Guide for foreign buyers
Buying property in Switzerland as a foreigner
A villa on Lake Geneva, an apartment in Geneva or Lausanne: what a foreign buyer can purchase in Switzerland, under which conditions, and how we support you from the first viewing to signing.
In short
EU and EFTA nationals who live in Switzerland (B or C permit) and C permit holders buy freely, like Swiss citizens. Other B permit holders can buy their main residence. EU cross-border commuters (G permit) can buy a second home in the region where they work. Non-residents can in practice not buy a home on the Geneva and Vaud shores of Lake Geneva: the Lex Koller law only allows holiday homes in certain tourist resorts. The real question is therefore often relocation to Switzerland, which we organise with you alongside the search.
Your situation
Who can buy under the Lex Koller law
B or C permit
You move to Switzerland
EU and EFTA nationals domiciled in Switzerland are outside the Lex Koller law: villa, apartment, main residence or investment property, with no authorisation. Other nationalities with a B permit can buy their main residence, and C permit holders buy freely. The notary checks your status at signing: we align the purchase timeline with your relocation.
G permit
You commute across the border
You live in France and work in Geneva or Vaud? As an EU citizen, you can buy a second home in the region where you work without authorisation. An often overlooked option for a pied-à-terre in Geneva, Nyon or Lausanne.
Living abroad
You remain a non-resident
Without a Swiss domicile, buying a home requires authorisation and is only possible for a holiday home in a tourist resort designated by the canton, mainly in the Vaud Alps. Geneva grants none. The Lake Geneva shoreline is therefore in practice reserved for buyers living in Switzerland.
Relocating
Living on the Swiss shore of Lake Geneva
Residence permit
EU and EFTA nationals obtain a B permit with a Swiss employment contract, as self-employed, or without gainful activity if they have sufficient means and Swiss health insurance. Other nationalities follow stricter rules, often through employment or lump-sum taxation. Registration with the commune is due within 14 days of arrival.
Lump-sum taxation
Geneva and Vaud offer taxation based on expenditure (lump-sum taxation) to foreigners who settle in Switzerland without working there. Tax is assessed on living expenses rather than worldwide income, with a high minimum. Some tax treaties, including the one with France, add specific conditions: have a tax adviser confirm before deciding.
How a Swiss purchase works
Reservation agreements and the deed of sale are signed before a notary of the canton where the property lies, and the deed is binding from signature. Agency fees are paid by the seller. Prices are in Swiss francs: currency risk matters if your wealth is held in another currency.
Financing
Swiss mortgages
Swiss bank rules
Banks require at least 20% equity, of which at least 10% must not come from the second pillar. They check that theoretical costs (interest at around 5%, amortisation and maintenance) stay below one third of gross income. The part of the loan above two thirds of the value must be repaid within fifteen years.
Newcomers and non-residents
Cross-border commuters and new arrivals can obtain Swiss financing, usually with more equity and a closer review of the file. We work with mortgage brokers used to these profiles, and a bank in your home country may also lend against your wider wealth.
Geneva or Vaud
What changes from one canton to the other, in plain terms
Purchase costs
In Geneva, transfer tax is 3% of the price, plus notary and land register fees. In the canton of Vaud it reaches 3.3% (2.2% for the canton and up to 1.1% for the commune). In both cases, allow roughly 4 to 5% of the price all in, mortgage note included if you finance.
Taxes every year
Both cantons tax wealth, including the tax value of the property, and income. Geneva is among the heaviest Swiss cantons on high incomes; Vaud is markedly lighter, which explains the appeal of Terre Sainte and La Côte for people who work in Geneva. The imputed rental value, a notional income for owner-occupiers, is still taxed today; its abolition was accepted by referendum in September 2025 and will be phased in.
Lump-sum taxation
Geneva and Vaud both allow expenditure-based taxation for a foreign national who settles in Switzerland without gainful activity. The minimum taxable base is set by each canton, in the order of several hundred thousand francs a year, so the regime is in practice reserved for substantial estates. The decision is taken with a tax adviser before choosing the commune.
When you sell
Capital gains on property are taxed in both cantons at a rate that falls with the holding period: high in the first years, moderate beyond ten years, and close to nil in Geneva after twenty-five years. A prestige purchase is therefore a long-term decision, which we factor in from the start of the search.
Residence permits
EU and EFTA nationals obtain a B permit with a Swiss employment contract, a self-employed activity or, without gainful activity, sufficient means and Swiss health insurance. Other nationalities are subject to quotas and usually come through an employer or a substantial investment. The C permit, after five or ten years, removes the last Lex Koller constraints. Registration with the commune takes place within 14 days of arrival.
Who we work with
Relocation firms for the move, schooling and permits; Geneva private banks and mortgage brokers for financing a non-resident or a newcomer; notaries and tax advisers in both cantons. One point of contact at Bellerive coordinates them so that the purchase, the move and the tax decision land at the same time.
Costs and steps
What buying costs, how it unfolds
Transfer tax is 3% in Geneva and up to 3.3% in the canton of Vaud. Notary and land registry fees come on top, plus mortgage deed costs where a loan is involved. In total, budget around 3% to 5% of the price.
Review your situation
Status, relocation timeline, budget and financing, before any viewing.
Search and off-market
A selection of listed and confidential homes, viewings grouped over one or two days.
Offer and negotiation
We negotiate on your behalf and coordinate bank, notary and tax adviser.
Signing at the notary
Signature of the deed, payment and registration in the land register.
Swiss or French shore
Lake Geneva, Swiss side
Évian and Thonon on one side, Geneva, Nyon, Lausanne and Montreux on the other: Lake Geneva is shared between France and Switzerland. Bellerive Properties works exclusively on the Swiss shore, in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, where the shoreline has been fixed for decades and lakefront homes mostly sell without a public listing.
Where we work in Switzerland: Geneva · Cologny · Terre Sainte · Nyon · Lausanne · Lavaux · Montreux · Lake Geneva waterfront homes
Let's talk about your project
A first confidential conversation, by phone or video call, to review your situation and the properties available, including off-market.
General information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Each situation is reviewed with our partner notaries and tax advisers.
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