Skip to content
Bordercase

Compare

Compare jurisdictions, side by side.

Pick up to 4 countries and see residency, company, banking, family, and risk notes line up. No prices, no marketing packages - just the working notes.

 PL flagPoland

Europe

LC flagSaint Lucia

Central America & Caribbean

CH flagSwitzerland

Europe

OverviewPoland is a large EU economy with structured routes for skilled workers, founders, and remote professionals - and a growing role as a regional hub for Eastern European operations. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Polish partners for filings.Saint Lucia is a Caribbean jurisdiction with a Citizenship by Investment programme launched in 2016. Bordercase coordinates with authorised local agents.Switzerland is a stable, high-quality jurisdiction with structured residency routes - most of them merit-based, contribution-based, or employer-sponsored. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Swiss partners for filings.
Best for
  • Founders
  • Skilled workers
  • EU access
  • Cost-effective hub
  • Second passport
  • English admin
  • Caribbean residency
  • HNW
  • Founders
  • Forfait fiscal
  • Stability
CurrencyPLNXCDCHF
LanguagePolishEnglishGerman / French / Italian
Time zoneUTC+1UTC-4UTC+1
EU memberYesNoNo
SchengenYesNoYes
Residency

Polish residency routes:

  • Blue Card - high-skilled employees
  • Temporary residence via employment
  • Self-employment / entrepreneur routes
  • Family reunification
  • EU citizen-derivative routes

Permanent residence typically after 5 years.

Saint Lucia routes:

  • Citizenship by Investment (CBI) via fund contribution or approved real-estate investment
  • Standard work permits
  • Family routes

Swiss residency routes:

  • Work permit - employer-sponsored, quota-controlled for non-EU
  • Lump-sum taxation (forfait fiscal) - HNW individuals in eligible cantons
  • Business / investor routes
  • EU / EFTA routes - under FMP
  • Family reunification
Company setup

Sp. z o.o. (limited liability) is the standard private entity. Online formation via S24 is possible; otherwise notary registration. Tax registration, VAT, and ZUS (social contributions) follow. CIT and the new estonian-style lump-sum CIT regime may apply.

Domestic companies and IBCs are common in international structures.

GmbH and AG are the standard structures. Cantonal variation in tax, registration, and substance treatment is real. Federal and cantonal compliance is precise.

Banking

Personal and corporate banking for residents is widely accessible. Non-resident structures take longer; documentation must be tight. Bordercase coordinates introductions where useful.

Banking is selective. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions through current partners.

Swiss banking has tightened materially since the 2010s. Personal accounts require residency or strong nexus; corporate banking requires substance and clear source of funds. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Family

Family reunification is supported on most residency routes. International schools (English, German, French) are concentrated in Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław.

CBI can include qualifying dependents.

Family reunification is supported on most permits. Schools (public, private, and international) are widely available; international schools are well-established but selective.

Risks

Risks Bordercase watches for in Poland:

  • Long visa processing in some voivodeships
  • CIT and ZUS planning often gets done late
  • Centre-of-interests analysis for tax residency
  • Estonian-style lump-sum CIT regime eligibility

Risks Bordercase watches for in Saint Lucia:

  • Programme parameters change
  • Due diligence has tightened
  • Reputational and revocation risks if information is misrepresented

Risks Bordercase watches for in Switzerland:

  • Quotas for non-EU work permits
  • Lump-sum taxation eligibility and cantonal variation
  • Banking gatekeeping for non-residents
  • Substance and arm's-length pricing audits
Documents

Typical Polish residency documents:

  • Passport
  • Criminal record certificate
  • Proof of address
  • Employment contract or business plan
  • Health insurance
  • Marriage / birth certificates for family

Apostilled and translated to Polish.

Typical CBI documents:

  • Passport
  • Due diligence questionnaires
  • Source-of-funds evidence (extensive)
  • Family certificates with apostille and translation

Typical Swiss residency documents:

  • Passport
  • Employment contract or business plan
  • Criminal record certificate
  • Proof of accommodation
  • Health insurance valid in Switzerland
  • Financial evidence

Apostilled and translated where required.

Country pages stay the authoritative source. This view is a side-by-side; nothing here promises a particular outcome.