Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Switzerland Property Pack
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Buying property in Switzerland as an American is absolutely possible, but the process is shaped by a unique federal law called Lex Koller that treats you differently depending on whether you live in the country or not.
In this guide, we break down every rule, tax, mortgage detail, and hidden fee that a US citizen needs to know before buying residential property in Switzerland in 2026.
We constantly update this blog post to make sure the information reflects the latest regulations, rates, and market conditions.
And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Switzerland.
Fact-checked and reviewed by our local expert
Laurence Rapp 🇬🇧
Sales representative at Skiing Property
Can a US citizen legally buy residential property in Switzerland right now?
Can I buy a home in Switzerland as a US citizen in 2026?
As of early 2026, it is legal for US citizens to buy residential property in Switzerland, but whether you need a special government permit (called a Lex Koller authorisation) depends mainly on your residency status in the country and the type of property you want to buy, not simply on holding an American passport.
The standard buying process for a US citizen in Switzerland involves finding a property, signing a purchase agreement authenticated by a public notary, registering the transfer at the cantonal land registry, and, if you are a non-resident, applying for and receiving a Lex Koller authorisation before the sale can go through.
Because Switzerland is a federal country, the canton where you buy can add its own procedural steps and timelines on top of these national requirements, so the process in Geneva or Zurich may feel noticeably different from buying in Valais or Graubunden.
By the way, we've written a blog article detailing all the foreigner rights regarding properties in Switzerland.
Are there many Americans buying property and living in Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, Switzerland does not publish a single official dataset tracking how many US citizens buy homes each year, but expat community estimates suggest that roughly 20,000 to 30,000 Americans live in Switzerland, making it a small but well-established expat group in a country of about 9 million residents.
The highest concentrations of American expats and property owners in Switzerland tend to be in Geneva (especially neighborhoods like Champel, Eaux-Vives, and the international district near the UN), Zurich (districts like Seefeld, Enge, and the Gold Coast lakeside suburbs), Basel (thanks to pharmaceutical employers like Roche and Novartis), and in Alpine resort towns like Verbier, Gstaad, and Zermatt where holiday-home purchases are permitted.
The top three reasons Americans choose to buy property and settle in Switzerland are the country's exceptional safety and stability, the presence of major international employers and organizations (in finance, pharma, tech, and diplomacy), and the quality of life that combines world-class infrastructure with easy access to the Alps and the rest of Europe.
The American community in Switzerland has been gradually growing, driven in part by increased global mobility among tech and finance professionals, post-pandemic interest in "safe haven" countries, and Switzerland's continued appeal as a wealth management hub, though Lex Koller restrictions naturally cap how many non-resident Americans can buy property at any given time.
Do foreigners have the same buying rights as locals in Switzerland?
No, foreigners do not automatically have the same buying rights as Swiss citizens in Switzerland: the Lex Koller law creates a clear divide between residents and non-residents, and among foreign residents it further distinguishes between EU/EFTA permit holders and third-country nationals like Americans, though the biggest factor is always whether you have Swiss residency rather than your nationality itself.
For foreign buyers, including Americans, the main restrictions in Switzerland apply to non-residents trying to buy anything beyond a holiday home in a designated tourist zone (like Verbier or Zermatt), and even those purchases are subject to cantonal quotas, a size cap of roughly 200 square meters of living space, and the requirement to obtain a Lex Koller authorisation, while cities like Zurich and Geneva are essentially off-limits for non-resident purchases.
We cover all these things in length in our pack about the property market in Switzerland.
Can I buy property in Switzerland without a residence permit?
If you are a non-resident without a Swiss residence permit, you can only buy very limited categories of residential property in Switzerland, typically a holiday home in a designated tourist area like Valais, the Bernese Oberland, or parts of Graubunden, and you will need a cantonal Lex Koller authorisation before the purchase can proceed.
The process for buying property in Switzerland while living abroad involves finding an eligible property in a permitted zone, hiring a local notary and ideally a lawyer familiar with Lex Koller, submitting the authorisation application through the cantonal authority, and then completing the notarized sale and land registry transfer once the permit is granted, which can take several weeks to several months depending on the canton.
Buying a home in Switzerland does not grant you any visa or residency rights whatsoever, because Switzerland does not have a "golden visa" program that ties property purchase to immigration status, and your right to live in the country is handled entirely through the Swiss immigration system, not the land registry.
