Swiss Company Registration – Onshore Business Setup in Switzerland
- Register your Company in Switzerland in 10 days (upon validation of your identification documents).*
- Client confidentiality protection via secured systems.
- Your company and its application for a bank account, including eBanking and credit card. Opening by correspondence.
- A dedicated manager is available throughout the year to administer your company.
Step 1
Complete our application form – Switzerland
Complete our order form and make the payment for your chosen services. You will then be assigned a client manager to assist you through the incorporation process.
Step 2
Upload your documents
Your account manager will ask you for official documents which are required for your company formation. Or use our UBO services.
Step 3
Incorporate your company successfully
Once your documents have been processed your company will be successfully incorporated subject to local authority approval.
Step 4
Your account manager will guide you through the steps of completing your request of additional services such as bank accounts.
Step 5
Manage Your company via our client portal
Our client portal will give you immediate access to all your documents as well as display your company structure.
Frequently Asked Questions Company Formation in Switzerland
The two types of company that we form in Geneva – Switzerland are known as S.A. (Société anonyme) and S.A.R.L. (Société A Responsabilité Limitée). The Canton’s Register acts as a monitoring body.
These two types of companies are called in the French language S.A. (Société anonyme) and S.A.R.L. (Société A Responsabilité Limitée) and are equivalent to a Public Limited Company (PLC) and Limited Liability Company (LLC) respectively.
Please refer to our complete guide about both entities.
Yes.Please refer to our complete guide about a swiss company taxation.
Yes, accounting is compulsory, but auditing is not required. If the company does not want to be audited, it must apply for “opting out” applicable under certain circumstances.
Yes, for both SA and SARL, the name of the director is publicly available in the local commercial register.
However, the name of the shareholders appears publicly only for an SARL company.
The shareholders’ liability in an SARL is the amount of share capital that they have invested. However, additional payments may be imposed if and when required to cover losses, or in case such clause is stipulated in the articles of association of the company. These additional payments cannot exceed twice the value of the company share capital.
The shareholders’ liability in an SA is typically limited to the amount of shares respectively held by them.
To register a company in Switzerland, the following amount should be deposited on the company’s account: CHF 50,000 for an S.A. and CHF 20,000 for an S.A.R.L.
A minimum of one shareholder and one swiss resident director should be appointed while registering a SA or a SARL company.
The necessary local swiss resident director services are obtained through Consultax and our agent in consideration of the professional director service fees.
Difference between S.A.R.L. & S.A. in French Speaking Countries
Société anonyme (S.A.) and Société A Responsabilité Limitée (SARL) are French terms for a public limited company (PLC) and Limited Liability Company (LLC) respectively. This system exists in several French speaking countries around the world, including France, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Requirements for both types of offshore companies are as follows:
| S.A. (Public Limited liability Company) | S.A.R.L. (Company with Limited Liability) | |
|---|---|---|
|
Number of shareholders:
|
1 natural or legal person.
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1 natural or legal person.
|
|
Company name
|
Must state its legal form: SA.
|
Must state its legal form: SARL.
|
|
Contribution in kind
|
Possible |
Possible |
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Nominal value of shares / members shares
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At a minimum of 1 cent.
|
At a minimum of 100 francs.
|
|
Local directors
|
A director with individual signing powers must be domiciled in Switzerland.
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A director with individual signing powers must be domiciled in Switzerland.
|
|
Accounting/Auditing
|
Accounting is compulsory, but auditing is not required. If the company does not want to be audited it must apply for “opting out”.
|
Accounting is compulsory, but auditing is not required. If the company does not want to be audited it must apply for “opting out”.
|
|
Liability of the shareholders.
|
Limited to the share capital.
|
Limited to the shares.
|
|
Appearance |
Anonymous shareholders.
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The names of the members appear in the local commercial register.
|
|
Conversion |
Can be converted into a SARL company at any time.
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Can be converted into a SA company at any time.
|
|
Transfer of shares
|
Simple cession.
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Signature of the sales contract of shares before a notary.
|
Company Taxes in Switzerland
If the company generates more than half of its revenue abroad, the tax rate in Switzerland will be subject to a federal flat tax rate of 8.5% on net income (Since income and capital taxes are deductible in determining taxable income, the effective tax rate (ETR) is 7.8%).
Otherwise, companies registered in Switzerland and that derive the bulk of their revenue from Switzerland are subject to three types of tax, which comprehensively range from 11.9% to 21.6% (ETR is between 12% and 22%). Taxes have been reduced in 2020 as part of wider corporate changes.
The three types of taxes:
- Cantonal and municipal taxes on capital: 1.8 per thousand if the company derives profit and 2 per thousand if it does not derive profit. To this tax base is added “additional surcharges”, which are cantonal and municipal. These surcharges may also be expressed as a percentage. If the company was founded between 2008 and 2011, it will not be subjected to these additional surcharges.
- Cantonal and municipal taxes on profit: the rate of the cantonal tax base on benefits for limited companies is 10% of the net income. “Additional surcharges”, which are cantonal and municipal, are also added to the tax base.
- Direct federal tax on profit: The tax rate on company earnings is 8.5% on the net income. In accordance with the practice of the Federal Tax Authority, taxable profit is always rounded off to the lowest hundred francs in the determination of tax.
VAT in Switzerland: A Swiss VAT number can be obtained on application and is compulsory from a turnover of CHF 100,000. The Swiss VAT rate is 7.7%.
Switzerland Company Formation
Switzerland is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association, but notably it is not part of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area. However, the country does participate in the Schengen Area and the EU’s single market through a number of bilateral treaties.