Entity Formation in Switzerland

Ready for a permanent Swiss presence? We help you incorporate the right entity (a GmbH or AG) the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including telling you when it is too early.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest Timing

What forming a Swiss entity means

A GmbH (limited liability company) or AG (stock corporation) is the standard vehicle for a permanent Swiss business presence. When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in Switzerland, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup time and capital and the ongoing obligations.

01

Your Own Company

Your own entity makes you the legal employer and operator in Switzerland, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower Cost at Scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup Takes Weeks

Incorporation involves notarisation and entry in the commercial register, and you cannot employ anyone until it completes and you are registered with the social insurers. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How forming a Swiss entity works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm a GmbH or AG is right for you, then prepare the incorporation documents, reserve the company name, and arrange your registered Swiss address.

02 — Capital & notarisation

Share capital is paid into a blocked account (CHF 20,000 for a GmbH, at least CHF 50,000 of CHF 100,000 for an AG), the deed is notarised, and the company is entered in the commercial register.

03 — Register the company

Corporate tax and VAT accounts are set up with the cantonal and federal authorities, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual reporting, all of which we can run for you.

What forming a Swiss entity costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. Switzerland is higher on the capital requirement than most of Europe. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Capital & formation

A GmbH needs CHF 20,000 of capital, fully paid; an AG needs CHF 100,000 with at least CHF 50,000 paid in. This is equity you own, not a fee. Plus notary and commercial-register costs.

Corporate tax

Federal corporate tax is 8.5% on profit, with cantonal and communal tax on top, bringing the combined effective rate into roughly the 11.7% to 20.5% range depending on canton.

VAT

Swiss VAT standard rate is 8.1%, with registration once worldwide turnover passes CHF 100,000, and periodic returns once trading.

Ongoing Obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax and social insurance), VAT and corporate tax filings, and annual reporting, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Swiss entity through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in Switzerland through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your entity runs, not just exists.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

The right specialists, in place

Notary, tax, and accounting partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across Europe. A Swiss GmbH or AG must have at least one director domiciled in Switzerland with signing authority, even when every shareholder is based abroad, and this is a requirement foreign founders routinely miss until it stalls the filing. We arrange it before it becomes a delay.

  • Entity formations
  • Notary & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and annual accounts, so your entity operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

The Swiss entity decision people rush

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Swiss company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin. Reality: incorporation needs notarisation, paid-in share capital, a registered Swiss address and a resident-director requirement, and you cannot legally employ anyone in the gap.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: dissolving a Swiss company needs a shareholder resolution, a creditor call, and a liquidation period. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: annual accounts, monthly payroll and social filings, corporate tax and VAT returns, and director liability. None of this is a reason not to form an entity. It is a reason to form it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your Swiss entity

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your Swiss entity.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Swiss payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and social insurance calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: AHV/IV/EO, unemployment, BVG pension, accident insurance, and leave.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Forming a Swiss entity: your questions answered

Straight answers on forming and running a Swiss entity.

How long does it take to form a Swiss entity?

Once documents, paid-in capital, and the notarised deed are in place, commercial-register entry typically follows within a couple of weeks, longer with any complication. You cannot legally employ anyone until registration completes and you are set up with the social insurers, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

A GmbH needs CHF 20,000, fully paid in. An AG needs CHF 100,000, with at least CHF 50,000 paid in before registration. This is equity you own, not a fee. The other real cost is the ongoing accounting and compliance, which we can run for you.

Yes. A GmbH or AG can be foreign-owned, but Swiss law requires at least one director or manager resident in Switzerland who can represent the company. We arrange the registered address and can help meet the residency requirement.

Form an entity when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs and the capital. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax and social insurance), corporate tax and VAT filings, and annual reporting. We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Swiss entity operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in Switzerland?

Tell us your plans for Switzerland and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified June 2026 (ESTV, commercial register, PwC). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.