Immigration to Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is one of the richest countries in the world and has one of the highest GDP per person. Liechtenstein is one of the best countries to live as it gives a quality life for foreigners. It is a good place to stay and work compared to the other European countries like Poland, Austria and Ukraine. Liechtensteinis a country with low tax rate, stunning architecture, good economy, better healthcare and low crime rates. Liechtenstein has good job opportunities also for expats with high salaries compared to the other European Countries and lesser rate of unemployment. The major ration of population is experiencing a high material standard of living. Liechtenstein is known as a financial centre in the world. You can reach here by bus as Liechtenstein has no airports and the bus fair is cheaper than the flight fares compared to the American and European countries. 

Traveling information 

Liechtenstein borders are open for visitors, travelers, vacationers, etc. Expats must arrange an appointment with their healthcare professionals, two to four weeks prior to travel, but if time is short, still the appointment is worthwhile. Travelers must ensure that they have proper travel health insurance. Switzerland is the in charge of the immigration and custom matters for this country. There is no regulation as you must quarantine yourself or take COVID-19 test after arriving. Public transports are operating. The only suggestion is that individuals should take precaution like to use face mask and sanitizers to avoid any emergencies later. 

Passport: This must be issued less than ten years before. This must be valid for at least three months from the day you leave your native country. Contact embassy or consulate of Liechtenstein if you think your passport doesn’t meet both the requirements. Renew if it is needed. 

Visa: Liechtenstein is a Schengen country. You can travel in the Schengen area for three months in any 180 day period without visa (also depends on the nationality). This is for those who want to travel as tourist or want to visit family or friends, attend business meetings, cultural or sports events or for short term studies or training in Liechtenstein . If you are traveling without a visa, make sure the visit is for 90 days only. To stay longer for work or study or other reasons, you must fulfill the Liechtenstein government’s entry requirements. Contact the embassy or consulate to know what type of visa is required for your purpose of entering the country. 

For more travel advice to Liechtenstein please visit: tourismus.li

How to Immigrate to Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is an attractive destination as a result many expats choose this place to live and work. However, they need to meet some specific requirements and need to submit applications regarding residence permit in order to get qualified for the quota of visas every year. Due to the special regulations under the Liechtenstein immigration requirements, it is suggested to use specialized that will help you to relocate and live in this country. There is a website, which will help you in dealing with different matters and is up to date with legal conditions. Regarding immigration, Migration Office has some rules, such as they issue a limited number of residence permits, which are distributed among visas available for  EU, EEA citizens, Non-EU and Non-EEA citizens. Also for Swiss citizens, a limited quota of permits is set aside on a yearly basis.

There are several types of visas, issued to people who want to immigrate to this nation for short term, like tourist visa for tourism, business and short visits; transit visa; Schengen visa and national visa.

How residence permits are issued is mentioned below: 

• There are two types of residency permits (one is issued for employment purpose and other does not impose employment).
• EEA citizens are entitled to seventy two permits per year.
• Among these fifty six are given on employment basis while other sixteen for other categories of migrants.
• Rather than this seventeen permits are given to Swiss citizens (twelve for employment and five for other purpose).
• Half visas are distributed through a lottery system, while the other half is provided by the government.

For more information please visit: lawyersliechtenstein.com and immigration-residency.eu

People

Liechtensteiners are the native people of Liechtenstein. These are Germanic people linked straight with Swiss Germans and Swabians. More than eighty percent population follows Christianity, of which more than seventy percent are Roman Catholics and approx ten percent are Protestants. Rest of the population follows Islam, Other religion or no religion in this country. Ethnic groups are Alemannic Germans, Italians, Turks, Albanis, Yugoslavs, Spanish, Portuguese and others. Literacy rate here is 100%. They are hardworking, disciplined and efficient people. They often spend their time thinking quite practically about how to solve a problem. They are friendly, hospitable, warm  and humorous. These people are food lovers at the same time they keep themselves fit and healthy. Ribel is perhaps the traditional dish of Liechtenstein, filling and healthy, this cornmeal based dish was an important poor people’s appetite many years ago. These people are known for beer, wine, bread and sausages, festivals and culture, cars and their love for technology. Liechtensteiners tend to be thrifty, sensible and respect one another’s privacy. 

For more information please visit: en.wikipedia.org

Job offers of Liechtenstein

To get a job in the Liechtenstein for an EEA resident is possible without full work permits, they only have to register themselves with the Migration and Passport office within ten days of starting work. EEA resident nationals can easily get the job market in this nation while getting work permits for third countries nationals are a bit difficult. You can work in Liechtenstein while staying here or become a cross border worker. You can start working in Liechtenstein after been granted a cross border commuter permit. Work permit is must. There are various companies where well qualified staff is required all year long. If you are a citizen of an EEA/EU country,  you don’t need to apply for work permit, just move in Liechtenstein and start your job search. 

