BVG pay out, self employed in EU country

Hi all

I am planning to leave Switzerland soon and move to a EU country. My plan is to become there self employed. Can I get all my BVG paid out once I establish myself as self-employed? I see in Switzerland this is possible, but not too much is mentioned when you move to a EU country.

Does the decision to allow the full pay out of BVG depends on the specific Pension Fund rule? For example, are there pension funds who are more flexible than others in this regard?

Thank you in advance

PS: for self employment I mean “sole-trader” and not setting up a company: GmbH, AG, etc.

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Not due to self-employment (in an EU member state) but possibly due to emigration, depending on your social security status in the EU:

Details on the cash payment on departure abroad | LOB Guarantee Fund

I doubt that (many) Swiss funds would consider other proof of your social security status.

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Thank you for the info. Was wondering, in case the full payment is not possible / allowed, if as vested benefit account I could opt for Swiss bank / broker (locked: no withdrawal is possible), where I decide the stocks and ETFs in which I wish to invest. I was just wondering if such option is possible or if there are only limited banks where I can deposit my 2nd pillar.

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Yes, some of the popular 3a providers provide 2nd pillar vested benefits accounts as well (e.g. VIAC, finpension) that allow for fund investments, with restrictions on portfolio composition (note that conditions can differ from their 3a products).

Depending on the tax treatment at pay-out, these could be even „better“/more tax-efficient than investing them as part of your other liquid assets. So you possibly may want not to cash out early, even if you could.

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