Legal process of buying a property in Switzerland
A notary transfers real estate in Switzerland. These notaries conclude the contract between the buyer and the seller of the property, then keep the buyer’s funds in the bank and register the change of ownership of the property to the name of the buyer and provide advice on the legality of the transaction. Notary fees should be considered about 5% of the price of the sale. These costs include property transfer taxes, registration of work with the Land Registry and the costs of official documents. Depending on the regulations of each canton, these costs may be split between the buyer and the seller, but in most cases, the buyer is responsible to pay them.
The first step that the notary will take is to gather all the required information (personal information of the buyers, personal information of the sellers and basic information about the property) to prepare the application for a foreign purchase license and sale. The notary sends the application for a foreign purchase license and he/she requires the approval of the cantonal authorities. This usually takes 2-4 weeks and will only be rejected if you have another property in Switzerland or if the property does not comply with the law. Signing the sales document After getting this license can bet done within 30 days (you can be present at the notary or sign a power of attorney). The notary will contact the bank to register your loan.
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Terms of buying a house in Switzerland
Buying property in Switzerland or investing in it is possible through buying a property in this country, but in all 26 cantons of this country, the constitution, legislation, court laws and terms of buying a property are different.
It is possible for foreigners to buy a house in Switzerland, but there are national, regional and local restrictions on where and what foreigners can buy. The owners of foreign properties may be able to stay in their homes for up to 6 months a year. Foreigners can only buy a residential property in a tourist area. Unless you are Swiss or you have a residence permit in Switzerland. Otherwise you cannot buy a property in Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Coupe or other cities of Switzerland. Foreigners are allowed to buy houses and apartments in most of the Ski resorts in Switzerland because they are located in tourist areas.
Foreigners can also shop at ski resorts in the cantons of Bern, Graubünden, Obwalden, Avery, Valais. In Switzerland, there is a law, according to this law, its only possible to sell some properties to foreigners, and its restricted to sell a residential property with a net area of more than 200 square meters to foreigners. There are various of other restrictions at the regional (canton) and local (commune) level.
- Buying a house in Zurich
Zurich is one of the largest and most important cities in Switzerland and the price of per square meter of a villa in Zurich is 11,643 CHF and the price of per square meter of an apartment is 12,963 CHF.
The price of properties in Switzerland
For people who want to invest in real estate, knowing the price of real estate is very important. In each cantons of Switzerland, the costs of buying and renting a property is different.
| The name of the city | The average price of per meter of apartment | The average price of per meter of house | Average price per meter for renting |
| Zürich | CHF 12,963 | CHF 11,643 | CHF 428 |
| Zug | CHF 13,089 | CHF 6,100 | CHF 367 |
| Yverdon-les-Bains | CHF 7,564 | CHF 8,165 | CHF 258 |
| Winterthur | CHF 7,985 | CHF 7,800 | CHF 274 |
| Vernier | CHF 10,381 | CHF 7,786 | CHF 330 |
| Uster | CHF 9,378 | CHF 9,967 | CHF 287 |
| Thun | CHF 6,043 | CHF 6,718 | CHF 245 |
| St. Gallen | CHF 6,054 | CHF 5,047 | CHF 222 |
| Sion | CHF 5,103 | CHF 4,834 | CHF 220 |
| Schaffhausen | CHF 6,333 | CHF 6,339 | CHF 213 |
| Neuchâtel | CHF 6,926 | CHF 8,103 | CHF 248 |
| Luzern | CHF 9,362 | CHF 7,118 | CHF 293 |
| Lugano | CHF 9,107 | CHF 7,184 | CHF 256 |
Getting a residence permit in Europe through buying a property
Investing in real estate is common in Europe. There are countries that will grant a permanent residence permit to the applicant through the purchase of a property. Countries such as Greece, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus are among these countries. Investing in real estate is one of the best types of investment and the profits from this section are high for the investor. It is possible to buy a property in Spain for 500 thousand Euros, to buy a property in Portugal for 500 thousand Euros, 350 thousand Euros and 280 thousand Euros and to buy a property in Greece for 250 thousand Euros.
In Cyprus, you can also get a Cyprus citizenship and passport by investing € 2 million in real estate. In all of these countries, the Golden Visa will be given to the investor and all of them result in getting a permanent residence permit for the applicant and his or her family. People who buy a property in these countries, in addition to the possibility of living, working, and traveling to EU countries, can rent a property and can also have income.
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