Investment & scale
AG formation
The Swiss stock corporation: CHF 100,000 capital, a non-public shareholder register, and the profile investors and holding structures expect.
AG formationSwiss company formation
for non-residents
A foreigner can own and form a Swiss AG or GmbH without living in Switzerland and without a permit. The company law is open to non-residents. The one rule that catches people is that the company must have a Swiss-resident representative, and the one step that takes longest is the bank account, not the incorporation. We choose the form, run the notary and commercial-register filing, and put the resident director, registered office and banking in place, so a foreign founder ends up with a company that can actually trade.
At a glance
A Swiss company, owned and run from abroad.
Open to foreign owners: the resident director and the bank account are the parts we carry for you.
- Legal forms
- AG, GmbH, branch or subsidiary
- Foreign ownership
- 100% permitted
- Resident director
- Required, we provide
- Minimum capital
- CHF 20,000 (GmbH) / 100,000 (AG)
- Typical timeline
- 2–4 weeks (bank account runs alongside)
The essentials
Swiss company formation for non-residents, in plain terms
Swiss company law does not reserve incorporation for residents or citizens. A non-resident can own 100% of a Swiss AG or GmbH, sit on its board from abroad, and never relocate. The capital is paid into a blocked Swiss account, the formation deed is notarised, and the company exists once it is entered in the commercial register, about two to four weeks. The two things that decide whether it actually works are a Swiss-resident representative, which the law requires, and a Swiss bank account, which is the step most likely to slow you down.
Who this route is for
- foreign founders setting up a Swiss operating company from abroad;
- foreign-owned groups establishing a Swiss subsidiary or holding;
- entrepreneurs who want a Swiss base without moving to Switzerland;
- advisers placing a client’s Swiss entity under white-label execution.
What you do not need
You do not need Swiss nationality, a Swiss address of your own, a work or residence permit, or a Swiss co-founder. None of those is a condition of owning or forming the company. What the company itself needs (a resident representative, a registered office and a bank account) is set out below, and is the part we carry where you have no presence on the ground.
The boundary
What a non-resident actually needs
Most of what founders assume blocks a foreigner does not exist; the few real requirements attach to the company, not to you. This is the difference between what people expect and what Swiss law asks for.
| Often assumed necessary | Actually required? | How it is handled |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss nationality | No | Any nationality may own or direct the company |
| You living in Switzerland | No | You can own and direct from abroad |
| A work or residence permit | No (to own) | Only if you yourself work in the company in Switzerland |
| A Swiss-resident representative | Yes, for the company | Art. 718 / 814 CO; we provide a qualifying director |
| A registered office in the canton | Yes | A real address, not a P.O. box; we provide it |
| Paid-in capital in a blocked account | Yes | Deposited before the notary, released after registration |
| A Swiss bank account to operate | Yes | The hardest step for foreign owners, prepared and introduced |
The table is the map, not the advice. The edges turn on detail (the activity, the markets, who the beneficial owners are) and they decide which bank fits and how the substance is built. We settle those before drafting, so you build on the right footing the first time.
The choice
AG vs GmbHThe two forms that do most of the work, compared, as of June 2026
Which legal form fits
Five forms exist; for a non-resident, two do most of the work. The choice turns on capital, whether owners appear on the public register, and whether you are building a standalone company or a Swiss arm of a foreign group.
AGAktiengesellschaft
GmbHGesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung
| AG | GmbH | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in before registration | At least CHF 50,000 (20% per share) | Full CHF 20,000 |
| Owners on the public register | Private, shareholders stay off it | Public, members named |
| Ownership transfer | Assignment + share-register entry; no notary | Notarised and filed with the register |
| Usually best for | Investment, holding, scale; ownership off the register | Owner-run business; lower entry cost |
| Form | Minimum capital | Owners public? | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| AG | CHF 100,000 (≥ 50,000 paid) | No | Investment, holding, scale; ownership off the register |
| GmbH | CHF 20,000 (fully paid) | Yes | Owner-run business; lower cost matters |
| Subsidiary | As AG or GmbH | Per form | A ring-fenced Swiss arm of a foreign group |
| Branch | None | Parent on register | A Swiss presence without a new legal entity |
| Sole proprietorship | None | Yes | Rarely; needs a resident owner; not for non-residents |
Three founders, three answers: a fintech raising a seed round takes the AG for its private register and freely transferable shares; a consultant billing from Zug takes the GmbH for its CHF 20,000 entry; a German manufacturer opening a Swiss sales arm takes a subsidiary to keep group liability ring-fenced. The sole proprietorship drops out for a non-resident because it needs a resident owner and gives no liability shield. We confirm the form against your plan before a line of the articles is drafted.
