Deregistration

We deregistered our son earlier this summer.  He’s been a university student in the US the past four years but we kept him registered so he could work here during the summers and in case he decided to locate here after finishing school.  In May, he graduated and took a job in Houston so he’s now officially off the family dole and will not return except as a tourist.  The decision to deregister him was emotional for me.  It’s an official recognition of his moving on and from a residency permit perspective it’s a one-way street.  If he later decides to come back to work he’ll have to manage it himself.  Our residency status makes no difference.  I know this because I tried to do this for our oldest daughter and it’s just not possible.   What surprised me about the deregistration process was how easy it was.  You simply fill out a form on-line (https://secure.bs.ch/web/bdm/Wohnen/An-Abmeldung-Umzug/Wegzug-vom-Kanton-Basel-Stadt-Formular.html?mgnlFormToken=sauTiRBbEYZkH7BJYV65gu73h9qdE29t) and pay a small fee.    Shortly thereafter you receive an official confirmation that allows to cancel the obligatory health insurance (a CHF300/month savings, we’re getting richer by the minute).   The last step is then filing the final tax declaration.  I assume that there’s more to it if the whole family is leaving but for a single family member it’s so simple you could almost do it by accident.