Company foundation in Switzerland
The path from a good idea in the entrepreneur’s head to his own company on paper is a long but passable one. Besides the will and motivation that a company founder needs, the following formal steps are necessary to found one’s own company
1. Idea
A convincing business idea is the basis of every successful company foundation. This idea can be anything from a novel, innovative idea to doing something in a completely new way.
Duration: 1 week - 9 months
2. Choice of the correct company type
The choice of the correct legal form for your company is influenced by many factors: number of participating persons, necessary seed capital, desired liability (private or only share capital), public perception (a corporation (AG), for instance, is considered to be more legitimate than a GmbH), family allowances (sole proprietors do not receive family allowances in all cantons).
Duration: 1 − 5 days
3. Realization / Creation of Documents
The realization of the company foundation begins with the creation of all necessary documents (articles of association, official record, entry in the commercial register etc.). One of STARTUPS.CH ’s jurists will take care of these tasks for you. With STARTUPS.CH you can easily calculate an offer. If you are content with the offer, you can sign up as a user and submit your company’s data and found it online. This process should not take up more than ten minutes of your time. Upon completion, a STARTUPS.CH jurist will check your data and contact you over the telephone. You will receive all foundation-relevant documents within 24 hours (on workdays) via e-mail.
Duration without STARTUPS.CH: 7 − 14 days
Duration with STARTUPS.CH : 24 hours at the most (on workdays)
4. Letter of deposit of the deposited share capital
For the execution of the company foundation, we require a letter of deposit of the deposited share capital (only for the foundation of a corporation (AG) or GmbH).
To receive the letter of deposit you have to deposit the share capital in a Swiss bank, which will issue the letter.
STARTUPS.CH offers you this service in cooperation with PostFinance/Valiant Bank at special conditions.
Duration without STARTUPS.CH: 3 - 7 days
Duration with STARTUPS.CH : 1 − 3 days
5. Notarization of the foundation documents
To be able to enter your company in the commercial register, you have to certify all foundation documents and the letter of deposit through a notary (only for corporations). After the notarization, the documents are sent to the responsible commercial register for registration. STARTUPS.CH also takes care of this step for you.
Duration without STARTUPS.CH: 5 − 7 days
Duration with STARTUPS.CH : 1 − 3 days
6. Commercial register entry and check of certificate of registration
After notarization, the foundation documents are passed on to the commercial register office in order to create the entry of your newly founded company in the commercial register. It is essential that the submitted documents are error-free and conform to the requirements of the cantonal commercial register, as faulty documents are sent back for correction (which results in additional costs and a longer waiting time).
After the entry into the commercial register, STARTUPS.CH receives the certificate of registration for examination (it is possible that the commercial register makes a spelling mistake, which is why the certificate of registration has to be checked for correctness upon reception). After the examination it gets sent to the company founder by e-mail. The original certificate is sent by post, accompanied by the submitted notarized documents.
After the commercial register entry, the deposited seed capital is at the disposal of the company founders.
Duration without STARTUPS.CH: 14 days - 6 weeks
Duration with STARTUPS.CH : 12 days on average
For best results and a hassle-free foundation process, found your company with STARTUPS.CH , which will provide you with everything you need for a successful company foundation or conversion of a sole proprietor business. You will receive professional counsel before and after your company foundation. You can sign up for a counselling interview or request free information documents here .
Further information: www.startups.ch/en
Also in this section
- Company types in Switzerland:
- Company foundation in Switzerland:
- Foundation of a LLC (GmbH) and PLC (AG) in Switzerland by foreigners:
- Value added tax (VAT) in Switzerland:
- The tax system in Switzerland: