Relocation Switzerland

The firm and its focus

Relocation Switzerland is based in Berne at Casinoplatz 8, CH-3011, reachable at office@relocationswitzerland.ch or +41 31 318 00 00. The firm is explicitly specialist in one segment: wealthy individuals ("spezialisiert auf die Beratung von wohlhabenden Privatpersonen") who intend to take up residence in Switzerland. The site describes its role as: "Wir planen, organisieren und begleiten den gesamten Prozess eines Domizilwechsels in die Schweiz", we plan, organize, and accompany the entire process of a change of residence to Switzerland. Critically, the firm adds that once clients are resident, they continue through "unser Family Office" (our family office), which offers "a wide range of services."

The emphasis on private clients and wealth indicates the firm does not pitch toward corporate relocations or salary-dependent expats. The segment is HNWI, high-net-worth individuals moving internationally and needing to coordinate legal, tax, and asset structures across borders.

The three-person founding model

The site names three principals. Howard Rosen is Managing Director and Principal of Howard Rosen Solicitors, "an English law firm in the German-speaking part of Switzerland." His role is to "advise on corporate and personal legal matters relating to your move, proactively co-ordinate Rosetrust's own and your domestic tax advisers as required, and organise the establishment and running of any company or trust structures you may need before, during, and after your move." The presence of an English law firm operating in German Switzerland signals the practice targets English-speaking expats with British legal experience, estate planning, and cross-border asset concerns.

Andreas Simmen is described as "a leading Swiss tax adviser with extensive experience of moving foreign nationals into Switzerland, advising on the various Swiss tax issues in an international context, and negotiating both personal and corporate tax rulings at federal and cantonal level as required." This is the expertise needed to navigate Switzerland's cantonal tax variation and its tax-ruling negotiation system, which varies sharply by canton.

Michelle Rosen-Oberman provides "tailored seminars in English or German to help new and prospective immigrants understand how Switzerland works and integrate successfully. She has experience of presentations to both adults and children from a wide variety of cultures and countries." This is an explicit bridge between legal and tax work and life integration, the soft skills of making a cross-border move work beyond the paperwork.

The operating philosophy

The site states three marks of the firm: "Verlässlichkeit, Diskretion und Kompetenz", reliability, discretion, and expertise. Under reliability, the firm says "Gegenseitiges Vertrauen ist das zentrale Element," mutual trust is the central element, and emphasizes representing "ausschliesslich Ihre Interessen", exclusively your interests, while avoiding conflicts of interest. Under discretion, it notes clients want "nur einen Vertrauenspartner", only one trusted partner, who knows personal circumstances comprehensively, and that "alle relevanten Dienstleistungen aus einer Hand erbracht werden," all relevant services are provided from one hand, so knowledge stays with the one partner. It calls discretion "althergebrachte, gut schweizerische Tradition", time-honoured, properly Swiss tradition.

This is the positioning of a confidential advisor practice, not a volume operation. The emphasis on centralized knowledge, exclusive representation, and long-term trust relationships is pitched to people moving large estates or complex corporate structures and valuing continuity and confidentiality.

Language and geographic reach

The site serves clients in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and Swedish. This is broader than typical relocation firms, which usually offer English and French plus one local language. The range suggests the firm is equipped for expat clients from across Europe, Scandinavia, and Anglophone regions. This multilingual capacity is meaningful not just for comfort, it allows the firm to work directly with clients without interpreters, but for substantive reasons. Swiss tax law and civil law are densely written and context-specific; a tax ruling negotiation in Swiss German (the actual language of cantonal tax authorities) is different from a discussion about it in English. The firm's Scandinavian language capacity (Swedish, Dutch) suggests it has consciously targeted wealthy Nordic expats relocating to Switzerland, a predictable segment given Scandinavia's high salaries and wealth concentration.

The firm does not name other cities it serves; Berne is its sole listed address. This concentrates its practice in one canton (Bern), which has specific tax and administrative rules, and suggests the firm is a local firm with deep cantonal expertise rather than a national network. Bern is also a reasonable choice of base for this segment: it is capital of Switzerland (so close to federal authorities) and the seat of the main tax and legal authorities, but less expensive than Zurich or Geneva and draws a different clientele (less finance-sector focus, more old-money and professional wealth).

What is explicitly not offered

The site explicitly states that asset management is excluded. It says asset management "will be coordinated through partners instead", implying the firm will refer clients to external wealth managers but does not manage assets itself. This is a clean scope boundary: the firm handles the relocation, legal structures, tax ruling negotiation, and administrative integration, but does not hold client assets or offer investment advice. This is common practice among relocation boutiques that want to avoid the regulatory and fiduciary burden of asset management.

What the site does not specify

Pricing is absent. The firm does not indicate whether it charges hourly, by project, by the complexity of structures needed, or by a retainer. It does not specify what its Family Office services entail beyond the vague "wide range of services." No details are provided on turnaround times for tax rulings, relocation visa coordination, or administrative tasks. No accreditations are listed. No sample client cases or success stories are provided. The relationship with Howard Rosen Solicitors is not clarified, whether Rosen works part-time, whether the English law practice is a separate firm, or how conflicts between English and Swiss law are navigated.

The firm does not address whether it works with people relocating internally within Switzerland (canton to canton) or only international relocations. It does not name any immigration visa categories it specializes in (work permits, family reunification, lump-sum taxation arrangements, which vary by canton).

The client profile

This is built for wealthy expats moving to Switzerland who need coordinated legal, tax, and lifestyle integration support. The three-person model and the explicit emphasis on discretion and exclusive representation suggest it works best for clients with genuinely complex situations: people with multinational businesses, cross-border family structures, international assets, or significant tax planning needs.

It is unlikely to suit people with straightforward relocation needs, modest budgets, or a preference for project-based (rather than ongoing advisory) services. The firm's cantonal base in Bern means clients relocating to Zurich, Geneva, or Lugano would be working with an out-of-area advisor, potentially limiting its local network advantage. For people relocating privately (not for corporate assignments), this firm's pricing and service model are almost certainly at the high end of the market; the target is clear from the opening line.