The main practical challenge non-resident buyers face when completing a purchase remotely in Switzerland is the combination of FATCA-related friction when opening a Swiss bank account (which most notaries and sellers expect you to have), time zone coordination for notary appointments, and the cantonal authorisation timeline that can delay your closing by months.
Can US citizens own land in Switzerland?
US citizens can own land in Switzerland, but land ownership is exactly where the Lex Koller restrictions are strictest, because the law's core purpose is to limit foreign control over Swiss territory, and buying a plot of land (especially for residential or second-home use) as a non-resident typically requires a cantonal authorisation that is harder to obtain than for a straightforward apartment purchase.
Switzerland does not use the "freehold vs. leasehold" vocabulary in the same way as English-speaking countries, but you will encounter structures like long-term building rights (called Baurecht in German or droit de superficie in French) alongside full ownership, and in both cases your ability to access these structures as a foreign buyer still depends on passing the Lex Koller authorisation test.
The strictest geographic restrictions for foreign land ownership in Switzerland apply to residential zones in major cities like Zurich, Geneva, and Basel (where non-residents generally cannot buy at all), while permitted zones are mainly limited to designated tourist municipalities in Alpine cantons, and even there, cantonal quotas and size limits apply to keep foreign purchases in check.
What documents will I need to buy in Switzerland?
The essential documents a US citizen needs to buy residential property in Switzerland typically include a valid US passport, civil status documentation (such as a marriage certificate, since Swiss conveyancing considers marital property regimes), proof of funds or source of funds, income and employment documentation if you need a mortgage, and, if Lex Koller applies, a full set of documents for the cantonal authorisation file showing your residency status and intended use of the property.
Switzerland does not require a formal tax ID number from foreign buyers at the very start of the purchase, but once you own property and especially if you become a Swiss tax resident, you will be assigned a Swiss tax administration number and will need to file Swiss tax returns tied to your property.
A local Swiss bank account is not legally mandatory to buy property in Switzerland, but it is practically very useful for handling the purchase payment, notary fees, mortgage disbursements, utility bills, and condominium charges, and most notaries and sellers strongly prefer that buyers have one, though FATCA compliance can make opening a Swiss account slower and more paperwork-heavy for Americans.
Proof of funds is essentially always required for property purchases in Switzerland, and if you are buying from abroad, banks and notaries will also want to see documentation showing the legitimate origin of your money, while a local address is helpful but not always strictly mandatory at the start of the process.
We have a whole section dedicated to all the documents you need in our Switzerland property pack.
Can a foreign-owned company buy property in Switzerland?
A foreign-owned company can buy residential property in Switzerland in some cases, but using a company structure is not a workaround to avoid Lex Koller, because Swiss law explicitly looks at whether the purchasing entity is under foreign control, and companies domiciled abroad or Swiss companies controlled by foreign persons are subject to the same authorisation requirements as individual foreign buyers.
Some Americans do explore holding property through a Swiss GmbH (similar to an LLC) or an AG (similar to a corporation) for liability or estate planning reasons, but this is uncommon for standard residential purchases because the Lex Koller authorisation analysis still applies, and using a company does not bypass the restrictions on what a foreign buyer is allowed to purchase.
Owning residential property through a company structure in Switzerland rarely lowers your overall tax bill in a clean or simple way, because corporate ownership can trigger different (and sometimes higher) tax treatment, including corporate income tax on imputed rental value and potentially less favorable capital gains treatment, compared to personal ownership.
The main drawback of using a company to hold residential property in Switzerland is the added complexity: you face corporate accounting and filing obligations, potential double-layer taxation, higher setup and administrative costs, and in many cases the Lex Koller authorisation process becomes more complicated rather than simpler.
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What taxes and fees will I pay in Switzerland in 2026?
What are buyer taxes in Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, the total buyer tax on a property purchase in Switzerland ranges from roughly 0% to about 3.3% of the purchase price depending on the canton, meaning on a CHF 1,000,000 property (about USD 1,120,000 or EUR 1,030,000) you could pay anywhere from CHF 0 in Zurich to around CHF 33,000 (about USD 37,000 or EUR 34,000) in a high-tax canton like Vaud.
The main tax component is the property transfer tax (called Handanderungssteuer in German or droit de mutation in French), which varies dramatically by canton: Zurich has not charged transfer tax since 2005, cantons like Bern and Lucerne charge around 1% to 1.8%, and cantons like Geneva and Vaud charge around 3%, with some communes adding additional levies on top.
