Striking camp - "Ich meld mi ab!"

I have never been a fan of dealing with administrative necessities such as taxes and insurances. However, despite trying to avoid any binding ties here in Switzerland, I still signed up for the necessary things... because I had to.

So all these things I currently have to cancel or take care of.

When you leave Switzerland for two years or longer, and you don’t plan on returning any time soon (or at least not in said two-year time period), giving notice of leave to all the authorities is the obvious thing to do. You don’t want to return home just to do your taxes, right? You don’t want to keep paying for health insurance when you are covered through your university or through your employment. You also don’t want to keep your Swiss phone plan. And you’re technically not allowed to keep your Swiss bank account(s) since Swiss banks are “not doing business with the US anymore” (“d ZKB het kei Gschäftsbeziehige mit de USA meh.” imfall.).

Now that school is out, I can finally focus on the things that need closure before I move (I have luckily lined up everything as soon as I knew I would leave for Ohio again). 

Ich meld mi ab!

I have compiled a list of everything I could think of (and that applied to my situation in particular, too, so different points may apply to different cases) in the hopes that this might be useful to anyone who will leave one day as well:

1. You need a visa, obviously. Mine is a non-immigrant F-1 student visa, valid for 5 years or for as long as you are enrolled.
   
   
2. You need to let the municipality of your place of residence (die gute Gemeinde) know that you are leaving (at least 8 weeks prior to your departure). They will provide you with an official certificate of departure (Abmeldungsbestätigung) after you have turned in your tax declaration of the current year (unterjährige Steuererklärung, sieht genau gleich aus), see point 3. (Unless you’re as small of a fish as I am, then they know your tax declaration won’t be really worth any money and give you the certificate right away. Yet I still have to hand in the declaration, this is Switzerland, after all)
   
   
3. You need to fill and hand in your tax declaration of the current year. Make sure you have all your salary statements.
   
   
4. You need to let your health insurance know that you are leaving the country. Usually, they just need a copy of the municipality’s certificate of departure along with a written and signed notice. Off you go, without Swiss health insurance for the first time in your life (quite a scary feeling!)
   
   
5. You need to let the SVA (social security bureau?) know that you are leaving. While you are enrolled as a student, you can still pay into the AHV through the SVA of the canton where you last lived. You will need to give someone the power of attorney so they can pay in your name. As soon as you are starting employment in the US, you will have to let SVA Geneva know that you would like to continue to pay into the AHV, as they are responsible for Swiss citizens abroad. 
   
   
6. You need to either switch from your current phone plan to a prepaid plan (if you want to keep your number) or cancel everything. Bye 07x.
   
   
7. You need the final bank statement(s) for your tax declaration and since you are technically not allowed to keep your Swiss bank accounts when you move to the US for a longer period of time (and thus have no official place of residence in Switzerland anymore) for reasons that have made the press various times in the recent years (let’s say Swiss banks have become very careful), you get those statements anyway once you have cast your accounts. Let’s say Swiss bankers have become very careful.
   
   
8. You need to cancel everything that involves your living situation (obviously).
   
   
9. You need to cancel any other insurances you may have.
   
   
10. You need to cancel your credit cards (or let them at least know you are leaving the country. I am canceling everything so I am not sure if you can keep them).

And upon arrival:

• Register with the Swiss representation responsible for the state you are going to live in. Switzerland wants to know where you are after you have officially left the country ;)

• Send a confirmation that you have enrolled with university to the SVA so you can continue to pay into the AHV.

Here’s one major piece of advice for you: START EARLY! Nothing is dumber than to procrastinate these things. I know it sucks but it really needs to be done. Most Swiss authorities and companies have certain periods and deadlines you should not/cannot miss.

Two more weeks to go until I am back in Ohio and even though I have everything lined up, I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything runs smoothly until I board the plane. And finally get back to Ohio.

Stay tuned! 

Jen


Ps: Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @swiss.in.ohio