Bernese Consulting Services GmbH · Switzerland
Pensions, Pillar 3, mortgages, investments and insurance — arranged by a FINMA-registered adviser who explains the Swiss system in plain English before recommending anything. Acting as a tied local intermediary to Generali Switzerland and Zurich Insurance Ltd.
New in Switzerland?
Health insurance is compulsory and time-bound. Liability cover is not required by law, but you will not be handed a flat without it. Both are the first things BCS puts right for arriving clients.
Required in practice
Not compulsory by law — but Swiss landlords ask for proof of it before handing over a flat, and most cantons require it if you keep a dog. Third-party motor insurance is a different matter: that one is compulsory before a vehicle can be registered.
Usually bundled into household contents insurance, which is cheaper than buying it on its own.
Compulsory by law
You must register within three months of cantonal registration. Cover is backdated to your arrival date, and all premiums for that period must be paid.
Miss it and the canton can assign you an option — often more expensive — plus possible surcharges.
What we do
Most expats hold pieces of a Swiss financial plan without ever seeing the whole. We start with what you already have.
Why BCS
BCS was founded by Oloff van Vuuren in 2015, specialising in the expat market. Twenty-four years in finance, insurance and trusts — and a VBV insurance specialist qualification taken specifically for the Swiss market — mean the analysis you receive is documented, not improvised.
With close working ties to South Africa and a large South African client base, BCS also assists with cross-border finances and tax migration.
2015
Founded
Serving expats since
24 yrs
Experience
Finance, insurance, trusts
150+
Mortgage providers
Compared on every application
3
Pillars
Mapped before we advise
Regulated & registered
BCS operates as a tied local intermediary to Generali Switzerland and Zurich Insurance Ltd, under the supervision and registers set out below.
New in Switzerland
Three months from the day you take up residence. You are covered during that window, and the policy is then backdated to the start of your insurance obligation — which means the premiums for those months have to be paid retroactively. It is not a grace period, it is a deferred bill.
The cantonal authority registers you with an insurer of its own choosing. Your cover then starts from the date of registration rather than your arrival, and a premium supplement applies unless you can show a valid reason for the delay. The assigned policy is often more expensive than one you would have chosen yourself.
Not by law, with two exceptions: third-party motor insurance is compulsory before a vehicle can be registered, and most cantons require liability cover if you keep a dog. In practice you will struggle to rent a flat without private liability insurance, because Swiss landlords and letting agents routinely ask for proof of it. It is cheapest bought together with household contents insurance rather than on its own.
Yes. Anyone working in Switzerland contributes to the state pension (AHV/OASI) from their first salary, and the occupational pension (BVG) becomes compulsory once you earn more than CHF 22,680 a year. Both are deducted automatically from your payslip. Only the third pillar is voluntary.
Figures are the scale in force for 2026 and are checked against the federal sources linked above. They are general information, not personal advice — what applies to you depends on your canton, municipality, provider and circumstances.
Book a consultation
A first conversation is free and without obligation. Tell us what you have in place, and we will tell you plainly what is missing, what it costs and what it is worth.