Buyer tax rates in Switzerland generally do not differ based on the buyer's nationality (foreign vs. local), but some cantons apply slightly different rates or surcharges for investment properties vs. primary residences, and non-resident buyers restricted to holiday zones may face additional cantonal administrative fees tied to the Lex Koller authorisation process.
If you want to go into more details, we also have a page detailing all the property taxes and fees in Switzerland.
What are other closing costs in Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, a buyer in Switzerland should budget roughly 1% to 3% of the purchase price for closing costs beyond taxes, so on a CHF 1,000,000 home (about USD 1,120,000 or EUR 1,030,000), expect to set aside an additional CHF 10,000 to CHF 30,000 (about USD 11,000 to USD 34,000 or EUR 10,300 to EUR 31,000) for notary, registry, and financing fees.
The main closing cost categories in Switzerland include notary fees (typically CHF 2,000 to CHF 10,000 depending on canton and property value), land registry fees (often CHF 1,000 to CHF 5,000), mortgage note or lien registration costs if you finance (CHF 1,000 to CHF 5,000), and potential bank arrangement fees, while real estate agent commissions (usually 1% to 3%) are more commonly paid by the seller in Switzerland.
In Switzerland, the notary fee and land registry fee are generally fixed by cantonal regulation and not negotiable, but the bank's mortgage setup fees and any agent commission structure can sometimes be discussed, and buyer agent services (though less common in Switzerland than in the US) are an optional cost you can choose to take on or skip.
The single closing cost item that tends to surprise foreign buyers the most in Switzerland is the mortgage lien registration (Schuldbrief) fee, because in addition to paying for the mortgage itself, Swiss buyers must pay to create or transfer a formal debt instrument registered at the land registry, and this cost can add CHF 2,000 to CHF 5,000 or more that buyers from other countries do not expect.
Are there hidden fees foreigners miss in Switzerland right now?
Foreign buyers in Switzerland commonly overlook about CHF 5,000 to CHF 15,000 (roughly USD 5,600 to USD 17,000 or EUR 5,200 to EUR 15,500) in fees and costs they did not expect, mostly because they assume Switzerland has one consistent national fee schedule when in reality every canton sets its own rules.
The top three hidden or unexpected fees that foreign buyers most often fail to budget for in Switzerland are: the dramatic canton-by-canton swing in transfer taxes (where Zurich charges nothing but Vaud charges about 3%, which on a CHF 1,000,000 property means a CHF 30,000 difference, or about USD 34,000 / EUR 31,000), the mortgage lien (Schuldbrief) registration cost (typically CHF 2,000 to CHF 5,000, or about USD 2,200 to USD 5,600 / EUR 2,100 to EUR 5,200), and for US persons specifically, the extra banking compliance costs and limited bank choices caused by FATCA.
The ongoing annual costs that foreign property owners most often underestimate after buying in Switzerland include wealth tax on the property's assessed value (which varies by canton but can reach CHF 2,000 to CHF 5,000 per year on a CHF 1,000,000 property, or about USD 2,200 to USD 5,600 / EUR 2,100 to EUR 5,200), imputed rental value income tax if you live in the property, and mandatory building insurance and condominium reserve fund contributions that can add CHF 3,000 to CHF 8,000 annually (about USD 3,400 to USD 9,000 / EUR 3,100 to EUR 8,200).
Getting surprised by hidden fees is one of the pitfalls people face when buying real estate in Switzerland.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Switzerland versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
Can I get a mortgage as a US citizen in Switzerland in 2026?
Do banks lend to US citizens in Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, Swiss banks do lend to US citizens, but the availability of mortgage financing depends heavily on whether you are a Swiss resident, whether the property itself is eligible under Lex Koller, and whether the specific bank is willing to take on the FATCA compliance burden that comes with onboarding an American client.
US citizens generally receive slightly more burdensome treatment than other foreign nationals when applying for mortgages in Switzerland, not because of lending discrimination, but because the FATCA reporting obligations make American clients more expensive and administratively complex for Swiss banks to service.
The main reason some Swiss banks are hesitant to lend to American borrowers specifically is FATCA: Swiss financial institutions must identify, report, and share financial account information about US persons with the IRS, and the compliance cost and regulatory risk of getting this wrong leads some smaller banks and cantonal banks to simply decline US applicants rather than invest in the compliance infrastructure.
