Route A
Set up a company in Switzerland
You want a Swiss presence: an entity that signs, invoices and employs in Switzerland. We take you from the choice of structure to the first payroll, coordinating notary, bank, fiduciary and authorities.
A typical case
A French SME in industrial maintenance wins recurring contracts in the canton of Fribourg and wants a local operation with three technicians. Question: Sàrl or branch? Who signs in Switzerland? Which permits for French staff? When does VAT start? Which insurance from day one?
What we settle with you
- Choice of structure: Sàrl (GmbH), SA (AG) or branch of the foreign company
- Incorporation: deed, articles, capital deposit, commercial register
- Administrative obligations after registration
- Representation in Switzerland: the resident signatory
- Employees: contracts, permits, cross-border workers
- Social insurance and occupational pension
- Swiss VAT: liability, registration, invoicing
- Coordination with notary, bank and fiduciary
The steps, in order
The sequence below is the usual one. The assessment adapts it to your canton and your activity.
- 01 Procedure
Structure and seat
Sàrl for most SMEs (capital CHF 20,000, fully paid), SA where investors or image require it (capital CHF 100,000, at least CHF 50,000 paid), branch when the foreign company must remain the contracting party.
- 02 Obstacle
Resident signatory
A Sàrl or SA must be able to be represented by a person domiciled in Switzerland. A branch of a foreign company needs a representative domiciled here. We help you decide whether that is your own manager, a local hire or a mandated director.
- 03 Procedure
Capital deposit and notarised deed
The capital is paid into a blocked account at a Swiss bank, which issues the certificate the notary needs. Bank onboarding of a foreign shareholder is often the slowest step.
- 04 Procedure
Commercial register
Registration in the cantonal register gives the company its legal existence and its identification number. Publication follows in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce.
- 05 Procedure
Employer registrations
Compensation office (AVS/AI/APG, unemployment), occupational pension fund, accident insurance, and where staff come from abroad, the permit procedure.
- 06 Procedure
VAT and tax
VAT registration once liable, cantonal tax registration, and where relevant the ruling requests that make your tax position predictable.
- 07 Open
Operations
Once registered, your company may sign, invoice and hire in Switzerland. Nothing in the checklist above is needed twice.
Figures to keep in mind
- Sàrl / GmbH capital
- CHF 20,000, fully paid
- SA / AG capital
- CHF 100,000, min. CHF 50,000 paid
- Signatory domiciled in Switzerland
- Required for Sàrl, SA and branches
- VAT liability threshold
- CHF 100,000 worldwide turnover
- Registration
- Cantonal commercial register, published in the SOGC
Authorities decide; we prepare and carry the file. No timeline or outcome is guaranteed.
FAQ
Branch or subsidiary?
A branch keeps the foreign company liable and is often simpler for tax consolidation; a subsidiary (Sàrl or SA) limits liability and is easier to sell, finance or staff. Our guide compares them, and the assessment recommends one for your case.
Can the manager stay abroad?
The manager may live abroad if another person domiciled in Switzerland can represent the company. That person carries real duties; we help you choose and document the arrangement properly.
Do we need an office in Switzerland?
The company needs a legal seat and a domicile address. A physical office is a business choice, not a legal one, except where a cantonal licence requires premises.
Not sure this is your route?
The assessment tells you whether a Swiss entity is needed at all, and if so which one.