In summary…
Consult a wealth management advisor with international expertise He takes inventory of your possessions, establishes the order of procedures, and coordinates with other professionals. Next comes the...’tax lawyer (and the notary for real estate, marriage and inheritance), who determines your tax residence and exit tax, then the’chartered accountant for tax returns and companies. The Swiss bank It comes last: it opens accounts, it does not decide your tax residence.
Balmont Conseil is a firm not independent In regulatory terms: he receives commissions on the contracts signed. He works with a network of international notaries, lawyers and accountants, and you must be able to verify the status of each one before signing.
Let's take the example of a female executive from Lyon who is preparing to move to Switzerland. She owns a portfolio of securities, a assurance-vie policy, a rented apartment, and shares in her company. Her first instinct is to call a Swiss bank. This is the last step, not the first: the bank opens an account, but she doesn't know if the French authorities will recognize her move.
1. Four professionals, four roles, one order
Each one answers a different question. Confusing them costs time, and sometimes money.
| Order | Professional | What it deals with | What he doesn't do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wealth management advisor with international expertise | Inventory of assets, departure schedule, coordination, selection of investments before and after departure | He does not provide legal advice or prepare tax returns |
| 2 | Tax lawyer and notary | Tax residency, exit tax, Franco-Swiss tax treaty; the notary: real estate, marriage contract, inheritance | He doesn't choose your investments. |
| 3 | Chartered Accountant | Departure statements, accounts and remuneration if you have a company | It does not determine your tax residence |
| 4 | Swiss Bank | Opening accounts, maintaining and managing assets in Switzerland | She does not decide where you are tax resident |
Why this order? The wealth management advisor reviews all aspects before an irreversible decision is made: selling securities, redeeming a contract, opening an account. They then provide the lawyer with a clear list of what needs to be legally defined. For the division of tasks on an international case, see Notary, lawyer, accountant, and consultant: who does what?.
2. What needs to be settled on the French side before leaving
Tax residency: three criteria, only one of which is enough to keep you in France
According to the tax authorities, a person is considered a tax resident of France if one of these three criteria is met (Article 4 B of the General Tax Code): their home, or failing that, their principal residence, is in France; they primarily carry out their professional activity there; or they have the center of their economic interests there. Simply leaving France is not enough: none of the three criteria must apply. Further details can be found on our page about... Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code.
Declarations: the year of departure, then the following year
According to the government website dated April 24, 2026, you declare your income from the previous year in the year of your departure, as usual. The following year, you file a tax return covering your income from January 1st of the year of departure until your departure date. If you received taxable income in France after leaving, you must include form 2042-NR. From the second year following your departure, you are considered a resident abroad: France only taxes your French-source income, or the income allocated to it by the tax treaty.
For non-residents, the tax brackets include minimum rates: 20% of the % rate up to €29,579 for income received in 2025, and then 30% of the % rate above that. You can disregard these minimum rates by opting for the average rate, if it is more advantageous, provided you declare all income from French and foreign sources within your tax household. In 2026, the filing deadline for non-residents was May 21 at 11:59 p.m. for online filing and May 19 for paper filing.
The exit tax: two thresholds to know
The exit tax taxes unrealized capital gains on securities at the time you transfer your tax residence outside of France. According to the instructions for form 2074-ETD published by the tax authorities (for transfers occurring in 2025), it applies if you have been a tax resident in France for at least six of the ten years preceding the transfer and if, together with your tax household, you hold at least 50% of the profits of a company, or securities whose total value exceeds [amount missing]. €800,000 on the date of the transfer. The tax is reduced if you keep your securities for two years after departure, or five years if their total value exceeds 2.57 million euros. Deferral of payment is automatic for departures to a Member State of the European Union or to one of the states listed in the notice, provided that the state is not classified as non-cooperative. For other states, it must be requested before departure, with a tax representative in France and guarantees.
Switzerland is not in the European Union and is not listed in the information leaflet: for a move to Switzerland, a deferral of tax payments is not automatic; it must be requested before departure, with a tax representative in France and guarantees. The tax lawyer prepares this request and sets the timeline before the departure date; the list is reviewed for the year of departure. To learn more: leave France for Switzerland.
Assurance-vie and accounts: do not close anything before having the schedule
A French assurance-vie policy or bank account isn't closed automatically. The advisor compiles a list of policies and accounts and compares them to the relevant calendar dates. Conversely, the French government's public service website (page verified on July 9, 2026) reminds taxpayers that individuals domiciled in France must declare, with their income tax return, any accounts opened, held, used, or closed abroad during the year, as well as any assurance-vie policies taken out abroad. The penalty is €1,500 per undeclared account, and €10,000 if the account is in a country that has not signed a tax treaty with France. A Swiss account opened before your actual departure may fall under this category: have it checked.
