Switzerland Company Incorporation: Walkthrough

How to incorporate company in Switzerland?

Tetra Consultants’ ultimate guide on Switzerland company incorporation is tailored to help our international clients fully understand the whole process. Before you choose to incorporate company in Switzerland, Tetra Consultants advises you to read through the following comprehensive guide as requirements and regulations are stated clearly to help you fully understand the process of company registration.

Simply put, we can break down Switzerland company formation engagement into four different phases:

1. Planning & strategy
2. Incorporation
3. Bank account opening
4. Staying compliant

By systematically following the above four phases, you can expect to start conducting business with your Switzerland company within 7 weeks.

Step 1: Planning & strategy

• Depending on your business goals and activities, Tetra Consultants will recommend the most suitable business entity. Prior to Switzerland company incorporation, you will be advised on the optimum paid-up share capital, corporate structure, and whether there is a need to apply for any licenses.
• Once confirmed, Tetra Consultants reserves your preferred company name with the Registrar of Companies also known as the Switzerland Companies Registry or Swiss Business Registry.
• It is necessary that you have a legal office address in Switzerland. While you are not mandated to operate at this address, this requirement will persist for your registration needs. As such, Tetra Consultants will provide you with a local address.
• Other additional requirements include appointing a registered agent. To meet this requirement, Tetra Consultants will assist you in appointing the registered agent coupled with its address so that you can meet your registration needs.
• The role of Local registered agent will act as your representative to the Swiss Business Registry and submit accurate financial statements and corporate tax returns.

Step 2: Incorporation

• Tetra Consultants’ legal team will draft articles of incorporation, business plan, and other required legal documents for Switzerland company incorporation.
• Before submitting the documents to the government, it is required for these Switzerland company incorporation documents to be notarized.
• Thereafter, Tetra Consultants will proceed to register company in Switzerland with the Swiss Business Registry.
• Once the company is successfully incorporated, Tetra Consultants will courier the Certificate of Incorporation, Memorandum & Articles of Association, to your preferred addresses. On average, within 1 week you can expect to receive the documents of your new Switzerland company.
• Furthermore, Tetra Consultants will also assist you in applying for Swiss Financial Licenses required for fintech companies with the Swiss Financials Markets Supervisory Authority (FINMA).

Step 3: Bank account opening

• Simultaneously, Tetra Consultants will proceed to open a corporate bank account for your Switzerland newly-incorporated company. You can enjoy leveraging our extensive banking network and receive your bank account numbers within four weeks.
• Tetra Consultants will contact multiple reputable international or Switzerland banks and present your business to each relationship manager and compliance team.
• If you want to open an account with an offshore bank, we can help you with that as well. We work with renowned banking institutions in Hong Kong, the United States, and New Zealand.
• In most cases, Switzerland banks will not require you to travel to Switzerland for the bank meeting. In the event this is required, We will send a representative to the bank meeting with you. Conversely, our staff will negotiate with the banks to hold a conference call or obtain a waiver.
• On average, the corporate bank account will be opened within 4 weeks after Switzerland company incorporation. Tetra Consultants will courier the internet banking token and access codes to your preferred address.

Step 4: Staying compliant

• After incorporating the Switzerland company and opening a current account in the bank, Tetra Consultants will continue to provide you with the necessary accounting and tax services to ensure that you can continue to legally conduct business while staying compliant with regulatory obligations.
• Our team of dedicated consultants will timely prepare your firm’s financial statements, and corporate tax returns and manage bookkeeping on your behalf.
• While the government of Switzerland levies an income tax, corporations conducting business in the country are subject to other types of taxation including the Value-added tax to be levied at 7.7%.
• Tetra Consultants will assist you to file income tax returns and audited financial statements with the appropriate department.

Contact us to find out more about how to incorporate a company in Switzerland. Our team of experts will revert within the next 24 hours.