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Expat Life in Switzerland

Useful info & resources from 1+ year in Switzerland | Banking, housing, immigration, transportation, pets, taxes & more

Fribourg SPoMi office to deregister in Switzerland

How To Deregister In Switzerland

Expat Life in Switzerland
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Two Unemployed Small Potatoes in Switzerland

Expat Life in Switzerland
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Dear IRS…

Expat Life, Expat Life in Switzerland
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Freezer full of pork for a year

Got Pork?

Expat Life in Switzerland
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the MSC Ilona cargo ship

Our ship has come in, literally!

Expat Life in Switzerland
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Last night with Sexy Kitty before leaving Switzerland

A Night With Sexy Kitty

Expat Life in Switzerland
Our plans to leave Switzerland on October 1st didn't materialize.  Like everything we do, even our travel plans from Switzerland to Germany were ill-planned and subject to change.  After just a few hours of sleep, we woke up on Halloween to finish cleaning our...
Travis rides our rolled up mattress like a bronc

Relocation Is Never Boring

Expat Life in Switzerland
Relocation is never boring if you're married to someone like Travis, who simply can't contain his inner cowboy when the opportunity presents itself.  October 30th was the day after his birthday.  It was also the last full day at our flat in Switzerland, which ...
Goodbye card from friends in Switzerland

One Small Potato’s Birthday

Expat Life in Switzerland
In Switzerland, it's customary to take a dessert to work to share with co-workers on your own birthday, which is the opposite from what we do in the US.  Since Travis and I knew we'd be in the midst of packing to move on his birthday, which is on the 29th, we ...
Half timber houses of Goettingen, Germany

We’re Moving To Germany!

Expat Life in Switzerland
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In four days, we'll be leaving Switzerland to start what will hopefully be the next chapter of our lives in Germany. In July, Travis had a "Job Interview In Göttingen" Germany, where we spent a couple of days exploring the area.  We really liked it. A few we...
Last Swiss fondue before relocation to Germany

Saying Goodbye

Expat Life in Switzerland
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As Travis and I enter our last week in Switzerland, we've shared a flurry of farewell get-togethers with friends, starting with a dinner with folks from his lab at the University of Fribourg.  We knew it was the last time we would see many of them, so dinner w...
Swisscom store in Switzerland

Early Termination of Swisscom

Expat Life in Switzerland
The process of departing from Switzerland for a resident is a slow process, one that requires ticking off administrative tasks in the right order.  The first step is to officially report your departure to the local cantonal authorities.  For us, it took multip...
Fribourg SPoMi office to deregister in Switzerland

How To Deregister In Switzerland

Expat Life in Switzerland
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For those who don't know, Switzerland has a rather pesky requirement that when you intend to leave the country permanently, you're required to "deregister" with the local immigration office.  For us, that office is SPoMi (Le Service de la population et des mig...
Our new Oru kayaks in Switzerland

Taking The Oru Plunge

Expat Life in Switzerland, Kayaking
One year, 3 months, and 21 days ago, I watched with a heavy heart as my beautiful blue Dagger Blackwater kayak went home with a new owner.  Completely taken aback by how emotional I was to part with it, I wondered when during our nine years of adventures toget...
Fall grapes in Onnens, Switzerland

A Good Job Is Worth The Wait

Expat Life in Switzerland
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Like perfectly ripened grapes are to fine wine, most good things are worth the wait - including jobs.  At least, that's what we're telling ourselves, considering our rather tenuous residency situation here in Europe and Trav's continued search for employment. ...

Feast or Famine

Expat Life in Switzerland
Everyone knows that relocating is disruptive, but moving is so comprehensive that it affects every part of your life, even the contents of your kitchen cupboards. Before, during, and for sometime after a big move, we've always had too much or too little of so...
Blood moon from Onnens, Switzerland

The Blood Moon

Expat Life in Switzerland
How many of you saw the blood moon this morning, or for some of you, last night? I'm still a bit surprised at how few of our friends mentioned it or posted photos.  Even Facebook was largely silent, which is unusual.  Half the time these days, I find out who ...
Paperwork for Swiss residency

Switzerland Gives Us The Boot

Expat Life in Switzerland
Ok, they're not really giving us the boot - at least not for another week.  As of today, we have seven days to remain in Switzerland as residents before our extended permits expire. Our rather complicated residency status has only gotten more confusing. For ...