Specifically. Four months before departure, ask your advisor for a five-column table: assets (securities, contracts, accounts, real estate, company shares), value, country of ownership, decision to be made, and the professional who will make it. If a row does not have a designated professional, the departure is not ready.
For the technician. General Tax Code, Article 4 B (tax domicile: home or main place of residence, main professional activity, center of economic interests); Article 167 bis (taxation of unrealized capital gains when transferring tax domicile outside France, regime applicable to transfers since January 1, 2019), the thresholds and deadlines of which are set out in the instructions for declaration 2074-ETD (impots.gouv.fr, 2025 transfers) and in the ministerial response to written question no. 13087 (National Assembly, response of May 28, 2019).
3. The Franco-Swiss convention: when both countries consider you a resident
If both France and Switzerland consider you a resident, the tax treaty between the two countries, according to the tax authorities' commentary (BOFiP, version in force since July 28, 2016), determines residency in this order: your permanent home, meaning the place where your personal ties are closest; failing that, your habitual residence; then your nationality; and, if you have dual or no nationality, the authorities of both countries decide by mutual agreement. A French citizen who maintains their family and primary residence in France therefore remains subject to this tax, even with an employment contract in Geneva. See also The France-Switzerland tax treaty in detail.
4. The Swiss lump-sum tax: what is confirmed, what is not
The Swiss Federal Department of Finance indicates that taxation based on expenditure applies to foreign nationals who establish residency in Switzerland and do not engage in any gainful employment there, either for the first time or after an absence of at least ten years (page dated February 14, 2024). It does not apply to executives working in Switzerland. Fewer than one in a thousand taxpayers is subject to it: at the end of 2018, 4,557 people, representing 821 million francs in tax. The procedure varies from one canton to another. Details: Swiss tax package.
One point requires caution. The French tax authorities' commentary on the convention indicates that individuals subject in Switzerland to a flat-rate tax based on the rental value or the rent of their accommodation cannot benefit from the convention. This text does not explicitly mention taxation based on expenditure. Therefore, we draw no conclusions: if you are interested in the flat-rate tax, ask a tax lawyer in writing about its impact on the convention before making any decision.
Before any appointment, ask each professional about their status, their ORIAS number if applicable, and who pays them, in euros. The procedure is detailed in How to choose your advisor before moving abroad.
Our position
Balmont Conseil, a simplified joint-stock company (SASU) established nearly 14 years ago, is a financial investment advisor, a member of ANACOFI-CIF, and an insurance broker (ORIAS 13003497). Our position is simple: the initial consultation must be scheduled before any irreversible action is taken, and it is conducted by the wealth management advisor, as they are the only one with a comprehensive view of the situation. They do not replace the lawyer, notary, or accountant, and must not propose any product before tax residency has been determined.
Frequently asked questions
Should we call the Swiss bank first?
No. The bank opens accounts and manages assets. It does not decide your tax residency, which depends on three French criteria and, in case of conflict, the tax treaty. Contact them once the framework has been established by the lawyer and advisor.
Is a tax lawyer enough?
It is essential for determining the eligibility for departure, exit tax, and the agreement. It does not, however, list your contracts or keep track of all the necessary steps.
Is the Swiss lump-sum tax agreement open to all French citizens who move to Switzerland?
No. According to the Swiss Federal Department of Finance, it targets foreign nationals who do not engage in any gainful employment in Switzerland, and the procedure varies from canton to canton. A manager or employee working in Switzerland does not fall under this category.
Are you planning a trip to Switzerland?
Send us the proposed date and the list of your assets: the first exchange is free, in Lyon or by videoconference, and focuses on the order of steps before any product.
Are you a notary, lawyer, or chartered accountant? And a client is leaving for Switzerland?
Book an appointment
The initial consultation is to establish your exact situation and determine if there is anything that can be done—sometimes there is nothing, and we will say so as well. Thirty minutes, with no obligation.
Book an exchange with Balmont Conseil
Alexis Sagnier, financial and real estate investment advisor, insurance broker, AMF certified. ORIAS 13003497. Updated on 24/10/2026.
Official sources consulted
- economie.gouv.fr — Taxes: what are the rules for residents abroad? (April 24, 2026)
- economie.gouv.fr — Income tax: resident abroad (criteria of article 4 B)
- National Assembly — Written Question No. 13087, exit tax (answer of May 28, 2019)
- impots.gouv.fr — Instructions for declaration 2074-ETD (transfers occurring in 2025)
- impots.gouv.fr — Press kit for the non-residents' 2025 income tax campaign (March 2026)
- BOFiP — BOI-INT-CVB-CHE-10-10: France-Switzerland tax convention, scope of application (version of 07/28/2016)
- Federal Department of Finance (Switzerland) — Taxation based on expenditure (February 14, 2024)
- Service-Public.fr — Do I need to declare accounts opened abroad? (verified on July 9, 2026)
