And don't forget that the type of bank account will also play a role in how much money one can take out per year without a penalty. For example, I have an e-Deposito account with PostFinance. This account gives a better interest rate than normal savings accounts but if I had a money emergency I could only take out a maximum of 50,000 francs out per year. If I were to need to take more out, I could but would have to pay a penalty to do so. If your friend has his money deposited in a regular checking account, he should have no problem transferring the money out of the country, regardless of the amount.