There is no published official approval rate for US citizens applying for Swiss mortgages, but based on market observations, Americans who are Swiss residents with stable income and at least 20% equity have a strong chance of approval at major national banks, while non-resident Americans face significantly tougher odds and should expect to need 35% to 50% equity and a pre-existing banking relationship.
There is a full document dedicated to mortgage for foreigners in our pack covering the property buying process in Switzerland.
What down payment do American people need in Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, the minimum down payment for US citizens to obtain a mortgage in Switzerland is typically 20% to 25% of the property value, meaning on a CHF 1,000,000 home (about USD 1,120,000 or EUR 1,030,000) you would need at least CHF 200,000 to CHF 250,000 (roughly USD 224,000 to USD 280,000 or EUR 206,000 to EUR 258,000) in equity.
The typical down payment range for foreign buyers in Switzerland runs from a minimum of 20% (the regulatory floor required by most banks) up to a recommended 30% to 35% for those seeking the best mortgage terms, with non-resident buyers often needing 35% to 50% equity because banks view them as higher-risk borrowers.
A larger down payment does improve your mortgage terms in Switzerland, because borrowers who bring more than 35% equity typically qualify for lower interest rate tiers, and Swiss banks use a strict affordability stress test (calculating whether you can still afford payments at an imputed 5% interest rate, with total housing costs capped at 33% of gross income) that effectively requires more equity if your income is not very high.
You can also read our latest update about mortgage and interest rates in Switzerland.
What interest rates do US citizens get in Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, typical mortgage interest rates for US citizens in Switzerland range from about 1.50% to 2.05% for a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage, with SARON-linked variable mortgages offering potentially lower initial rates depending on the bank's margin added to the Swiss reference rate.
Interest rates for foreign buyers in Switzerland are generally comparable to rates offered to local residents, because Swiss banks price mortgages based mainly on loan-to-value ratio, loan amount, and term length rather than the borrower's nationality, though US persons may have fewer banks willing to lend to them, which can indirectly reduce their ability to shop for the best rate.
Both fixed-rate and variable-rate (SARON-linked) mortgages are commonly available to foreign buyers in Switzerland, with fixed-rate terms typically ranging from 2 to 15 years being the more popular choice, especially for buyers whose income is in a different currency like US dollars, since fixing the rate eliminates one layer of financial uncertainty on top of the CHF/USD exchange rate risk.
The single factor that has the biggest impact on the interest rate a US citizen will be offered in Switzerland is the loan-to-value ratio: borrowers who bring more than 35% equity typically unlock the best rate tiers, followed by the length of the fixed-rate period and the overall strength of your financial profile.
Can I use US income to qualify in Switzerland right now?
Swiss banks do accept US-sourced income for mortgage qualification, but they treat it with extra scrutiny because of the currency mismatch between earning in USD and borrowing in CHF, and they will want to make sure your income is stable, well-documented, and sufficient to pass the Swiss affordability stress test even under unfavorable exchange rate scenarios.
The documentation that Swiss banks in Switzerland typically require from American applicants includes two to three years of US federal tax returns, recent pay stubs or an employment contract, bank statements showing savings and income flow, and sometimes a letter from your employer confirming your role, salary, and tenure.
If standard US documentation is not enough (for example, if you are self-employed or have variable income), some Swiss banks will also accept audited financial statements, a CPA letter confirming income, or evidence of substantial liquid assets that reduce the bank's risk, though having a pre-existing relationship with the Swiss bank makes this process much smoother.
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How do US taxes interact with owning property in Switzerland?
Do I have to declare the property to the IRS from Switzerland?
US citizens who own property in Switzerland are not required to report the mere fact of owning foreign real estate to the IRS, but they must report any income the property generates (such as rental income) on their US tax return, and importantly, the Swiss bank accounts used to manage the property may trigger separate reporting obligations.
The specific IRS forms that may apply include your standard Form 1040 for reporting rental income, Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) if your Swiss financial accounts exceed the filing thresholds, and FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR) if the aggregate balance of your foreign financial accounts (including the Swiss bank account you use for the property) exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year.
Simply owning a home in Switzerland that you use personally does not by itself trigger IRS reporting beyond your normal tax return, but the moment you earn rental income, sell the property for a gain, or hold Swiss bank accounts above the FBAR/Form 8938 thresholds, specific reporting obligations kick in, so the practical answer for most American buyers is that some reporting will be needed because of the Swiss bank accounts associated with the purchase.
