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Relocation & lump-sum tax
The move the banking is often planned alongside: canton, ruling and residence permit.
Relocation & lump-sum taxSwiss bank
account
Legitimate applicants are declined every day, not for anything they did, but because the bank could not satisfy its own due-diligence file on where the wealth came from. Opening a Swiss account is now about presenting a clear, evidenced case to the right bank, not about who you know. We match your profile to a bank likely to accept it and prepare the source-of-wealth file that answers the bank’s questions before it asks them. We can’t guarantee a decision that is the bank’s alone, but we do the part that turns a likely decline into a likely yes.
At a glance
The right bank, and a file that satisfies it.
Preparation, not promises. The decision is the bank’s.
- Why declines happen
- Weak source-of-wealth file
- We prepare
- Source of wealth & of funds
- We match
- Profile to a suitable bank
- Residence
- Not a strict precondition
- Guarantee
- None; the bank decides
The essentials
What account opening really turns on
Under the banks’ code of conduct on due diligence and the anti-money-laundering rules, a Swiss bank must identify the client, establish the beneficial owner, and document the origin of the wealth and funds before it opens an account. The most common reason a legitimate applicant is declined is a vague or unsupported account of where the money came from. Opening an account is therefore about the right bank and a clear, evidenced file. That is what we prepare.
Who this is for
- foreign nationals and non-residents opening Swiss accounts;
- clients declined elsewhere on source-of-wealth grounds;
- those relocating or setting up a Swiss structure;
- companies, foundations and trusts needing banking.
Where it fits
Banking is often planned alongside a relocation, wealth structuring, or a company formation.
The file
The source-of-wealth file
The file answers two questions the bank must document: how the wealth arose, and where these funds come from. Both, evidenced.
| Requirement | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Identity | Who the client is |
| Beneficial owner | Who really owns the funds |
| Source of wealth | How the fortune was built |
| Source of funds | Where this money is from now |
A strong file gives a coherent, corroborated story (the business sold, the inheritance, the career, the investments) with documents that match. Inconsistencies, gaps and unexplained jumps are exactly what compliance probes. We build the file with the client, finding and filling the gaps before the bank does, so the application answers itself.
How it runs
How the opening runs
Match the bank, build the file, present it well — then let the bank’s review run smoothly.
- Step 1
Understand the profile
Mapping the assets, residence, nationality and services needed to know which banks fit.
- Step 2
Match the bank
Choosing a bank with appetite for the profile, rather than approaching scattergun and leaving refusals.
- Step 3
Build the file
Assembling the source-of-wealth and source-of-funds evidence and filling the gaps in advance.
- Step 4
Present the application
Introducing the client and presenting the file so the bank’s questions are answered up front.
- Step 5
Support the review
Responding to any compliance follow-up promptly to keep the opening on track.
Budget
What it costs
The fee depends on the complexity of the profile and the file: a straightforward case is modest, while a multi-jurisdiction wealth history with gaps to evidence is more involved. Where the banking sits alongside a relocation or structure, it is scoped together with that work.
We scope and quote against the situation. Pricing is on request.
Discuss your account
What it takes
What a strong application requires
An application that gets to yes rests on:
- a bank matched to the client’s actual profile;
- a coherent source-of-wealth narrative;
- documents that corroborate every part of it;
- gaps and inconsistencies resolved in advance;
- an honest case: the bank will verify it.
Beware anyone who guarantees an account
The account decision belongs to the bank, made under its own risk and compliance rules, and no adviser can override it, so a guaranteed opening is a promise no honest party can make. What genuinely moves the odds is unglamorous: the right bank, a complete and evidenced file, and an application that answers the due-diligence questions before they are asked. An adviser’s job is to do that part well and to be straight about the rest, including telling a client when a profile will be difficult. We do exactly that, and we decline to dress up a difficult case as a sure thing.
Why Goldblum
The opening: the work behind it
Matching the bank, building the file, and presenting the application so the bank’s review runs smoothly is the work this firm does, honestly, without false guarantees.
Matched
The right bank for you
A bank chosen for appetite for the profile, so the application goes where it is likely to succeed, not scattergun.
Evidenced
A file that satisfies
A coherent, corroborated source-of-wealth file that answers the due-diligence questions before they are asked.
Honest
No false guarantees
The part we control done well, and straight talk about the part (the bank’s decision) that we do not.
Related
Around the account
The whole picture
Wealth structuring
The structure the banking serves: entities, holdings, residence and succession in one picture.
Wealth structuringThe vehicle
Swiss foundation
A supervised vehicle that, like a company or trust, needs its own banking arranged.
Swiss foundation
FAQ
Swiss bank account: FAQ
01Why is opening a Swiss account harder than it used to be?
