Hey everyone,

I’m a long time listener, first time caller. I’m in a bit of a complicated situation...

I am on a b-permit here and need to de-register and move back to the UK (I’m a British Citizen), sounds pretty simple right?

Here’s where it’s complex, I am finishing my current role December 31st but I will need to move out of my apartment in November as my contract states I can’t move in December.

This means I’ll need to move back to the UK in November (It could be mid-November). So, I may need to de-register whilst still being employed in Switzerland for the remaining few weeks without a permanent address.

Does anyone know if this will cause any issues or have any advice? I’m struggling to find the information I need online

If it's ok for your employer to work from the UK, than I would talk with friends to arrange a formal sub-let contract and announce a definitive leave for the end of December.

I forgot to mention, but I think that you only cannot normally resign from a contract at the end of December. However, if you find someone suitable to takeover your contract than I believe you can arrange it even for the end of December.

What's the notice period for termination of your rental?

As far as I know you tell the commune/gemeinde your deregistration date; nothing says it has to be the day you leave the country does it?

You probably already know this but since you didn't specifically mention it - if you want to leave in November you should have already handed in your notice oto the landlord. Depending on canton this can be anywhere from 3-6 months in advance. Unless you're getting a new tenant to take over the terms of your lease.

Totally aware, we have actually already found a tenant which is great!

The worry is with quarantine going to the UK and returning to Switzerland do I have to stay until 31st December when I finish my role or can I leave in November and does that cause any complications as I won’t have a permit or address?

I think it has a maximum time of 30 days when you de-register but because of quarantine and travel times I would need to have more than 30 days (more like 45ish) which is where it becomes difficult and I wouldn’t have an address

How much stuff do you need to move? How about staying in an hotel/AirBnB here for whatever remaining time you need? And yeah, talk to your employer about the possibility of working from the UK if that can be done.

Do you have to deregister in person?

Surely a letter would be fine, in which case you can send it from the UK at the appropriate time.

Could you use your work address for correspondence, and get someone to open and scan anything important?

I would go third week of November and tell you are leaving the country Dec 31st or thereabouts. It takes a few weeks to do the whole tax clearance process etc.
You set up post forward to your UK address for the real date you leave so any mail finds you.

You then go register in UK as of Jan 1st.

From the Swiss side I do not see issues. It's not like you need to leave on the exact day of deregistration.

Only UK side you would need to check as I am not 100% sure.

Usually in person is best because you need documentation from the commune/gemeinde to be able to cancel things like health insurance, mobile phone contract, etc. Might be able to do it online though.

We already have a moving company quote we are just waiting for the date they can move our stuff

My work will definitely allow me to work from the UK until the end of the year, I’m just unsure if there’s consequences with my b-permit and working. I can’t change the address on my b-permit to a UK registered address but I wonder if I set up mail forwarding to my UK address and if the cross over is just one month will that actually matter?

This is exactly what I was thinking, one consideration is that my b-permit is registered to my current address and I wondered if there’s any issues just leaving that address on there setting up a forwarding address for my mail and not being at my registered address for the last 4 weeks but i’m really unsure of what to do there as I will be a month with technically no address.

When we checked we were told you had to do it in person, I wonder if they are letting people do it online during COVID times, I could check that again thanks

I really hate that so much stuff in Switzerland has to be done by paper work, you should be able to do these things digitally!

I highly recommend getting all the Swiss paperwork 100% in order, at all the relevant offices, before leaving Switzerland.

This includes de-registering, and also closing and paying anything else outstanding, such as tax if applicable in your case, ending contracts for internet and phones, subscriptions to anything, memberships, pension moneys, health insurance, other insurances, making arrangements with your landlord about when your remaining deposit/heating bill will be refunded or a top-up payment required from you (could be up to one year from now) etc.

You might also find some helpful advice in these two threads:
https://www.englishforum.ch/leaving-...itzerland.html
https://www.englishforum.ch/leaving-...e-left-nl.html

Any part of this that you do not do properly before you go will come back to bite you, one way or another, afterwards, and will end up being a great deal more work when attempted from abroad.

According to the website you can't do it online but must go in person a maximum 30 days before you want to de-register. You could go down there and talk to them and see f they can bend the rules. These are still exceptional times. I'd just leave the address as is and set-up a redirection.

I think for one month you will be fine. Saw now someone said deregistration can be done max 30 days in advance. In this case I recommend you get an Airbnb for a week and sort yourself out and leave say 7th of Dec?

Do all the cancellations you can do without your confirmation of departure ahead of time (i.e. telephone, electricity etc). Do health insurance when you have your departure papers.

Post forward for 3 months (or more depending on your affairs) is a good idea just to tie up loose ends.

Maybe i got wrong but why you need to de-register before you leave work.

You just need to leave the flat.

PS: to be more clear, if you said you have a new job you need to register in uk soon. If you continue here why to register in UK before 2021? Brexit?

I am doing the other way: To be released from all contracts i said 31th October (i am not working since 30th september) but i will be around until end of year

That makes sense! What I meant is if my residency ends before my role here ends does that cause issues, do you know if that would be a problem?

Thank you so much for your help! I called today and found out in the current climate you can de-register online by filling out the form digitally, emailing it back and paying online to get your confirmation letter that allows you to cancel all bills so it may not be a problem to head back mid-November I’m hoping!

Great advice, thanks so much. I think I may leave earlier as I can de-register over email. I called the office today and apparently it’s not a problem to do so as I wouldn’t be able to travel back to de-register because of quarantine periods for travelling from the UK!

However the post forward is a great point, thanks

I would have thought your deregistration date just before Christmas, many business's don't work till January so I don't see an issue. That gives a good extra week in addition to the 30 days so turn up at the office around 23 November on the way to the airport.

I recommend getting that in writing, and not just over the phone.

You could do that by writing to thank them for the information given to you over the phone, and setting out your understanding of each steps you need to take to close things off properly, and asking that they please confirm that it is so, and add any other info you may need to know.

The reason for this caution is that, over the years, we've seen countless people think that they'd understood that x or y was okay, or really having been told so by the person over the phone, but then, when the real steps needed to be taken, it was not exactly as they'd been told, or had understood.

Great advice, I actually got that information through email along with the relevant forms and links! Hopefully that means I should be covered then if I’m not in the country when I deregister!

Thanks again is