Jobs like Program officer, Sales Engineer, Production Operator, Software developers, electronics engineers, programmers, IT consultants and analysts, Nurses, Business or Account managers, etc are in demand. The work visa requires applicants to get a valid employment agreement with an Liechtenstein Company.  You can find jobs in the Hospitality and tourism sector.  If you have skills in other professions, there are many opportunities to get jobs. Learning the local language German will help you to get there. Jobs in Liechtenstein will  help you to expand your network and develop your skills. Getting job in Liechtenstein can be tough due to much competition as many highly qualified people are applying. However, it is not impossible to get a appropriate job if you are persistet, be polite and make international contacts as much as possible.

How to get a job offer: 

• Search online
• Apply after finding a suitable company
• Give interview online
• Apply for a visa
• Sign a contract offered by the School or Company
• Submit your documents in order to get a job
• At last get a health insurance

For more information on working in Liechtensteins, please visit : liechtenstein-business.li

Unemployment rate

According to a survey report, Liechtenstein’s unemployment rate in the year 2021 was approximately 2.99%. The number fell down 0.5% from last year 2020 which was 2.94%. This rate shows unemployed persons among the number of employees available in the market. Liechtenstein has a good economy after the pandemic, but even after a healthy economy unemployment occurs. It is the highest unemployment rate since the year 2018, which was 2.84%, with the employment rate decreasing from the last quarter of previous year. The jobless rate refers to the share of working force that is unemployed but is available for work and seeking for it. The rate is as high because of the job losses in commerce, distribution, tourism and several other sectors, same as the absence of a system of unemployment benefits, like many other countries in the year 2021. Inflation increased, shown in higher food, health, medicines and housing prices. This unemployment rate is increased since the pandemic has started in the year 2020 as the unemployed population lost their jobs and the number of unemployed increased. 

For more information please visit: globaldata.com

Economy of  Liechtenstein

Despite small area size and limited resources this country has become highly industrialized and prosperous. The economy of Liechtenstein is standing on industry with small but significant agricultural and service sector. This nation takes part in the custom union with Switzerland and also uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. Liechtenstein imports more than eighty five percent of its energy requirements. This nation is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), European Economic Area (EEA) and involved in the Schengen Agreement for passport free intra European travel. Liechtenstein is benefited from natural resources of this country, highly literate population, banking and finance sector, agricultural sector and diverse industrial base. Since past many years the economy is rising and this nation is considered as an upper middle income country. This nation exports small speciality machinery, connectors for audio and video, motor vehicle parts, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipments, optical products. This economy is depended on agriculture, production and distribution to the consumers. Goods imported by this nation are agricultural products, raw materials, energy products, machinery, metal goods, textiles, food stuffs, and motor vehicles. 

For more information please visit: en.wikipedia.org

Renting and buying of real estates for foreigners

Renting: 

If you are planning to move to the Liechtenstein, you might rent a property rather than buying it. Renting property here is common among both locals and expats. Renting a property is expensive here and buying a house even costs much more than renting. After pandemic the prices are continuously rising, so renting actually works out cheaper in Liechtenstein. The rising of cost is also depends on the lifestyle of the residents. It is most notable in the cities like Vaduz and Schaan, where demand is far greater. The most expensive city in this county is the capital, the Vaduz. The amount of rent may vary from city to city as it depends on the neighborhood, market, size of the property, city centre. Prices in the major cities are comparatively higher than the rural areas. Major cities like Mauren, Planken, etc are also expensive. You can search for an accommodation online or hire a broker. They will help you to find a reliable and comfortable accommodation. Both the furnished and unfurnished flats are available. 

Documents: 

• Passport
• National Identity Card
• Documents issued by the Liechtenstein Government
• Work permit/Bank Statement

Buying: 

Owning a property in Liechtenstein for foreigners is strictly regulated. Buying a property in this nation requires three years residency and allows only twenty eight European Union nationals every year to become owners. Property prices may vary due to various aspects. For instance, the property is in the city centre or is in outskirts, its size, or in the middle of the country, etc. Apart from the house price you will also need to pay the agency/brokers fees, notary and lawyer’s fee, acquisition fee, registration fee and the title insurance, etc. It is necessary to get a residence permit while buying a property or land.