Because banks now apply real due diligence before they accept anyone. Under the banks' code of conduct on due diligence and the anti-money-laundering rules, a Swiss bank must identify the client, establish the beneficial owner, and understand and document the origin of the wealth and funds. A vague or unsupported account of where the money came from is the single most common reason a perfectly legitimate applicant is declined. The account is not refused because the client did anything wrong; it is refused because the bank could not satisfy its own file. Getting in is now about presenting a clear, evidenced case, not about who you know.
02What is a source-of-wealth file?
It is the documented explanation of how the client's wealth was accumulated and where the specific funds being deposited come from, the evidence a bank needs to satisfy its due-diligence obligations. It covers the economic background: the business sold, the inheritance received, the career earned, the investments realised, with supporting documents that corroborate the narrative. There is a difference between source of wealth (how the overall fortune arose) and source of funds (where this particular money is coming from now), and the bank wants both. A strong file answers the bank's questions before it asks them. A weak or inconsistent one gets the application declined.
03Which Swiss bank is right for me?
It depends on the profile: the size and nature of the assets, the client's country of residence and nationality, the services needed (everyday banking, wealth management, lending, custody), and the bank's own appetite for that profile. Banks differ markedly in whom they want, what minimums they expect, and which nationalities or structures they will take on, and a profile one bank declines another welcomes. Approaching the wrong bank wastes time and can leave a footprint of refusals. We match the profile to a bank likely to accept it and to serve it well, rather than applying scattergun.
04Can you guarantee the account will be opened?
No, and anyone who guarantees it should be treated with caution: the decision is the bank's alone, and it is theirs to make under their own risk and compliance rules. What we can do is materially improve the odds and shorten the process: choosing a bank suited to the profile, preparing a clear and well-evidenced source-of-wealth file, and presenting the application properly so the bank's questions are answered up front. A strong, honest application to the right bank usually succeeds; a weak one to the wrong bank usually does not. We do the part that is within our control, and we are straight about the part that is not.
05What do banks ask about the source of funds?
They want a coherent, evidenced story: where the wealth originally came from, how it grew, and where the specific funds now arriving are from, backed by documents such as sale agreements, tax returns, inheritance papers, employment records or investment statements as the case requires. They will probe inconsistencies and gaps, and unexplained jumps in wealth or funds routed through several jurisdictions draw particular scrutiny. The aim of the file is to make the explanation complete and corroborated so the bank's compliance function can sign off. We assemble that file with the client, identifying and filling the gaps before the bank finds them.
06Does the account need a Swiss company or residence?
Not necessarily. Non-residents and foreign nationals can open Swiss accounts, both personal and corporate, though the due diligence is more searching and some banks are more open to certain profiles than others. A Swiss company, a residence, or a structure such as a foundation or trust changes which banks are appropriate and what documentation applies, but none is a strict precondition for a personal account. Where the client is also relocating or setting up a Swiss structure, the banking is best planned alongside it. We advise on what the client's situation actually requires and match the bank accordingly.
07How long does it take?
It varies with the bank and the complexity of the profile, but a well-prepared application to a suitable bank is far quicker than a poorly prepared one that triggers rounds of follow-up questions. The time is mostly spent in the bank's compliance review, and the best way to shorten it is to give them a complete, evidenced file at the outset so there is little to come back on. A weak application, by contrast, can drag on for months or stall entirely. The preparation is what saves the time. We front-load it so the bank's review runs smoothly.
08What if I've already been declined by a bank?
A previous decline is not the end, but it changes the approach. It helps to understand why the bank declined (usually it is the source-of-wealth file or a profile the bank had no appetite for, rather than anything adverse about the client) so that the next application addresses the actual obstacle rather than repeating it. Re-applying to the same bank without fixing the cause tends to fail again, and scattered refusals can themselves become a pattern that newer banks notice. The better route is a fresh, well-prepared application to a bank suited to the profile, with the file rebuilt to answer what the first bank could not. We assess why the decline happened and plan the next step deliberately.
09Can a company, foundation or trust open an account the same way?
The principle is the same but the file is larger, because the bank must look through the entity to the people behind it. For a company, foundation or trust account the bank identifies the entity, but also establishes the beneficial owners and the controlling persons, and documents the source of the entity's wealth and funds, so the due diligence reaches both the structure and the individuals. A clean corporate or structure account therefore needs the entity's documentation and the beneficial owners' source-of-wealth evidence assembled together. This is often best handled alongside the formation or structuring work. We prepare entity account applications with the look-through documentation banks now require.
10Can Goldblum arrange the introduction and the file?
Yes. We match the client's profile to a Swiss bank likely to accept and serve it, prepare the source-of-wealth and source-of-funds file with the supporting documents, and present the application so the bank's due-diligence questions are answered up front. Where the banking sits alongside a relocation, a company formation or a structure, we coordinate it with that work. We do not guarantee an outcome the bank alone controls, but we do the preparation that turns a likely decline into a likely acceptance, and we are honest about which profiles are straightforward and which are not.
Need to open a Swiss account?
Tell us your profile and where your wealth comes from. A partner matches you to a suitable bank and prepares the source-of-wealth file that gets it opened.