Company registration in Switzerland

Registration fee is from 10000 €

Registration period — 4 weeks

Minimum authorized capital - 20 000 CHF

Remote opening — yes

Financial statements — yes

The Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) is an independent state in Western Europe that borders Germany, Italy, France, Austria and Liechtenstein. Switzerland consists of 26 cantons, each canton has its own legislation, partially limited by the federal constitution. Since 2002, Switzerland has been a member of the United Nations and is a member of the Schengen Agreement. The actual capital is Bern. Switzerland is not a member of the EU and has a stable national currency CHF.

Maira Consult recommends using companies registered in Switzerland as trading and manufacturing companies, for agricultural business, as holding and investment companies, real estate management companies, and for projects in various IT areas. Switzerland has created favourable conditions for cryptocurrency activities.

The most attractive canton for tax purposes is Zug. Zug attracts foreign investors not only with low tax rates but also with favourable conditions for crypto companies. Today, Zug is known as the ‘crypto valley’. A crypto license in Switzerland is a new reality for investors in Zug. Cryptocurrencies in Switzerland have legal status and can be considered as company assets.

Among foreign founders company registration in Switzerland is popular in following cantons: Lucerne, Obwalden, Bern, Geneva, Zurich.

Registration of a company in Switzerland is not a standard procedure, and some issues, in particular, the type of activity and structure of the company, must be agreed with Swiss lawyers in advance. The specialists of Maira Consult will help you to open a company in Switzerland.

Company registration in Switzerland. The most popular forms of companies are a joint-stock company (AG) and a limited liability company (GmbH).

The Swiss tax system is very different from the classical European one. The country is divided into 26 cantons, which are also divided into municipalities, so Switzerland has a three-tiered taxation system. Swiss companies pay taxes at the federal, cantonal and municipal levels. The corporate tax rate depends on the type of company, type of activity and canton. Federal tax legislation is the same for all Swiss companies, while cantonal tax legislation differs.

Our specialists know how to register a company in Switzerland and provide you with highly qualified service and advise you on all issues.

Switzerland advantages

1

International reputation and economic stability

2

Recognised safety and reliability of banks

3

Possibility to open an account in a Swiss bank

4

Unique conditions for crypto companies

General Information

Registration Features

A director of a Swiss company must be a resident of Switzerland. A non-resident director may also be appointed to the board of directors (the majority of directors must be Swiss residents).

Company Name

The name of the company must end with a word, phrase or abbreviation that indicates the form of the company: for example, "GmbH", "AG".

Authorized Capital

The minimum authorized capital of a limited liability company (GmbH) is CHF 20,000 and must be paid in full before the company can be registered in Switzerland. A temporary company account in a Swiss bank is opened for the deposit of the authorized capital. The minimum authorized capital of a joint stock company (AG) is CHF 100,000. A minimum of 50 per cent of the authorized capital must be paid into the company's Swiss bank account before the AG can be incorporated.

Director

At least one director, an individual resident in Switzerland. It can be more than one director, but the majority of directors must be Swiss residents.

Shareholders

Minimum one, individual or legal entity, no residency requirement.

Financial Reporting

All Swiss GmbH and AG companies must keep accounting records and file annual financial statements. Swiss companies that fulfil any two criteria for 2 consecutive years must be audited: 1. Turnover of more than CHF 40,000,000 per year 2. The value of assets exceeds CHF 20,000,000 3. The number of employees is more than 250.

Taxation

Switzerland has a three-tier taxation system: federal, cantonal and municipal. The unified federal income tax rate is 8.5%. The income tax rate in each canton is different (from 6 to 31%). There is a tax at the municipal level in addition to federal tax. The standard VAT rate is 8.1%.

Confidentiality

Information about directors is kept in the Registrar of Companies, information about shareholders in the Commercial register. The availability of information on shareholders depends on the type of the company. In a GmbH company, the names of the founders and their shares in the company's authorized capital are publicly available. In a joint-stock company (AG), information about the founders is hidden from public access.

Stages of company registration

01

Choosing the name and form of the company

The most convenient form for a foreign founder is a limited liability company (GmbH). To register a company in Switzerland, firstly you need to make a request to the Companies Trade Register to verify the name. Once the name is confirmed, corporate documents are prepared.

02

Preparation and collection of documents

Each member of the company must provide a passport, proof of residence (utility bill) and a bank reference from any bank where a personal account is opened. At this stage, a business plan of the company is requested (depends on the business activity).

03

Identification of company participants

Before registering a Swiss company, shareholders meeting is held in the presence of a notary in Switzerland and the statutary documents are signed. Further, a GmbH account is opened in a swiss bank and the amount of the share capital is deposited. After the bank confirms that the amount of the share capital has been credited, documents for the registration of the GmbH are submitted to the Trade Register.

04

Formation of the share capital (if necessary)

The minimum amount of the share capital of a GmbH is CHF 20,000. The share capital must be paid before the start of registration. After the company is registered in Switzerland, the amount of the share capital can be used for the company's needs.

05

Company registration

The process of registering a company in Switzerland generally takes 2-3 weeks from the date of receipt of the required set of documents and depending on the workload of the Trade Register.

06

Receiving of corporate documents

As soon as a company is registered in Switzerland, the Trade Registry issues ready-made corporate documents with the appropriate stamps.

07

Legalization of documents (if necessary)

If necessary, the documents of the Swiss company are submitted for legalisation and apostille.

08

Delivery of corporate documents

Original corporate documents of a Swiss company are sent by courier service.

Answers to the Most Common Questions:


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