Indian woman shares how her husband commutes from Switzerland to France for work: ‘It’s pretty smooth’

For many Indians, travelling to another country usually involves airports, immigration counters, passports and careful planning. For Pooja Tiwari Pandey and her husband, Ankur Pandey, however, crossing an international border is simply part of an ordinary working week.An Indian couple who moved from Bengaluru to Basel described the ease of commuting across European borders.(Also read: ‘How do we expect to do good work?’ Bengaluru CEO says his 17 km commute took 2 hours)The Indian couple, originally from Uttar Pradesh, moved from Bengaluru to Switzerland around three-and-a-half years ago. They now live in Basel, a Swiss city close to the borders of both France and Germany. Ankur regularly travels from their home in Switzerland to his workplace near the French-Swiss border, making a journey that Pooja says initially felt unusual but soon became part of everyday life.Speaking to HT.com, Pooja said the couple had been settled in Bengaluru for more than eight years before moving to Switzerland. Ankur is a computer science engineer and works as a technical architect with a product-based company, while Pooja holds an MBA in HR and Marketing and is now a Switzerland-based content creator making videos about Swiss lifestyle and socially relevant subjects.“We both come from UP, India and from past 8+ years, we have been settled in Bangalore. And we moved to Switzerland approx. 3.5 years back from Bangalore,” she said.From Bengaluru to BaselThe couple’s move to Switzerland came through Ankur’s work. According to Pooja, he had been leading a project with an IT firm in India before relocating for a larger role.“We came here on a project assignment of my husband. He was leading a project with an IT firm in India and moved to Switzerland for a bigger, brighter role and responsibility,” she said.While the family lives in Basel, Ankur’s office is located near the France-Switzerland border, close to Basel’s international airport.For the past three-and-a-half years, he has generally travelled to the office three to four times a week. His commute largely depends on Switzerland’s public transport network, including buses and trams.“He generally travels public transport especially Bus and Trams in Switzerland. And it takes 40 minutes for him to reach France from the home,” Pooja said.That means Ankur can cross an international border six to eight times during a regular working week. Yet unlike the elaborate border-crossing process many people might imagine, Pooja said there is little about the journey that makes it feel like entering another country.“Yes, every week 3-4 days so per week I would say 6-8 times he crosses internation border and its nothing unusual. Even you wouldn’t know that you crossed the border. Its pretty smooth. No police checking etc,” she said.(Also read: ‘Role was initially fully remote’: Employee says company now wants 115 km daily commute)‘It was really shocking’ at firstFor the couple, who had moved from India, the idea of living in one country and routinely commuting to another initially came as a surprise.“Yes, it was really shocking and unique experience for both of us. But here in Basel, it is common for other citizens,” Pooja said.Basel’s location makes cross-border movement a regular feature of life in the region. Pooja said their family also frequently travels to neighbouring France and Germany for shopping and other activities despite residing in Switzerland.“Yes, its pretty common here and even we generally go to France and Germany for shopping and other activities, being a resident of Switzerland. And you can touch the border of all the 3 countries in less than 1 hour,” she said.For Ankur, what once felt novel has now become routine. “Initially it was a bit unusual for him but now it is just a part of everyday routine,” Pooja said.She added that the commute itself has been largely hassle-free. Asked whether border checks, strikes, traffic, weather or public transport disruptions had ever significantly affected the journey, she said they had not encountered any such incident.“Its pretty smooth and there is no challenge as such,” she said.While cross-border employment involves paperwork, Pooja said their arrangement is covered the necessary formalities.“We do have tax agreements, insurance and special permits for this type of work assignment,” she said.(Also read: