The BRA Council thought it would be useful to publish the following extracts from the UK government’s website gov.uk. They concern the UK State Pension and Benefits payable to UK expats living in Switzerland.  ““Living in the EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 If you are a UK national living in an EEA state or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. You will get your UK State Pension uprated every year for as long as you continue to live there. This will happen even if you start claiming your pension on or after 1 January 2021, as long as you meet the qualifying conditions. If you are working in the EEA or Switzerland, you will be able to count future social security contributions towards meeting the qualifying conditions for your UK State Pension. You will continue to receive any UK benefits you already receive in the EEA or Switzerland for as long as you continue to live there, and continue to meet all other eligibility requirements.”” The full text can be found by googling “Benefits and pensions for UK nationals in the EEA or Switzerland”. Pension boost protected by new bill The Government has moved to avoid a State Pension freeze. (Press release […]

Dear BRA Members,  I regret that personal circumstances have led me to resign from the BRA Council and as your Chairman. Although I was working towards retiring some time next year, I have had to bring my plans forward. Let me assure you that this in no way results from any reduction in my continuing regard for the BRA or by ill health. Simply stated, over the last few years I have pushed back non-BRA matters which now require my time to implement them without further delay. In leaving the Council, I would like to put on record that I have felt honoured and pleased that you allowed me to be your Chairman for so many years. I am grateful for the kindness, guidance and support afforded me by the BRA membership and by your hard-working Councillors. I must pay especial tribute to the honorary officers and the editors of the BRA who have done so much over the recent difficult period to keep the BRA alive. Although disappointed at leaving prematurely, I go remembering the old dictum that we are each just like a hand in a bucket of water: When the hand is removed the water finds its […]

Dear Friends and Colleagues, I hope this message finds you well despite the challenging circumstances we are living through. I should like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued commitment, resilience and the hard work for the British Residents’ Association, an organisation which plays an important role in bringing together some of the over 40,000 Brits living in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. We are grateful for your engagement, especially in times like these. You may be interested in some background on what the UK is doing in response to current pandemic. We are leading the way in tackling the spread of the virus as one of the biggest donors to the international response. We have already pledged £744 million of UK aid to help end this pandemic as quickly as possible. That includes £250 million towards the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to rapidly develop a coronavirus vaccine. At home in the UK, it has been especially rewarding to see the overwhelming support for our NHS and other essential workers. Over 750,000 volunteers have registered to support the NHS in one of the biggest challenges it has ever faced, and every Thursday our country shows its appreciation by […]