Privacy policy

At Welcome Service, we’re committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

Welcome Service’s privacy policy explains when and why we collect personal information about our clients who are transferred to Switzerland or neighbouring France, how we use it, the conditions under which we may transmit it to others and how we keep it secure.

By providing your consent when transmitting your personal information, you’re agreeing to be bound by this Privacy Policy.

Any questions regarding this Policy and our privacy practices should be sent by email to info@welcome-service.ch or by writing to Welcome Service Sàrl, Rue Zurlinden 6 – 1207 Geneva. Alternatively, you can phone +41(22)7076150.

WHO ARE WE?

Welcome Service Sàrl (CHE-107.383.671) is a relocation company, aiming at providing relocation services (home search, settling-in, schooling support, immigration, move management…) for private individuals and multinational companies. Welcome Service Sàrl is registered since November 30th 1998 at Rue Zurlinden 6, 1207 Geneva.

WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION IS COLLECTED FROM YOU?

The personal information we collect are only in the sole purpose of assisting you and your family with your relocation with Welcome Service. We collect personal information that are to be found in our Requirement Questionnaire. We additionally receive your income information via your HR department or directly via yourself.

Personal data collected:

  • Name and First name
  • Birthdate
  • Nationality
  • Gender
  • Address
  • Email
  • Phone contacts
  • Family details
  • Salary details & employment conditions (if applicable)

Sensitive data collected:

  • Children details (under 16)
  • Biometric data – Passport & residency permit
  • Debt situation

HOW DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM YOU?

Your data can be collected through few communication channels :

  • Jotform : Jotform takes the security of your data very seriously. All Jotform standalone form links and embed codes are secure (SSL) by default. All data are stored in European Union data centers (Germany).
  • RelocationOnline : application owner of our platform REX. All data and documents uploaded on the platform are encrypted through SSL protection.
  • Email : our business is using Microsoft Office 365. All data are hosted in the European Union.

HOW IS YOUR INFORMATION USED?

We may use your information to:

  • Contact you directly in order to discuss your criteria in the means of your relocation;
  • Create your application file for any rental/purchase properties;
  • Transfer your application file to real estate agencies or landlords;
  • Communicate with local/private schools or daycare for your children enrolment process;
  • Communicate with insurance brokers for the establishment of insurance contract;
  • Communicate with local providers (bank, telephone, handyman, cleaning companies…) to best assist throughout the relocation process;
  • Apply for your work/residence permit in Switzerland;
  • Seek your comments on the services we provide;

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, or as long as is set out in the Swiss legislation (usually up to 10 years).

We will share bi-monthly updates with your HR department regarding the progress of your relocation file.

WHO HAS ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION?

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties.

We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Your data will not be used for automated decision processing or profiling.

Real Estate Agencies/Landlords: We will transfer your personal information to apply for rental/purchase properties in the mean of the relocation process. These data are dully selected in order to provide only the necessary ones. Welcome Service is not responsible for the use of the data by the real estate agencies/landlord.

Third Party Service Providers working on our behalf: We may pass your information to our third party service providers or agent’s subcontractors for the purposes of completing tasks and providing services to you on our behalf. However, when we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that are necessary to deliver the service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes. Please be reassured that we will not release your information to third parties beyond the Welcome Service network for them to use for their own direct marketing purposes, unless you have requested us to do so, or we are required to do so by law, for example, by a court order or for the purposes of prevention of fraud or other crime.

Third Party Service Providers we work in association with: We work closely with various third party service providers to assist you in the relocation process (insurance broker, private/local schools…). When we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that are relevant to deliver the requested service.

WILL DATA BE TRANSFERRED TO A THIRD COUNTRY?

Your personal information can be transferred to landlords/estate agents outside Switzerland only if it is necessary for the purpose of carrying out your orders (e.g. relocation to neighbouring France).

WHAT DATA PRIVACY RIGHTS DO I HAVE?

You can request access to your data at any time by contacting us by email on info@welcome-service.ch.

You can withdraw consent granted to us at any time by contacting us by email on info@welcome-service.ch .Please note that the withdrawal only applies going forward, it does not have retrospective effect. Processing that was carried out before the withdrawal was notified is not affected by it.

Every data subject has in relation to their personal data:

  • The right of access – according to Art. 8 para. 1 FADP – Art. 25 para. 1 nFADP.
  • The right to rectification – according to Art. 5 para. 2 FADP, Art. 32 para. 1 nFADP.
  • The right to know whom to contact (Art. 10 para. 3 lit. d) nFADP concerning the Data Protection Advisor (or Data Protection Officer) and Art. 14 para. 3 nFADP concerning the Data Protection Representative in Switzerland, the right to know whether a decision taken was based solely on automated processing (Art. 21 para. 1).
  • The right to object to processing (opt out). Although it is not a right expressly provided for in the regulations (FADP and nFADP), the latter derives from informational self-determination.
  • The right of cancellation (Art. 12 para. 2 FADP, Art. 32 para. 2 (c) nFADP).
  • The right to have data delivered or to require their transmission to third parties, the so-called right of portability, introduced by the nFADP (Art. 28 nFADP).

SECURITY PRECAUTIONS IN PLACE TO PROTECT THE LOSS, MISUSE OR ALTERATION OF YOUR INFORMATION

When you submit your personal data, we take steps to ensure that it is treated securely. All platforms used are fully compliant and are certified in data protection. All data transmitted are stored within Switzerland or within the European Union.

REVIEW OF THIS POLICY

We keep this Policy under regular review. This Policy was last updated in March 2024.