Company Formation
Forming and buying Swiss companies: GmbH, AG, holding structures and ready-made shelf entities, share capital and the commercial register process.
Company FormationKnowledgebase
Guides for doing business in Switzerland
Browse by topic, or see the latest below. Written for foreign founders, investors and advisers, not search engines.
Tax & Accounting
Swiss corporate tax, VAT registration and rulings, bookkeeping and audit thresholds, and the cantonal rate differences that decide where to base a company.
Tax & AccountingFINMA & Financial Licensing
FINMA authorisation, SRO membership and the FinIA licence categories, with the substance, capital and fit-and-proper tests each approval actually requires.
FINMA & Financial LicensingCrypto, Blockchain & MiCA
Token classification, VASP and AML duties, the Swiss DLT regime and stablecoins, and how Swiss rules compare with the EU's MiCA framework for crypto firms.
Crypto, Blockchain & MiCAPrivate Clients, Trusts & Foundations
Relocation and lump-sum taxation, Swiss foundations and trusts, succession and estate planning for international families moving wealth into Switzerland.
Private Clients, Trusts & FoundationsSECO & Special Permits
Staff-leasing and placement licences from SECO and other regulated-activity permits, including the deposits, guarantees and conditions each approval carries.
SECO & Special PermitsBanking
Opening and running a Swiss bank account, including for non-residents: eligibility, source-of-funds checks, realistic minimums and choosing the right bank.
BankingLitigation, Debt Collection & Insolvency
Swiss debt enforcement and collection, the composition moratorium, liquidation and insolvency, and how cross-border commercial disputes are handled.
Litigation, Debt Collection & InsolvencySubstance, Pillar Two & International Tax
Economic substance, the OECD global minimum tax and Pillar Two, and cross-border structuring — what a Swiss entity must do to withstand scrutiny.
Substance, Pillar Two & International TaxAML & KYC Compliance
Swiss AML frameworks, the outsourced compliance officer, KYC onboarding and SRO-audit readiness for financial intermediaries and fiduciaries.
AML & KYC ComplianceLatest
Recently published
Swiss Composition Moratorium (Nachlassstundung)
How the Swiss composition moratorium works under the SchKG: the provisional and definitive stay, the court commissioner, and the composition agreement.
ReadLiquidating a Swiss Company: Solvent vs Bankrupt
How to wind up a Swiss company: solvent voluntary liquidation under the Code of Obligations, the call to creditors and waiting year, versus bankruptcy.
ReadSwiss Debt Collection: the Betreibung Procedure
How to enforce an unpaid debt in Switzerland under the SchKG: the payment summons, the debtor's legal objection, clearing it, then seizure or bankruptcy.
ReadSwiss Over-Indebtedness: Director Duties (Art. 725b)
When a Swiss company is over-indebted, art. 725b CO makes the board draw up audited interim accounts and notify the court: the duties, and the liability.
ReadFINMA Authorisation Process: Steps & Timeline
How FINMA authorisation works: scoping the right licence, the application file, fit-and-proper and AML, the supervisory dialogue and a realistic timeline.
ReadFINMA Licence Categories: Which One You Need
The full ladder of Swiss financial licences under FinIA, BankG and CISA, from portfolio manager to bank, and who actually needs which licence and why.
ReadFINMA Licence vs SRO Membership: Which Applies
FINMA prudential licence or SRO affiliation under Swiss AML law? What separates the two gates, and how the activity you run decides which one you need.
ReadKYC Onboarding in Switzerland: AMLA Rules
What compliant KYC onboarding under Swiss AMLA must establish: contracting party, beneficial owner, purpose and risk, and where files fail an SRO audit.
ReadMiCA vs Switzerland: Crypto Regulation Compared
MiCA gives an EU passport under one prescriptive regime; Switzerland stays principle-based outside it. How the two compare for a crypto firm choosing a base.
ReadPillar Two Switzerland: the Global Minimum Tax
The OECD 15% global minimum tax in Switzerland: the QDMTT from 2024, the IIR from 2025, the GIR deadline, and why low cantonal rates no longer shield a group.
ReadSwiss Recruitment & Placement Licence (Vermittlung)
When a private placement or staff-leasing business needs a Swiss licence under the AVG, the cantonal versus SECO split, the conditions and the security deposit.
ReadSwiss Staff-Leasing Licence (Personalverleih) Explained
Who needs a Swiss staff-leasing licence under the AVG, how the cantonal and SECO permits split, the security deposit, and the conditions to qualify.
ReadSwiss SPV Substance: Recognised or Disregarded
When a Swiss SPV is respected and when it is disregarded as a conduit: the resident board, office, books and beneficial ownership treaty access turns on.
ReadSwiss AML Obligations Explained (AMLA / GwG)
The due-diligence duties Swiss AML law imposes on financial intermediaries: identify the client, find the beneficial owner, monitor by risk and report to MROS.
ReadEconomic Substance in Switzerland Explained
What economic substance means for a Swiss company: people, premises and board decisions taken here, who needs it, and what a defensible substance file holds.
ReadSwiss Family Foundation (Familienstiftung) Explained
What a Swiss family foundation can and cannot do under art. 335 ZGB, why it is narrowly limited, and when a Liechtenstein foundation fits better.
ReadToken Classification under FINMA Explained
How FINMA sorts tokens into payment, utility and asset types, and why their economic function (not the label) decides which Swiss financial law applies.
ReadWhat Is a VASP? Crypto Rules in Switzerland
What a VASP is under the FATF definition, and how Switzerland regulates crypto exchanges, transfer and custody businesses by substance under AMLA and FINMA.
ReadSRO Switzerland: Self-Regulatory Organisation Explained
What a Swiss SRO is, what it supervises, the eleven FINMA-recognised SROs, and how AMLA affiliation differs from a FINMA licence, explained plainly.
ReadAG in Switzerland: How the Aktiengesellschaft Works
What a Swiss AG (Aktiengesellschaft) is and how it works — CHF 100,000 capital, shareholder privacy, board duties, audit thresholds and annual obligations.
ReadBank Secrecy in Switzerland: What Still Holds in 2026
Bank secrecy in Switzerland in 2026: Art. 47 Banking Act still criminalises leaks to private parties, while AEOI sends data to your tax authority yearly.
ReadCorporate Tax Rate in Switzerland by Canton (2026)
What corporate tax rate a Swiss company pays in 2026: effective canton rates from 11.66% to 20.54%, the federal 8.5%, capital tax, TRAF reliefs, Pillar Two.
ReadDividend Tax in Switzerland: 35% Withholding and Refunds
How Swiss dividends are taxed in 2026: the 35% withholding tax, refunds for residents, treaty rates for foreign shareholders and the notification procedure.
ReadEORI Number for Swiss Companies: Where and How to Register
Switzerland issues no EORI numbers. How a Swiss company gets an EU EORI, which member state to apply in, documents, cost and what the Swiss UID covers instead.
ReadEscrow in Switzerland: Services, Payments & How It Works
How escrow services and payments work in Switzerland: the five-step flow, who acts as escrow agent, rubric account mechanics, typical fees and the legal basis.
ReadFINMA Explained: Switzerland's Financial Market Regulator
What FINMA is, what it supervises and how to check a provider against its register and warning list — Switzerland's financial regulator explained.
ReadSwiss Commercial Register (Handelsregister): Search & Entry
How to search the Swiss commercial register (company register) free on Zefix, what a Handelsregister extract shows, who must register and 2026 fees.
ReadInvest in Switzerland as a Foreigner: Rules for 2026
How foreigners invest in Switzerland in 2026 — company formation, the new FDI screening act, Lex Koller property rules, taxes and market access.
ReadOpen an SPV Company in Switzerland: Forms, Tax, Costs
How to open a Swiss SPV (special purpose vehicle): AG or GmbH with a narrow purpose clause, formation steps, bankruptcy-remoteness limits, tax and running costs.
ReadProLitteris Invoice: Must Your Swiss Company Pay?
What ProLitteris is, why your Swiss company received its invoice, who must pay the GT 8 copying levy in 2026, who is exempt and how to object correctly.
ReadSwiss Residence Permit: How to Obtain One in 2026
How a foreigner obtains a Swiss residence permit in 2026 — permit types L, B and C, EU/EFTA free movement, third-country quotas and routes without a job.
ReadSwiss Banking System: How It Works and Who Regulates It
How the Swiss banking system works in 2026 — SNB, FINMA, esisuisse and SIX, all 230 banks by category, cantonal state guarantees and life after Credit Suisse.
ReadSwiss Banks for Non-Residents: 2026 Comparison
Compare 36 Swiss banks for non-residents (2026): by type, head office and whether each accepts international clients, plus the realistic minimum by segment.
ReadCompany Formation in Switzerland: How It Works in 2026
How company formation in Switzerland works for a foreigner: choosing AG or GmbH, the resident-director rule, every step with durations, and 2026 costs.
ReadSwiss Passport: How to Get Citizenship in 2026 (4 Routes)
How to get a Swiss passport: the four routes to citizenship, ten-year residence rule, B1/A2 language levels, commune–canton–SEM timeline and 2026 fees in CHF.
ReadSwiss Verein (Association): Setup, Tax and Global Use
What a Swiss Verein is under Art. 60–79 of the Civil Code, how to found one with two members and no capital, when it must register, and how it is taxed.
ReadSwitzerland Gun Laws: Permits and Foreign Buyers in 2026
What Swiss gun law allows in 2026: who needs a Waffenerwerbsschein, how foreigners and residents buy firearms legally, and which weapons stay banned.
ReadTaxes in Switzerland: System and Real Rates in 2026
How taxes in Switzerland work in 2026: the three-layer system, income tax rates by canton, wealth tax, 8.1% VAT, 35% withholding tax and lump-sum options.
ReadZug, Switzerland: Why Companies Choose the Crypto Valley
Why companies choose Zug: an effective corporate tax near 11.8%, Crypto Valley's 1,700+ blockchain firms, a fast register — plus what to see in town.
ReadSwiss Bank Account for Non-Residents (2026 Guide)
How a non-resident opens a Swiss bank account in 2026 — eligibility, the source-of-funds checks banks run, documents, timelines and realistic minimums.
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