Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭

6 yrs building a life in Switzerland as an Automation Engineer 👷‍♂️ Family, taxes, property & financial freedom 🇨🇭. Real lessons. No BS

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

I started from zero.

New language, new culture, new rules — taxes, housing, insurance, everything.

But as an engineer, I treated my life like a system:
Analyze. Optimize. Automate. Build.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

For those coming from countries where even getting back into your own home can become a legal nightmare: yes, Switzerland feels surreal.

But that’s exactly how it is here:

If someone enters your home without permission,
the law and the police remove them — fast, direct, and without excuses.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

🧵 In Switzerland, squatters don’t negotiate. They’re out — fast.

People who live here have been saying it for years, but newcomers still don’t believe it:
In Switzerland, a “squatter” lasts less than a yogurt left on the counter.

Evictions happen in hours, not weeks or months.
No myth. No exaggeration. It’s simply how the system works.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

6. Why does it work?

Not because people are “more civilized.”
But because:
•the law is clear
•the police act immediately
•consequences are certain
•no loopholes
•everyone knows the system works

When everyone knows you’ll be kicked out in 20 minutes, occupation becomes… pointless.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

5. Empty property? Doesn’t matter.

In Switzerland, private property is sacred.
A house can be empty for years — it doesn’t matter.

Owner says “they have no right to be there,”
Police: “Understood.”

Simple.

Insurance companies also push for speed:
Delays = higher costs → faster action.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

4. Civil procedures only for complicated cases

If you have a shady commercial situation or unclear contract, then yes, civil law steps in.

But for classic occupation without any right?
Penal law is enough — and fast.

This is why Switzerland has no “squatter movement” like other countries.
They don’t even have time to settle in.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

3. If there’s damage, it gets worse

That falls under Article 144 — property damage, which can mean:
•high fines
•full liability for repairs
•in some cases, prison
•plus the cost of the police intervention hours (yes, they do charge them)

And if there is resistance, multiple charges stack up.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

2. The police don’t negotiate

If the owner proves it’s their property (contract, registry, lease… even a clear declaration in obvious cases), police respond fast.

Documented cases in Geneva, Zurich, Vaud, Basel all show the same pattern:

Police arrive → verify → remove → done.

No tents. No “let’s discuss.” No waiting for a judge next month.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

1. There’s no “squatter” status in Swiss law

Switzerland doesn’t even have a concept like in Spain.
Here it’s called violation of domicile, and it’s in the Criminal Code — Article 186.

Entering or remaining in a property against the will of the owner = crime.
No civil procedure needed. No debate about “possession.” Nothing.

Just: crime → police.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

So the next time someone says “in Switzerland you earn X”…

Look at the median, not the myth.

And today, the number that really explains how salaries are distributed in Switzerland is:

👉 CHF 7,024 gross per month.

Sources: Swiss Federal Statistical Office (OFS), Swissinfo, Blick

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

🇨🇭 The REAL Swiss Median Salary — and What It Actually Means

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

And now the uncomfortable truth:

A Swiss salary ≠ Swiss comfort.

Between:
• soaring rents
• health insurance that increases every year
• food that feels like luxury items
• transportation costs
…living in Zürich or Geneva on CHF 7,024 can feel tight. Very tight.

Inflation hasn’t helped either, and many households feel it every single month.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

So yes — the national reference is CHF 7,024.
But your lived reality will depend heavily on your canton, your sector, and your experience.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

If you plan well, you’ll succeed.

If you ignore the warnings, you’ll struggle.
Switzerland rewards preparation, savings, humility, and strategy.

Don’t come for an adventure.
Come with a plan.
And you’ll thrive.

🇨🇭✨

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

10 Common Mistakes People Make When Moving to Switzerland

I’ve seen this over and over again.
People arrive full of hope…
and crash straight into a reality nobody warned them about.

Here are the mistakes I see the most 👇

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

10) Refusing to listen to the real experiences of others

Some don’t want reality — they want the “Swiss dream.”
But Switzerland is paradise only if you prepare properly.
Otherwise, it quickly becomes a nightmare.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

9) Trusting “magic advisors” who promise everything

Some people pay thousands to “agencies” that disappear, give fake contracts, or offer illegal solutions.
Without language skills or support, many end up…
sleeping in cars, airports, or shelters.
Yes — even families with kids.

[Guillermo | Life in Switzerland 🇨🇭 @guille_cuna]

8) Arriving without a Plan B

Scams do exist.
Housing scams, job scams, fake “advisors.”
A Plan B can be the difference between a small setback… and total disaster.