Switzerland vs United Kingdom

Companies register in the cantonal Commercial Register (indexed nationally on Zefix). A GmbH needs CHF 20,000 capital and an AG needs CHF 100,000 (partly paid in); both require a notarised deed.

Companies in the UK register with Companies House, usually as a private limited company (Ltd). Registration is quick and online; you then register for Corporation Tax with HMRC and, where applicable, VAT and PAYE.

Switzerland is a global banking centre; accounts are straightforward for residents and available to non-residents with due diligence. FINMA supervises banks, and a residence permit plus proof of address ease account opening.

The UK has established high-street banks and a strong digital-bank sector (Monzo, Starling, Revolut). Newcomers can open accounts, though proof of a UK address can be a hurdle; digital banks are often easier initially. The FCA and PRA regulate banks.

Switzerland is highly open to foreign investment, promoted by Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), with no exchange controls and a liberal regime. A new investment-screening law is being introduced for certain acquisitions by state-linked investors in critical sectors; incentives are mainly cantonal (tax and location support).

The UK is open to foreign investment, promoted by the Office for Investment (Department for Business and Trade). Most sectors need no approval, but the National Security and Investment Act lets the government screen deals in sensitive areas. There are no exchange controls, so profits repatriate freely; incentives include R&D reliefs and freeports.

Switzerland taxes at federal, cantonal and communal levels; the Federal Tax Administration (FTA) oversees federal tax and a low VAT. Rates vary sharply by canton, so where you live matters a lot.

The UK taxes income (Income Tax and National Insurance) and levies VAT on most goods and services, administered by HMRC. UK tax residents are generally taxed on worldwide income; the tax year runs 6 April to 5 April.

Non-EU/EFTA nationals need a work permit subject to national quotas; EU/EFTA citizens have facilitated access. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and cantonal authorities administer permits (L, B, C), usually employer-initiated.

Most workers use the Skilled Worker visa, which requires a job offer from a Home Office-licensed sponsor, a role at the required skill level, and a salary at or above the applicable threshold. The visa is points-based and administered by UK Visas and Immigration.

Non-EU/EFTA students need a residence permit to study in Switzerland, applied for through the cantonal migration office — not a single federal authority — after admission to a recognised institution, with the State Secretariat for Migration involved. You must show admission, sufficient funds and health insurance, and register with your commune within 14 days of arrival. EU/EFTA students have simpler arrangements.

The UK Student visa (formerly Tier 4) lets you study at a licensed student sponsor. Once you accept an unconditional offer your university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), valid for six months from issue. You apply online on GOV.UK with financial evidence and usually an approved English test, and pay the visa fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge, which gives NHS access. You can apply up to six months before the course starts.

Switzerland is in the Schengen Area, so short tourist or business visits follow Schengen rules: up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole area. Visa-exempt nationals need no visa; everyone else applies for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa via the Swiss representation. Note Switzerland is in Schengen but not the EU customs union, so customs allowances still apply at the border.

Most short visits to the UK use the Standard Visitor route, usually up to 6 months. Visa-exempt nationals must hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling; visa nationals apply for a Standard Visitor visa online in advance. Visitors cannot work or claim public funds.

Switzerland grants the C settlement permit (Niederlassungsbewilligung / permis d'établissement) after generally 10 years of residence — or 5 years for some nationalities and well-integrated permit-B holders. It gives near-unrestricted residence and work; Swiss citizenship needs around 10 years and cantonal/communal approval.

The UK equivalent of permanent residence is Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), usually available after five years on a qualifying visa (e.g. Skilled Worker), meeting residence, English and Life in the UK test requirements. ILR allows living and working without time limit.

Ordinary naturalization in Switzerland requires 10 years of residence (years spent between ages 8 and 18 count double), holding a C settlement permit, plus successful integration and language skills (spoken about B1, written about A2). It is a three-level process — federal (SEM), cantonal and communal. Switzerland permits dual nationality.

British citizenship by naturalization usually requires holding ILR (settlement) for at least 12 months, five years' lawful UK residence, good character, and passing the Life in the UK test and English requirement. The UK allows dual citizenship.

Swiss employment is comparatively liberal under the Code of Obligations: there is no national minimum wage (a few cantons set one), dismissal is allowed with notice, and the statutory minimum holiday is four weeks. Collective agreements (GAV/CCT) apply in some sectors; social insurance (AHV/AVS) is compulsory and disputes go to the labour courts.

UK employment gives workers and employees statutory rights — the National Minimum/Living Wage, 5.6 weeks' paid holiday, and protection from unfair dismissal after two years — enforced via employment tribunals, with Acas providing guidance. You should get a written statement of terms from day one.

Swiss trade clears through the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG). Switzerland is outside the EU, so customs apply to all cross-border goods; duty is largely levied by gross weight, and import VAT is 8.1%. Declarations are electronic (Passar); EFTA/free-trade origin can reduce duty and rulings give certainty.

