Grüezi · Bonjour · Buongiorno — Switzerland to the United States
Your move into the U.S., handled on the American side.
Privello is U.S. business-immigration and data-protection counsel for Swiss companies. We bring your people across under the right visa and keep your data flows lawful under the revFADP — one firm coordinating both sides of the Atlantic.
Two sides of one expansion
Moving people and data, lawfully
Swiss companies opening in the United States face two American hurdles at once: getting the team admitted, and keeping personal data flowing without breaching the revised Federal Act on Data Protection. Privello covers both from the U.S. side, so they don't get handled by two firms who never talk to each other.
U.S. immigration
Switzerland is a treaty country with the United States — which opens routes many other nations don't have. We pick the visa that fits the move and run the petition.
Data protection
The revFADP sits outside the EU's GDPR and has its own transfer rules. We document a lawful Swiss–U.S. data route and align it with the move.
U.S. immigration for Swiss companies
Switzerland's treaty advantage
Switzerland holds both an E-1 (treaty trader) and an E-2 (treaty investor) agreement with the United States. For a Swiss-owned business that trades with, or invests in, the U.S., that is often the most direct way to put leadership and key staff on the ground — without the lottery and quota pressure of other categories.
The routes we use most
- E-2 treaty investor — for Swiss owners and key employees standing up a U.S. operation backed by a real investment.
- E-1 treaty trader — where substantial, continuing trade flows between Switzerland and the U.S.
- L-1 intracompany transfer — moving an executive, manager, or specialist from the Swiss entity to a U.S. office, including a brand-new one.
- O-1 — for individuals of extraordinary ability where that fits better than a corporate route.
- New U.S. office setup — the immigration, entity, and timing questions handled together.
Data protection · revFADP
Switzerland is not the EU — and the data rules show it
Switzerland sits outside both the EU and the EEA. Its regime is the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP), in force since September 2023 and supervised by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner. It tracks GDPR in spirit, but it is a separate statute — a GDPR programme rarely maps over one-to-one.
The Swiss–U.S. transfer route
When a Swiss company sends personal data to the United States, it relies on Switzerland's own framework — including the Swiss–U.S. Data Privacy Framework for certified U.S. recipients — or on SCC-equivalent clauses backed by a transfer assessment. Privello helps choose and document the route that fits, on the U.S. side.
What Privello handles
- U.S.-side data-protection strategy for Swiss companies
- Swiss–U.S. transfer mechanisms, including the Swiss–U.S. DPF
- Mapping where a GDPR programme needs revFADP adjustment
- Lining the data work up with the immigration timeline
- Coordination with qualified Swiss counsel on local-law questions
Read our full Swiss revFADP briefing
Why Privello
One firm on the American side
A Swiss expansion usually ends up split between an immigration lawyer and a privacy lawyer who never speak. Privello keeps both in one place — so the visa timeline and the data-transfer paperwork are built to fit each other, not discovered to conflict later.
Can a Swiss company use a treaty visa to enter the U.S.?
Yes. Switzerland holds both E-1 (treaty trader) and E-2 (treaty investor) agreements with the United States, so qualifying Swiss companies and their staff can use these routes alongside the L-1 intracompany transfer.
Does the revFADP let Swiss companies send data to the U.S.?
Yes — through Switzerland's own transfer framework, including the Swiss–U.S. Data Privacy Framework for certified U.S. recipients, or SCC-equivalent mechanisms supported by a transfer assessment.
Do you work in German, French, or Italian?
We work in English, the common language of cross-border U.S. expansion. Our U.S. filings and advice are prepared in English; we're happy to coordinate with your Swiss-side advisors in their working language.
Does Privello practise Swiss law?
No. Patrick Smith is licensed in Texas, United States. Privello handles the U.S. side and coordinates qualified Swiss counsel where Swiss law governs.
Begin
Talk through your U.S. move
Tell us what you're planning — who you're moving, your timeline, and how data flows between Switzerland and the U.S. We'll outline the realistic options, immigration and data side together, in a first conversation.
Or call (214) 620-9200. Contacting Privello does not create an attorney–client relationship — please don't send sensitive details until we've agreed to work together.