Contracting In Switzerland US Citizen - Page 2

Jim2007 · #21 23.12.2011, 22:00

	Quote:	TenaciousJ
	Your company invoices a Swiss company for services rendered. They pay the amount indicated on the invoice. Nothing wrong with that. This is how businesses work.

No it is not that simple. From what I remember the Swiss company will have to pay the invoiced amount plus imputed VAT amount to the Swiss tax authorities.

TenaciousJ · #22 23.12.2011, 22:03

But essentially it is possible. There may be some withholding tax or as you mentioned VAT deducted, but a foreign company can invoice a Swiss company.

miniMia · #23 23.12.2011, 22:50

	Quote:	axwack
	Well not necessarily and only meetings. I will be doing configurations, analysis, development, meetings, consultation, etc. Is it possible to come in on 3 months, exit, 1 month in US, go again?

I think we are having 2 different conversations here. One is invoicing which isn't a problem if you are working in the US and invoicing a company in Switzerland then they pay you in the US, not in Switzerland. You will pay also your taxes in the US.

The OP can not work & live IN Switzerland without applying for (and getting) a D visa and then an L/B permit. The problem is that the OP doesn't have any basis to receive a permit.

It is very difficult to get visas for non-EUs and seeing as the company doesn't actually want to hire you & go through this process it will be almost impossible for you to get it yourself:

	Quote:
	"Work visa The very restrictive immigration policy of the Swiss Government has made it extremely difficult to obtain residence permits for employment. As a rule, only individuals who have been offered jobs which cannot be filled by Swiss nationals have a chance of obtaining residence permits. Inevitably, these vacancies are usually only in an occupation of a highly specialized nature. The Swiss Embassy or Consulates General are unable to assist anyone in finding employment in Switzerland. No lists of Swiss or foreign companies, agencies or organizations are available. Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but a bilateral Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the European Union (EU) has been signed and entered into force on June 1, 2002. The provisions of the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons only apply to nationals of the member states of the EU. The new EU member countries do not yet benefit from the free movement of persons with Switzerland. "

You can come to Switzerland as a tourist for 3 months after which time you must leave for 3 months before coming back. You can not work when entering as a tourist.

You can go to Switzerland to work for up to 3 weeks with a business visa but not more and I don't know how many times a year you'll be able to do this. However you should be very careful about this. Contact the Swiss Embassy and find out about your situation.

Jim2007 · #24 24.12.2011, 01:36

	Quote:	miniMia
	You can go to Switzerland to work for up to 3 weeks with a business visa but not more and I don't know how many times a year you'll be able to do this. However you should be very careful about this. Contact the Swiss Embassy and find out about your situation.

I think that is the one I'm thinking about too, but it is very restricted - only a certain number of days per year and so on. OP, the best is to contact the local embassy and see what they come up with.

OP - Just so you know, this is more or less a European wide thing. If you fail to comply with the Swiss rules, then you could very quickly find that you are barred from most countries in Western Europe, so it is important to get it right from the start.