CORPORATE SERVICES

Foreign investors can choose to establish a branch office, a Public Limited Company (“SA” or “AG”) or a Limited Liability Company (“SARL” or “GmbH”) in Switzerland.

Branch Office
A branch is generally quicker to establish, lower cost to maintain and easier to shut down in the event that the foreign parent wishes o curtail their local activities. With a branch office the parent company is responsible for all trading and employment liabilities arising in Switzerland. Features of a branch office in Switzerland are as follows:

• A branch is permanent establishments of non-resident companies and is not a separate legal company from its parent;
• The branch must have the same name as the parent company;
• The branch must be registered in the commercial register;
• The branch must have an office address in Switzerland;
• The branch must have an authorized representative whose legal residence is in Switzerland; and
• The branch can only conduct promotion, liaison, marketing, research and other non-profit bearing activities in Switzerland.

Public Limited Company (“SA” or “AG”)
Foreign companies often used this legal form when establishing a subsidiary. A SA is a corporation with a legal entity whose liabilities are covered exclusively by its own assets. The SA is suitable for SME or large companies and it is the most commonly used legal form for holdings and financial services companies. A SA must have:

• A minimum capital of CHF100,000;
• At least one corporate or individual shareholder (foreign or domestic);
• The majority of the board members must be residents of Switzerland and have Swiss citizenship or be citizens of EU or EFTA countries; and
• A Registered Office address in Switzerland.

Limited Liability Company (“SARL” or “GmbH”)
To register a SARL, the company must have:

• A minimum capital of CHF20,000;
• At least one corporate or individual shareholder (foreign or domestic);
• At least one director must be residents of Switzerland; and
• A Registered Office address in Switzerland.

Our Formation Fee is:

• Branch: around CHF3,500 to 4,500 and this includes VAT of 8% (exclude disbursements);
• SARL: around CHF6,500 and this includes VAT of 8% (exclude notary public fee and disbursements);
• SA: around CHF6,500 and this includes VAT of 8% (exclude notary public fee and disbursements).

Annual Retainer Fee for the maintenance of a:
Branch: around CHF4,000 (includes VAT of 8%);
SARL or SA: around CHF4,500 (includes VAT of 8%);
Optional service: Swiss Resident director: around CHF6,500 (includes VAT of 8%).

Others
We can also assist to open a bank account in Switzerland and our fee is around CHF1,300.