Company formation in Switzerland: fast and predictable

Once the documents are complete and the capital has been paid in, the commercial register entry is usually made within 2 to 3 weeks. Most of this time is taken up by the notary and the commercial register office.

Notary fees and the commercial register fee. Both depend on the canton and the capital. We tell you the expected amount in the initial meeting, so that you know the total costs.

For a GmbH and an AG, yes. The capital is paid into a blocked account and released after the commercial register entry. You have to open the account yourself; the banks require the founder to be there in person. Beforehand, you get everything from us that the bank wants to see, so that the appointment goes through at the first attempt.

It becomes mandatory from CHF 100,000 in annual revenue. Below that, voluntary registration is sometimes worthwhile, for example with large investments that qualify for input tax deduction. We look at this with you.

Yes. For a GmbH or AG, however, at least one person with signing authority who is resident in Switzerland must be registered. For an AG, we can take on this role through a board mandate (Verwaltungsratsmandat). A GmbH has no board of directors; there, this person must be a managing director or a registered officer (Direktor). What else to bear in mind is covered in detail in our article on setting up a company in Switzerland as a foreigner: permits, free movement of persons, origin of the capital.

For a GmbH formed with cash: our fee of CHF 990, plus the notary at around CHF 600 to 2,500 depending on the canton, the commercial register fee of around CHF 600 and a bank fee for the capital deposit account. Together, the costs are usually between CHF 2,400 and 4,700, plus the share capital of CHF 20,000, which belongs to your company and is not lost. If you read ‘from CHF 249 all-inclusive’ somewhere, it is worth asking which of these items are included.

A sole proprietorship is quick and needs no capital and no notary. But you are liable with your private assets. A GmbH limits liability to the company’s assets, requires CHF 20,000 in capital and comes with an obligation to keep accounts. As a rule of thumb: if you start alone, carry little risk and stay below CHF 100,000 in revenue, a sole proprietorship serves you well. As soon as employees, investments or liability risks come into play, the GmbH is the calmer choice. The detailed comparison of all three forms is in our article on legal forms, available in German.

Three things that are easily forgotten. First, registration with the AHV compensation office, even if you initially work alone. Second, checking whether VAT registration is necessary or worthwhile. And third, accounting: it starts with the commercial register entry, not next January. We take care of all three if you wish.

Yes, that is a common path. The business is transferred to the new company, depending on the structure as a contribution in kind, which requires a valuation and an audit. We prepare the founders’ report (Gründungsbericht) with you. It must be audited by a licensed auditor, and because we helped write it, we arrange an independent audit firm for this. For tax purposes, this can be done without tax consequences under certain conditions, but those conditions need to be checked beforehand. Talk to us before you act, not afterwards.

We set up operating companies, that is, companies that run a business. A holding company that holds operating subsidiaries counts as one for us. For a pure domiciliary company (Sitzgesellschaft) without activities of its own, we decline. The reason lies in the revised Anti-Money Laundering Act (Geldwäschereigesetz): since 1 October 2026, assisting with the formation of non-operating legal entities has been an activity that falls under the act, with its own due diligence and documentation duties. We are not set up for this area, and offering a service half-heartedly is out of the question for us.