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CITY GUIDES — SWITZERLAND
Where to live in Switzerland: a mover’s city guide
One region, many rulebooks. The UK differs from the EU, and each country sets its own customs and residency requirements. Pick your destination below.
Switzerland destinations we cover
Each guide covers customs, timings and what to expect on that specific route from Dubai.
Ireland
Netherlands
Belgium
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Switzerland
SwedenUK vs the EU
The UK now has its own customs regime (including transfer of residence relief), separate from EU member states — we handle both.
Sea & road options
Most Switzerland moves go by sea to a nearby port, then road delivery — often faster and greener than you would expect.
Residency paperwork
Several countries need proof of residence for duty relief — we tell you exactly what to prepare before you ship.
Choosing where to live in Switzerland
People moving from Dubai to Switzerland usually settle the country before they settle the city,
then find the city is what actually shapes the move. Where you land decides which destination
partner handles your delivery, how far your shipment travels after clearance, and — more than
anything else — what physically has to happen to get your belongings through the door. This
page covers the 5 cities we relocate to from Dubai, and what each one involves.
The cities below sit across Basel-Stadt, Bern, Geneva, Vaud and Zurich. That matters more than it sounds: the region decides which destination partner carries your belongings into the property, and how far the shipment travels after it clears.
The Switzerland corridor, briefly
Switzerland is landlocked and outside the EU customs union, so the routing is different: sea freight to a European port, then a bonded overland leg to a Swiss customs point — which is why door-to-door spans a wider 16–38 days depending on routing and load type.
Clearance happens against Switzerland’s own rules at the border crossing serving your address — Basel for the north, Geneva for the west — with the import file prepared before the truck reaches it.
Access is the variable that moves the price
The Switzerland cities we cover are mostly dense in the centre and easier on the approaches. In practice that makes access a question to settle at survey rather than on moving day: whether the vehicle can get within carrying distance of the door, whether a parking suspension is needed, and whether the lift takes your largest item.
The cities we cover in Switzerland
Moving to Basel from Dubai
Basel-Stadt. The centre of Swiss pharmaceuticals, on the Rhine. Moving in: dense in the centre and easier on the approaches, so parking permits are the usual constraint.
Moving to Bern from Dubai
Bern. The Swiss capital, with a protected medieval centre. Moving in: narrow streets and older buildings, so expect a shuttle vehicle, an external hoist or a street permit.
Moving to Geneva from Dubai
Geneva. The base for many international organisations. Moving in: dense in the centre and easier on the approaches, so parking permits are the usual constraint.
Moving to Lausanne from Dubai
Vaud. A steep city above Lake Geneva. Moving in: narrow streets and older buildings, so expect a shuttle vehicle, an external hoist or a street permit.
Moving to Zurich from Dubai
Zurich. Switzerland's financial centre. Moving in: dense in the centre and easier on the approaches, so parking permits are the usual constraint.
If your city is not listed
These are the destinations we have written up, not the limit of where we go. We move
households from Dubai to Switzerland as a whole, including towns with no page here. Tell us the
address and we will survey and price it the same way.
Moving to Switzerland?
Pick your country guide above, or get a quote and we will plan the full route.