Documents:

• Passport
• Tax ID
• Promissory Agreement with the payment
• Purchase or Sale Agreement
• Title transfer papers
• Correspondence Taxes Slips

For more information please visit: realadvisor.ch and globalpropertyguide.com

Climate

Liechtenstein has continental climate throughout the country. The prevailing southerly winds temper Liechtenstein‘s climate. It is cloudy and cold in winters with frequent rain and snow fall. In summer weather is slightly warm, humid and cloudy. Summers are generally comfortable and wet, winters are cold and snowy. This type of climate generally features cool summers and mild winters. Rainfall is throughout the year. Frost or snow for long time rarely happens, but it’s rainy and windy. Winter and summer are the main season in Liechtenstein; however spring and autumn seasons are also enjoyable but are for very short time span. 

Summer here starts from the month of May and lasts till mid September. The hottest month of the year is July. The average temperature is 23-13˚C. 

Winter starts from the month of mid November and lasts till the first week of March. The coldest month of the year is January. The average temperature during is -3˚C to 3.3˚C. 

For more information please visit: weatherspark.com

Languages

German is the official and mostly spoken language of Liechtenstein. Alemannic German is the main dialect spoken in this country by more than 94% of the population. It is most similar to the other languages like Dutch, English, the Frisian, etc. It also contains some similarities in vocabulary to some other languages like Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Office work is mostly done in German, so understanding and speaking German language is must in Liechtenstein, for education and work. People here speak and understand English and French too. Italian, Turkish, Portuguese and other languages are also used by the population. People are either bilingual or multilingual in Liechtenstein. For more information please visit: en.wikipedia.org.

To learn any of the above languages in just 17 minutes a day,  click on language course. 

Traffic

Liechtenstein, a small landlocked country in the central part of the European Continent. This has area of mere 25 km long and 10 km wide, while much of its land is occupied by the Alps mountain range, so there are few roads to travel on. If you are reaching in this country from neighboring country Austria or Switzerland, then driving rules are a bit different from these countries. Watch your speed while driving as there are speed traps on the roads and fines are high. There are no tolls on the roads in this country, but when you cross the borders to Austria or Switzerland you will be venturing back onto toll roads and may require a vignette. Traffic runs on the right hand side of the road. Minimum age of driving is eighteen year. Seatbelts are mandatory for both the driver and passenger. No talking on phone is allowed, only hands free are permitted. To drive in this documents you need to keep along are driving license, passport, vehicle registration papers and insurance papers. Traffic is considered safe here. There are two different rules here for traffic, such as speed limit should be less than 50 kmph (31mph) within cities and less than 80 kmph (49 mph) rural areas or outside the cities. Some autobahn have speed limit of less than 120 kmph (74 mph).

You will also come across the cyclists while driving. Riding a bicycle is very common and convenient in the country. Renting a bicycle is an affordable option. You can also travel by public transport here. 

For more information visit: rhinocarhire.com

Currency

Currency used in Liechtenstein is Swiss Franc. Since the year 1920, this is the legal tender as this nation is involved in a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. In a treaty between Switzerland and Liechtenstein, it was permitted to Liechtenstein to mint limited amounts of Swiss francs with a Liechtenstein inscription, however it will be only in the form of commemorative coins (mostly issued for collector), and they are not allowed to mint bank notes. Liechtenstein francs are minted only for collection purpose; the Swiss franc is the main currency of this land. The currency is minted by the Swiss National Bank. The official symbol is Fr. or CHF, widely used in businesses and trades. The smaller denomination, a hundredth of a franc is a Rappen (Rp.) in German, centime (c.) in French, centesimo (ct.) in Italian and rap (rp.) in Romansh. A Swiss franc paper bill comes in seven denominations like 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 1000 Francs and coins in 5, 10, 20, centimes, ½, 1, 2, 5 Francs. The note of 500 Frank is rarely used but is valid and still in circulation. 

Payment Transaction

In Liechtenstein payments can be done by cash, cheque, debit/credit card or through online transaction depends on the situation and is a personal choice. Liechtenstein is one of the fragmented markets when it comes to the payment methods. There are various methods of payment used in this country. Payments can also be made in this country through Bank transfers or by digital wallet, especially in big cities like Vaduz. You can use these payment options in major stores, restaurants, hotels and hospitals. Cash is the original and the oldest payment method, used by more than half of the population, so you’ll need some francs on hand. Multisafepay, AcceptEmail and Swipe are one of the most used online payment methods, these days used by the locals and foreigners. Cards can be used and accepted in this country. Visa is the most common and widely accepted card; however MasterCard and American Express are also available here. And so it is suggested to take along a card with you while traveling. Bank transfers are also used by most of the expats as well as locals. Apparently, it’s anytime you pay without physically handing over notes and coins. 

