Switzerland - Company Incorporation

Company Type	Time to Incorporate	Cost
Sàrl	2 weeks	£6400

Incorporating in Switzerland offers a combination of political, economic stability and relatively low personal and company tax rates.  However, the Swiss tax regime is quite complicated due to differences in law in each Canton.

Incorporating a Swiss Sàrl is beneficial for any size business. When starting the formation of your Swiss business please note:

• No restriction on foreign ownership.
• Minimum of two people required to incorporate your Sàrl.
• One director must be a Swiss resident
• The share capital is CHF 20,000 (£13,300) and has to be fully paid up.

Documents and Information

To start incorporating your offshore company in Switzerland we require the following:

• Your Company Name
• The Director/s full name, date of birth, address and nationality
• The Shareholder/s full name and address

Documents you are required to provide:

• Proof of identity. Either passport, national identity card, photographic driving licence
• Proof of residential address. Gas/electricity bill or credit/debit card bank statement dated within the last 3 months

The entire incorporation process normally takes around 2 weeks from when we first received your completed documentation.

Company Name

Any name can be chosen provided not already in use according to Swiss commercial register. References to commercial activities must reflect the actual business of the company.

Incorporating a Swiss

Before the company is ready to trade:

• Presenting documents to the Commercial Registry
• Payment of stamp duty
• Register with the tax and social security authorities
• There are no restrictions on your company name (the uniqueness of your name must be verified by the Federal Commercial Register).
• The time it takes to incorporate once we have received correct documentation is 10 - 14 days
• A registered office is required for incorporation.
• Annual meetings can be held anywhere in the world.

Directors

At least one of the directors must be resident in Switzerland and have single signatory power to bind the company or must be empowered to sign jointly. A resident director is required, not necessarily a Swiss national. We can provide your company with the Swiss resident director if needed.

Shareholders

There are no restrictions with respect to the nationality or residency of the shareholders. A resident director is required, not necessarily a Swiss national. We can provide your company with the Swiss resident director if needed.

Registered Office

All Swiss GmbH / must have a registered office. The registered office is where documents may be legally served on the company. The registered office must be a physical address in Switzerland.

Share Capital

The share capital is CHF 20,000 (€14,000) and has to be fully paid up. On the day of incorporation the capital must be paid into a Swiss depository bank. The notary needs to see the certificate of deposit. Once the company is registered, this money is free to be used. The issued shares are CHF 100 each.

Company Records

All the initial details need to be given to the Commercial Register, and this will include details about the shareholders and directors. Any subsequent transfer of shares is not necessarily disclosed in a public record:

• Information about the beneficiaries of any company need to be disclosed to banks which hold company accounts
• No audit is required of GmbH/Sàrl annual accounts.
• Should the company be audited; the interest of the company administrators in the shares of the company will need to be disclosed to the auditors
• For the cantonal tax returns; any Swiss resident will need to disclose their interest in the company
• Any purchase or sale of shares made through a notarial deed, through a Swiss notary, while not public, will remain in the record of the notary’s protocol. In general, only in cases involving criminal activity, will any authority be allowed to look at notarial records

Key Features of a Swiss

• Share capital requirement of CHF 20,000
• Minimum of two people required to incorporate your Sàrl.
• One resident director, does not need to be Swiss national.
• The companys liability is its assets.