How it runs
From abroad to a registered company
A deliverable-driven sequence, with the bank account started in parallel rather than after registration. Per-step timings are indicative and overlap; the formation sits in the two-to-four-week range, the banking often runs longer.
- Days 1–3
Form, name & scope
Confirmation of the legal form (AG, GmbH, branch or subsidiary), the company name and purpose, the canton of seat, and the identification and source-of-funds documents for the owners.
- Week 1
Articles & power of attorney
Drafting the articles of association and the formation deed, and a power of attorney so a non-resident founder need not travel for the notarisation.
- Week 1–2
Blocked capital account
Opening the blocked capital-contribution account at a Swiss bank and paying in the capital, against which the bank issues the confirmation the notary requires.
- Week 2–4
Notary & commercial register
Notarisation of the deed and filing for entry in the commercial register; the company comes into legal existence on registration, and the capital is released into its own account.
- In parallel
Operating bank account & go-live
The onboarding file for the operating account (KYC, source of funds, business rationale) prepared and introduced to a bank that fits the company’s profile, plus VAT registration where turnover requires it.
Budget
What it costs
Two amounts sit side by side. The share capital is not a fee: CHF 20,000 for a GmbH (fully paid) or CHF 100,000 for an AG (at least CHF 50,000 paid in). It stays in the company as equity. The cost of forming it is separate: notary, commercial-register and advisory fees, plus the resident director and registered office a non-resident usually needs, and the bank introduction.
We quote a fixed budget in writing against the form you choose before any work starts, so the number is settled in advance. The value is a company that is banked and operational, not merely registered.
Ask for a fixed budget
What you keep in place
What the company must keep in place
Incorporation is the start, not the finish. A Swiss company, foreign-owned or not, has to keep:
- a registered office in its canton of seat, and at least one Swiss-resident representative;
- proper books under the Code of Obligations and an annual general meeting within six months of year-end;
- commercial-register filings for any change of director, office, capital or articles;
- VAT registration once worldwide turnover from taxable supplies reaches CHF 100,000;
- real substance (people and decisions in Switzerland) where tax or a bank will test it.
The trap nobody budgets for: the bank, not the company
Foreign founders plan for the capital and the notary and assume the bank account follows automatically. It does not. A Swiss bank runs full KYC on a foreign beneficial owner, and a generic file or the wrong bank is the usual reason an account is declined, leaving a company that is registered but cannot transact. The fix is to start the banking with the formation, not after it, and to approach a bank that fits the activity. We prepare the onboarding file and make the introduction as part of the same project, and where a deadline rules out even that, a ready-made shelf company already on the register transfers in days.
Why Goldblum
Formation from abroad, in practice
Most foreign-formation problems are not the incorporation; they are the resident director, the substance and the bank. That is the part we have handled for international clients since 2014.
One firm
Entity, director, office and bank
Incorporation, the resident director and registered office, and the bank introduction handled by one team, rather than stitched together from separate suppliers.
In parallel
Banking from day one
We start the bank onboarding alongside the formation and match the company to a bank that fits its profile, so it is not registered but unbanked.
Ongoing
We run it after, too
Registered office, resident director, books and filings maintained after incorporation, so the company stays compliant year on year.
Related
Choosing the form, and the missing piece
Owner-run
GmbH formation
The limited-liability company for owner-run businesses: CHF 20,000 capital and the simplest, cheapest Swiss entity to form and run.
GmbH formationThe missing piece
Resident director & office
The Swiss-resident director (Art. 718 CO) and registered office every AG and GmbH must have, provided for founders without a presence on the ground.
Resident director & office
FAQ
Swiss company formation for non-residents: FAQ
01Can I own a Swiss company without living in Switzerland?
Yes. There is no nationality or residence requirement to be a shareholder of a Swiss AG or a member of a GmbH, and a foreign company can own a Swiss company outright. You can hold and control the company entirely from abroad. The one structural rule is that the company itself must have at least one person authorised to represent it who is resident in Switzerland, a requirement that attaches to the company, not to its owners. We provide that resident representative where you have no one on the ground.
