Hi everyone


I'm new here and looking for some feedback on whether my idea would pose any issues for me. I am from the UK and living in ZH on a B permit.

I was employed full time however due to the economic situation with covid I will be let go in a few months. I have since chosen a new path of self-employment.

I will be renting office space where I will setup my IT operations. I will have to put in a significant amount of hours work into the business. My plan is to live between the office and my vehicle for the first year to save the costs from renting my apartment.

Is it possible to use my office address as my home address? I'm concerned the Gemeinde will have it flagged as a commercial property?


I'd welcome any ideas and feedback.


Thank you!

Is your office space a "Laden"? Does it even have shower/kitchen facilities? I think a lot will depend on this and whether you have a living space. Also if you do this might be difficult to deduct rent from profit as at least partially it's a living space. I am wondering if not better to rent a room in a shared flat for a while?

If it's commercial property, then no.

We tried it once, did not fly.

Tom

I appreciate your feedback, thanks. I'll have to work some other option I think then...

My workspace will be either an office or a workshop / small industrial unit. The computer equipment I'll be running makes a lot noise (from fans) so many of the normal offices aren't suitable. I've not seen anything advertised with "Laden", I will have a look to see if something has the combined living area.

Thanks

Note that this does NOT mean that you cannot sleep there, you just cannot be registered as living there.

Solution is to find a friend that will let you "live" with them, even if in reality you spend all your time in the office.

Tom

P.S. This is not just a foreigner thing, my girlfriend (now wife) is Swiss and tried it, no go if it is registered as commercial.

However, the place I rented for four years was an attic room, with no kitchen and a floor bath (the other guy was there like 2x year for a few days), and that was fine.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I think so too, there's nothing harmful in putting in long nightshifts like Bezos etc, just have to be smart about it.

The thing is that you need an "official" residence, which can simply be a letter signed by a friend that you are living there (which is what we did in gf/wife's case).

Where you physically spend your time is another matter.

Tom

Why not run your IT business from your house or flat? Are you expecting many visitors?

OP says:

The computer equipment I'll be running makes a lot noise (from fans) so many of the normal offices aren't suitable.

It was just an idea as modern concrete flats ($) have solid sound insulation that can easily deal with loud fan/server noise.

There's some related info in this thread (and others to which it links) about what counts and does not count, as a place of residence, and checks that may be made by the authorities, to see if you're doing what you say you're doing.
https://www.englishforum.ch/permits-...le-abroad.html

How do Swiss people/authorities deal with registration if they for instance become homeless, or decide on a lifestyle that doesn’t have a fixed address?

Obviously not an option for foreigners as having a place to live is a permit requirement, but this just got me wondering about Swiss without an address.

Not possible.

Last address in such cases.

Tom

What are the regulations now for a Non EU citizen to become self-employed?

Same as pre-Brexit of you were already here.

In some municipalities it is possible to register as being c/o the municipality. This is then a postal address, and an official way to reach the person. Other municipalities do not allow this.

• Here's the Zurich office at which to apply (though it is not automatically granted). https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/sd/de/i...ng/obdach.html
• Here's an organisation in Basel which enables people to register at their address. https://www.schwarzerpeter.ch/ueber-...glish-summary/

One way to prevent a cascade of problems of missing post, etc., is to work hard at getting as many people, companies, institutions, etc. with whom one ordinarily deals, to agree to correspond electronically. That way, those people would still reach the person, and probably not even know, at least for a while, that they had no fixed address. This still does not, however, deal with the problem of needing an official address.

Depends on the permit.

Tom

Laden is what the office space is called for us (as opposed to "Wohnung"). In the Laden we have no kitchen and only a toilet, no shower etc. Hence cannot live there. Could sleep there occasionally but not meant as a living space.