that part of international life that often begins just after the actual move happened and moving company has driven away and relocation services are terminated. If there's one thing I hope listeners take away today is you do not have to understand the system immediately. but you need to recognize when something needs attention and ask for support, for proper support before something becomes an actual problem. so we see a lot how of course on the tax end of things, because this is where we're working, how this is connected to the rest of your life. a new address can mean a new canton, can mean new tax rules. job can change more than a salary. a personal decision can create new administrative administrative obligations. So you do not have to do it all on your own. So get support and get proper support. As always you will find all the information about my guest Sash and Beyond Services and of course about Taxome in our show notes. Sesh, thank you so much for joining me for this interesting conversation. And yeah, sometimes feeling at home begins with something surprisingly simple, knowing what to do next. And just like that you've been listening to Tax and the City. Thanks, Sash. Thank you so much and thanks you all to the listener.