02Do I need a work or residence permit to set up a Swiss company?
Not to own one. Holding shares in, or being a non-resident director of, a Swiss company does not require any Swiss permit. A permit only comes into play if you intend to move to Switzerland and actively work in the company here. That is an immigration question separate from the incorporation. Many of our clients form and own a Swiss company while living abroad and never relocate. We flag early whether your plans touch the permit question at all.
03Do I have to travel to Switzerland to incorporate?
Usually not. The formation deed must be notarised, but a non-resident founder can act through a power of attorney, so the notarisation can proceed without you flying in. Identity and source-of-funds documents are handled in advance. The one step that increasingly asks for a personal meeting (by video or in person) is the bank onboarding, because the bank must verify the beneficial owner directly. We arrange the power of attorney and prepare the bank file so travel is minimised.
04How hard is it for a non-resident to open the Swiss bank account?
It is the real bottleneck, not the incorporation. A Swiss bank must run full KYC on a foreign beneficial owner (source of funds, the business rationale, the activity and its markets) and banks vary widely in appetite for foreign-owned companies and certain sectors. A thin or generic file is the usual reason an account is declined or delayed. We prepare the onboarding file to the standard the bank expects and introduce the company to a bank that fits its profile, rather than approaching the wrong one with a weak file.
05What is the resident-director requirement, and how do you cover it?
Swiss law requires every AG and GmbH to have at least one person authorised to represent it who is resident in Switzerland (Article 718 paragraph 4 of the Code of Obligations for an AG; Article 814 paragraph 3 for a GmbH). The commercial register checks this at incorporation. The role is real: the resident director carries fiduciary duties and signs filings, not a name for hire. Where a foreign-owned company has no one resident here, we provide a qualifying Swiss-resident director and the registered office, so the company is compliant from the day it is entered.
06Which canton should a non-resident incorporate in?
It depends on tax and substance, not prestige. Cantons set their own corporate tax rates, so the combined federal, cantonal and communal burden varies (low-tax cantons such as Zug sit well below the high end) and the right canton also depends on where the company will have real substance. We run two offices, in Zurich and Zug, and place the company where the tax position and the operational reality line up, rather than defaulting to the cheapest headline rate.
07How are the profits of my Swiss company taxed if I live abroad?
The Swiss company is taxed in Switzerland on its profits at the combined federal, cantonal and communal corporate rate, wherever its owners live. When it distributes a dividend, a 35 percent federal withholding tax applies, which a foreign shareholder usually reduces or recovers under the double-tax treaty between Switzerland and their country of residence. Your personal tax then depends on your own residence. We structure the holding and the distributions so the withholding tax is relieved rather than lost.
08What ongoing substance does a foreign-owned Swiss company need?
Enough that the company is genuinely run from Switzerland, not just registered here. In practice that means a real registered office in the canton of seat, the resident representative, proper books and the annual general meeting, and, increasingly under the global minimum-tax (Pillar Two) rules, decision-making commensurate with the activity. A pure letterbox is the structure most likely to be challenged by a bank or a tax authority. We build and maintain the substance as part of administering the company.
09Can my existing foreign company own the Swiss company?
Yes. A foreign parent can own a Swiss AG or GmbH outright, which is the standard way a group expands into Switzerland: the Swiss entity is a ring-fenced subsidiary with its own capital, governance and substance. The resident-director rule still applies to the Swiss subsidiary. Whether to hold the Swiss company directly or under an intermediate holding is a tax and treaty question we work through before incorporation. See our Swiss subsidiary route for the group case.
10How long does the whole process take for a non-resident, in full?
The incorporation itself is roughly two to four weeks once the file and capital are ready: drafting, notarisation, the blocked capital account and the commercial-register entry. For a non-resident the variable that usually decides the real timeline is the bank account, which can take longer than the formation and should be started in parallel, not after. If a deadline does not allow even that, a ready-made shelf company transfers in days. We sequence the entity and the bank together so the company is not registered but unbanked.
Forming a Swiss company from abroad?
Send us two lines on what the company will do and who will own it. A partner confirms the right form, the resident-director and banking path, and a fixed budget — before you commit.