Hi there

I have been selling stamps on eBay for over 3 years in Athens and make a comfortable living. I would like to move to Luzern within the next few months.

If I register myself as self employed, and that I work on eBay, would this be acceptable?

I read somewhere that if you show that you earn more than 30 000 EUR a year from your own business ventures abroad, a permit is granted. I earn well over this amount.

I look forward to your thoughts

I don't think they will believe you can support yourself of 30K euro, it's rather expensive here.

Swiss doesn't have in-flight wifi - you'll find eBay access is going to be difficult.

I think I was told CH min wage is around £48k UK.

The requirement for EU citizens to prove economic sufficiency from self employment is no longer enforced. I don't see a problem with the plan as is as long as you can afford the social security payments, high rents, medical insurance etc.

Household insurance, accident insurance, phone and internet bills, transport, food, brown sugar....

Food........

Beer... and a motorcycle .

One will have to carefully consider the prevailing exchange rates between the Swiss Franc and other currencies - Euro, Pound, Dollar - and look carefully at what a "comfortable living" in Greece (and presumably Euros) will translate to in Swiss CHF.
.

30K would give you a nice living in Buenos Aires. Not luxury mind. And we have that pesky 20% inflation thing.

Wow.. you guys make it sound tough... I'll look into it...

I have actually made nearly 200k EUR in the past 3 years, and I can prove that.

so i'm sure my incomes are on par...

So...advice from a person who earns and lives on very little here. At the current exchange rate, your 30k would translate to about 3000 chf per month. This, however, is gross, so net would be more like 2600 chf (approximately). That does NOT make for a comfortable living. You will have to share a flat, no doubt, and while you'll have money for basic health insurance and supermarket food, you'll have little left for entertainment (I'm assuming you'll want to save some money). Otherwise, you'll have money for entertainment but not for clothes, haircuts, travelling...
- speaking from personal experience.

Thanks for letting me know, I am actually moving there with my girlfriend, she will already have a job waiting for her, if she earns about 4k a month initially I think that would also help a lot... because as you mentioned,everything would be shared.

That would help. I earn roughly as much as you do, sometimes a bit more or less. 600 goes to rent, about 100 towards bills. Supermaket bills (zurich, luzern might be cheaper) about 500 a month. 180 for insurance (but then I still have to pay up to 2500 chf if I need to get medical attention. 200 for transport (I work far from my home). The rest goes into my bank account, and of course, before saving money, I have to use it for medicals, grooming, clothes, entertainment, travelling etc. All in all, because I love travelling (but not drinking and partying) I don't save much, definitely nothing for retirement.

Keep in mind if you are dealing stamps, and presumably sending/receiving them by post in CH, your operating costs are going to skyrocket. Postal costs and express carrier fees match the swiss living standards, not to mention the Swiss Customs operates with extreme efficiencies, so you will face a lot of red tape and associated costs.

If you want quality answers you should supply all the relevant information.

1. 200k in 3 years is not 30k a year
2. if you are coming and living with your girlfriend who is employed then you will be living on 2 incomes, which is also more than your erroneously quoted 30k, and you shouldn't have a problem getting a B permit.
3. you can work as an independent in Switzerland with a salary of 66K = 80KCHF it will be more difficult as you are over the threshold for VAT so you'll have to register and collect that, etc.

__________________

Since the new MwsT regulations came into force all businesses must register regardless but collecting the tax only starts at the threshold.

At no point did the OP say or infer he earned 30k a year. He said he believed that evidence of self employed income of 30k per year or more was necessary to get a permit. The OP will be allowed to stay here in any case if he is an EU citizen, not dependent on the State, and dependent on his girlfriend who will work.

Although this is becoming more and more accepted it is not a given - there is no basis for non married same sex couples to establish dependency.

It would be better for the OP to seek a self employment permit which is a given.