Ms B. from Dijon had heard about Micheloud & Cie long before she contacted us. One day, she finally resolved to fulfill her dream of living in Switzerland and so she telephoned us with a list of questions. From that moment on, we took charge of everything right up until her move.

40 years of vacationing in Switzerland
Ms B. knows Switzerland like the back of her hand - she has come every year for 40 years. After initial holidays with her parents, she continued to come to Switzerland at least once a year, particularly to the Quellenhof in Bad Ragaz and to the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne. Amongst all these areas she knew by heart, Ms B. hesitated between Interlaken, Lausanne and Bad Ragaz to take her retirement. After having given us her selection criteria (climate, train connections, and taxation), we did a comparison of the three areas based on these criteria. She finally settled on Bad Ragaz, a place she already knew very well since she stayed regularly at the Quellenhof health, spa and golf resort. Ms B. was also looking for a place to store her impressive antique embroidery collection and St Gallen, capital city of the canton of St Gallen, has a textile museum that was delighted to receive this donation.

We then began to gather together all the necessary documents for the residence permit application, and submitted them to the various administrative services (municipal, cantonal and federal) to save Ms B. the hassle of shuttling back and forth. Once the federal authorities approved the residence permit, we began preparing the move. The entire procedure took place in less than three months, a reasonable period of time considering the number of administrative services involved.

Louis XV Furniture and Burgundy wine
Ms B. had many practical questions, such as how to import her impressive collection of period furniture and her well-stocked wine cellar, or even what would become of her pets (a dog and a gander). We were able to answer all of her questions directly by fax and telephone.

A custom-built chalet
Having lived in a magnificent mansion that once belonged to the famous French naturalist Buffon, Ms B. had certain standards that had to be met when it came to her home in Switzerland. After having combed the Bad Ragaz real estate market, it was clear that Ms B.’s only solution was to have her chalet built. We contacted a reputable builder and the chalet was finished in less than a year.

This article has been written with the consent of our client, Ms B., who read and approved it prior to publication.