UK traders move goods using an EORI number and declare them to HMRC. You classify goods by commodity code to find the duty and VAT, check any licences or controls, and submit customs declarations (often via an agent) through the Customs Declaration Service. Since Brexit, EU trade also needs declarations; binding tariff rulings come from HMRC.

Swiss trademarks are registered with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and — as Switzerland examines only absolute grounds — the mark registers, after which third parties have three months to oppose. A Swiss trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; Switzerland is outside the EU, so a separate filing is needed there.

UK trademarks are registered with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). You search the register, file an application specifying classes, and it publishes for a two-month opposition period before registration. A UK trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; the IPO also handles patents and registered designs, with copyright arising automatically.

Switzerland's public employment service works through the regional employment centres, the RAV, alongside the official platform arbeit.swiss. EU and EFTA citizens have free movement, but for everyone else the constraint is unusually hard: non-EU/EFTA permits are subject to annual quotas as well as a labour-market and qualification test. That means an application can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with you or the employer — the quota for the year can simply be exhausted.

The UK's official job-search service is Find a job, run by the DWP, though much hiring happens on commercial boards and company sites. For non-UK/Irish nationals the real gate is not the job board but the sponsor: most roles require a work visa with a licensed sponsor issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship, so an employer without a licence cannot hire you however good the fit. Employers must also check your right to work, and you may need to provide a share code.

Switzerland has no national statutory minimum wage at all — pay is set by individual contract and by sector collective agreements, and only a few cantons have introduced their own cantonal minimums, among them Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, Ticino and Basel-Stadt. So whether any legal floor applies to you depends on your canton and your sector rather than on national law. Swiss wages are among the highest in the world, and the Federal Statistical Office is authoritative for wage data.

The UK's wage floor is age-tiered, not a single rate: the National Living Wage applies from age 21, while the National Minimum Wage covers younger workers and apprentices — so your entitlement depends on age and apprenticeship status. Rates are updated each April, which makes the timing predictable. For official earnings data the Office for National Statistics publishes two series worth knowing apart: Average Weekly Earnings and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

Switzerland's flagship award is the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (run by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students), for postgraduate researchers and artists, alongside ETH/EPFL excellence scholarships and university awards. Applications usually go through the Swiss embassy in your country. Explore options and apply by the (early) deadline.

The UK's flagship international scholarships are Chevening (funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, for one-year master's) and the Commonwealth Scholarships (for Commonwealth-country students), alongside GREAT Scholarships and many university awards. Explore options on the Study UK / British Council site and apply by each scheme's deadline.

To study in Switzerland you apply to the university, then, once admitted, apply for a student visa (a national D visa) through the cantonal migration office and the Swiss consulate; after arrival you obtain a residence permit for study. Explore the university sites and apply by the (often early) deadline.

To study in the UK you apply through UCAS for undergraduate courses or directly to universities for postgraduate study. Once you accept an offer, the university issues a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), which you use to apply for the Student visa (paying the Immigration Health Surcharge and showing funds). Explore courses on Study UK and apply by each deadline.

Switzerland restricts foreign purchase of residential property under the 'Lex Koller' law: non-resident foreigners generally need an authorization and face cantonal quotas, especially for holiday homes. Renting is the norm and tightly regulated: deposits are capped at three months' rent and held in a blocked bank account. Buying (mostly for residents/permit holders) uses a notary, the land register (Grundbuch) and cantonal transfer taxes.

The UK places no restriction on foreigners buying property. In England, tenancies are open-ended assured periodic tenancies since 1 May 2026 — assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 “no-fault” eviction are abolished. Agents must run a Right to Rent check, and the tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks' rent and protected in a government scheme. Buyers use a solicitor/conveyancer, register at HM Land Registry and pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, with a 2% surcharge for non-UK residents.

Health insurance is mandatory for everyone resident in Switzerland, and the deadline is concrete: you must take out basic compulsory insurance under the KVG/LAMal with a private insurer within three months of arrival. Insurers must accept you for the basic package. The budgeting difference that surprises people is that premiums are paid by the individual rather than deducted as a payroll tax, with subsidies for lower-income residents.

The UK's National Health Service is mostly free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident. Most visa holders staying six months or more pay the Immigration Health Surcharge with their visa application, which then lets them use the NHS on the same basis as residents. Some services still carry charges — prescriptions, dental and eye tests in England. Note that holding private insurance does not exempt you from the IHS.

Switzerland's social insurance rests on three named parts: old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV/AVS), disability insurance, and occupational pensions — with contributions shared with your employer. That occupational-pension layer is the piece newcomers most often overlook, since it sits alongside the state scheme rather than inside it. Motor third-party liability insurance is mandatory for vehicles, and basic health insurance is separately compulsory. Insurers and financial markets are supervised by FINMA.

In the UK, National Insurance contributions are deducted from your pay and fund the State Pension and certain benefits — so your NI record matters for what you can claim later, not just as a tax line. Private insurance (motor, home, life, travel) comes from firms regulated by the FCA for conduct and the PRA for prudential soundness. Two policies are compulsory: motor third-party insurance and employers' liability insurance. Check any firm is authorised on the FCA Register before buying.