Payment Methods:

• Cash
• Credit Cards
• Bank transfers
• Digital Wallets
• Online payment/SEPA

For more information visit:  adyen.com and corefy.com

Cost of living in Liechtenstein 

According to a survey the cost of living in the Liechtenstein is more expensive than the 30% of countries in the whole world and cost of living in the Vaduz is more expensive than the 50% of cities in the World. Average living cost in Liechtenstein depends upon your lifestyle or your current situation, like whether you are working or a student. Cost of living varies from city to city and also if you are staying alone or with your family. The average monthly expense for a single person is approximately CHF 2,500. And the monthly expense will rise if you want to move along with your family of four persons, which will be CHF 5,500. Food is cheap and if you are staying in a city where you can go by bicycle, walking till your university or office or live in a city with a good public transport system, then your cost of living will be much lower. Monthly rent will cost more in the urban areas or in the coastal areas than the cost of rent in rural areas. Expense will also rise if you need bigger accommodation, than the smaller one. 

Here are some products mentioned below, so that you will get a clear idea of the cost of living: 

For more info visit: expatistan.com

Apartment Rent

Vaduz is the most expensive place to rent a residential property, followed by Mauren, Eschen, Blazers, and Triesenberg in this country. Also, cites on the border near Austria and Switzerland in different places has the expensive apartments. Prices of accommodation may vary according to individual’s choices. Apartments outside of the city of one, two or three BHK will cost you less than the amount you will be charged for the apartment in the city centre. Liechtenstein is thirty three percent more expensive than the country Austria. Fully furnished one bedroom apartment in the city centre will cost you approx CHF 900 and same apartment, outside city will cost approx CHF 750. A furnished studio apartment of 2 to 3 bedrooms in the city centre will cost you approx CHF 1,800 and outside the city it will cost you approx CHF 1,250. After visiting on the below given link you will get the ideas of the cost of monthly rent. You will find the apartments online or with the help of a local friend. Property showing websites also mentions prices below so that you can choose according to your need and comfort. Staying in cities like Schaan, Gamprin or Unterland is much cheaper. Rent for downtown areas are higher, so sharing the apartment with someone will be affordable especially for a student. 

For more info please visit: housingtarget.com and expatistan.com

Taxes 

If you are a foreigner and reside in Liechtenstein then income from foreign real estate and PEs situated in abroad is exempt from taxation in this country. Residents and locally operating corporations are taxed on their worldwide income. For residents, interest income is taxable and should not allow it if it is in respect to other parties. Royalty income is considered as ordinary income taxation at 12.5%. Dividend income and liquidations are tax exempted for share holders and beneficiaries. This type of payments from more than 25% participation, exemption is only applied if these types of dividends are not tax deductible in the source country. The corporate profit tax is determined according to the taxable corporate net income, based on the financial statements under consideration of the provisions. Capital gains got from the sold shares are also tax exempted. Capital gains derived after selling real estate are subject to a differently assessed real estate profit tax.

Tax revenue is generated from income tax, VAT, corporation tax and by various other ways. Tax rate starts at 14% and increases to 42%. Top rate of 45% is also available and applicable to those people, whose earnings are very high. 

For more information please visit: taxsummaries.pwc.com and taxsummaries.pwc.com

Health Insurance

Healthcare is not free in this country . Generally you have to pay of the cost of the medical treatment you get in Liechtenstein. There is only one hospital in the whole country, which is in the capital city Vaduz. The government has some arrangements with some of the hospitals in nearby countries like Austria and Switzerland. Here you have to find international health insurance first then get your expatriate medical plan on the website. This is also a private health insurance. This insurance covers most of the African, European and Asian countries. Members outside from these countries are also covered, in case of accident or illness. This extension is not valid for more than six weeks. It is good and a legal requirement to have a health insurance in Liechtenstein for all expats and citizens. It is divided in two sectors: public and private health insurance. However they have either public or private health insurance, covering hospital and other necessary medical treatment and pregnancy. International health insurance does not free you from local regulations. Hence, it is suggested to contribute to the local healthcare system when it is compulsory.  For more information visit: indigo-expat.com

Important addresses

Zurich International Airport:
8058 Kloten, Switzerland Ph: +41 43 816 22 11

Vienna International Airport:
1300 Schwechat, Austria
Ph: +43 1 70070

Summary

Liechtenstein is a beautiful, clean country with favorable climate, marvelous architecture, alpine landscapes, and delicious delicacies and also well known for its vineyards and wineries. This place has high cost of living however, you have options to choose according to your lifestyle to balance your income. This is a happy and welcoming nation with a good income. It’s one of the world’s wealthiest countries, and has been well-known for its neutrality. People are warm, friendly and peace loving. It has better job offers and good education system. English is in high demand here so it becomes easier in getting jobs. The cost of living is dependended on the lifestyle you choose to live in. It is a task to find a good or high quality accommodation. Still it is worth living in this country. It is a good place to move in and as we all know every good thing has a price.