Will I pay tax twice in the US and Switzerland in 2026?
As of early 2026, the risk of full double taxation for US citizens owning property in Switzerland is reduced (but not eliminated) by the US-Switzerland income tax treaty and by the US Foreign Tax Credit mechanism, though you should expect to pay some Swiss taxes on property-related income and then offset those payments against your US tax bill rather than paying nothing to one country.
Yes, there is a tax treaty between the United States and Switzerland, and the IRS hosts the official treaty documents on its website; the treaty is designed to prevent the same income from being taxed at full rates by both countries, and it provides specific rules for how property-related income and gains are allocated between the two tax systems.
The Foreign Tax Credit (Form 1116) works by allowing you to claim a dollar-for-dollar credit on your US return for income taxes you have already paid to Switzerland on the same income, which in practice means that if Switzerland taxes your rental income at a combined cantonal/federal rate, you can reduce your US tax on that same income by the amount you already paid in Switzerland.
Whether property-related taxes paid in Switzerland are deductible on your US federal tax return depends on your personal situation and the current US tax rules around foreign real property taxes; this is genuinely "CPA territory" and not something you should try to figure out with a rule of thumb, especially since US deduction rules for foreign property taxes have changed in recent years.
Do I need FATCA reporting when buying in Switzerland?
FATCA reporting for US citizens buying property in Switzerland is not triggered by the property deed itself, but by the Swiss financial accounts you open and use during the purchase process, because FATCA is fundamentally about financial accounts and financial institutions rather than real estate ownership.
The specific FATCA thresholds that trigger reporting are tied to Form 8938: for US taxpayers living in the US, reporting kicks in when specified foreign financial assets exceed $50,000 at year-end (or $75,000 at any point during the year), and for US taxpayers living abroad, the thresholds are higher at $200,000 at year-end (or $300,000 at any point), meaning your Swiss mortgage account and bank accounts could easily reach these levels during a property purchase.
FATCA reporting (Form 8938) and FBAR reporting (FinCEN Form 114) are related but different: FBAR covers all foreign financial accounts with an aggregate balance over $10,000, is filed separately to FinCEN, and has its own deadlines, while Form 8938 covers a broader category of specified foreign financial assets, is filed with your tax return, and has higher thresholds, and many American property buyers in Switzerland end up needing to file both.
Consulting a US CPA before buying property in Switzerland is strongly recommended, and the specific questions to ask include: which IRS forms will my Swiss bank accounts trigger, how should I report Swiss rental income or imputed rental value, what Foreign Tax Credit strategies apply to my situation, and how will a future sale of the Swiss property be taxed on both the US and Swiss sides.
We created this infographic to give you a simple idea of how much it costs to buy property in different parts of Switzerland. As you can see, it breaks down price ranges and property types for popular cities in the country. We hope this makes it easier to explore your options and understand the market.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Switzerland, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can ... and we don't throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why we trust it | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) | Official Swiss government page explaining Lex Koller rules. | We used it as our primary reference for who needs a permit to buy. We anchored all canton-level differences as implementation details within this national framework. |
| Federal Act (ANRA / Lex Koller) - Weblaw | Consolidated legal text of the federal property law. | We used it to confirm the authorisation logic behind foreign purchases. We checked our simplified explanations against the actual law to stay accurate. |
| ch.ch - Taxation of Real Estate | Official Confederation/cantons portal for property tax rules. | We used it to explain ongoing ownership taxes in plain English. We separated purchase costs from annual taxes and sale taxes using their framework. |
| FINMA Guidance 02/2025 | Switzerland's financial regulator shaping how banks underwrite mortgages. | We used it to explain why Swiss banks stress-test affordability at a 5% imputed rate. We translated underwriting rules into practical "what you'll need to prove" guidance. |
| Comparis - Mortgage Interest Rates | Major Swiss comparison platform with broad market coverage. | We used it to provide grounded, consumer-facing rate ranges for early 2026. We translated their market data into what a buyer is likely to be offered. |
| Swiss Bankers Association - FATCA | Swiss banking industry's official explainer of FATCA impact. | We used it to explain why Americans face extra bank onboarding friction. We kept the "Americans treated differently?" sections realistic and Switzerland-specific. |
| IRS - Switzerland Tax Treaty Documents | Official US tax authority treaty document repository. | We used it to confirm the US-Switzerland income tax treaty exists. We pointed readers to the authoritative texts for double-tax relief at a high level. |
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