Launching your business in Switzerland in 3 Easy steps

When talking about company formation in Switzerland, there are 2 different types of companies: The Public Limited Company (PLC) and Private Limited Company (LTD), with that is for most of us the same as LLCs. In general comparison, PLC and LTD have differences on minimal and maximum amounts of invested capital and shareholding percentage. You may need speak with the local service provider to found which one is the best for your case. But, one important thing that you must have knowledge of is, that your company MUST have domiciled swiss person as a shareholder(s) or as a director. Steps to follow for the incorporation in Switzerland:

Step 1 - Required Documentation:

• A colour scan copy of the passport. It should be valid for at least more 6 months;

• Any proof of residence, like phone bill or electricity bill, not older than 3 months;

• A bank reference letter or 3 month bank statement;

• The business plan and the nature of your business;

• Company name (Availability must be checked).

You should send to the service provider company a scan copy of all the documents for pre-check. So, forgotten papers and wrong documentation (out-of-date) could be replaced on time before the incorporation. Doing this you may save time and money.

Step 2 - Legal entity opening:

• The service provider company will prepare the application for incorporation, memorandum and articles;

• Open a blocked account on behalf of the company to transfer the capital. The minimal amount is 20.000 CHF (21.000 usd).

Before the activating of the blocked account, the bank have a procedure of new compliance and may request a personal meeting with the shareholder. As soon as the capital get integrated on the blocked account, the chosen company will proceed with the incorporation, that is:

• A notary meeting, to deter fraud and to ensure properly execution.

• Registration of the company at the swiss trade register.

Step 3 - Bank account opening:

On this step, the bank will receive the legalized certificate of incorporation, the corporate bank account opened and the share capital transferred as well. After that accomplished  your company is ready to use, altogether with the E-banking, debit cards, wealth management and other services. The period to pass all the processes and get everything done, it is about 40 days. The fees charged by the service companies vary through the assistance provided to the client and can go up to 15.000 euro (18.000 usd).