This article provides information and insights on the requirements that aspiring entrepreneurs must complete when applying for a Swiss company registration.
Are you searching for a lucrative career minus the boss who is constantly breathing down your neck? If so, then you should venture into starting your own firm. If you are the CEO, then you get to do the scrutinising and reprimanding, right? But more than that, running your own enterprise is as challenging as profitable. So if you are always looking for risks that have rewards, then you definitely have a future in business. So now you have decided to test your luck in Switzerland. Apart from formulating a sound corporate plan, you must deal with the prerequisites of registering the company as well. What are some of the requirements that you must prepare?
As a foreign investor, you must choose either of the two legal forms of firms: private limited company (Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung-GmbH or Societe a responsabilite limitee-SARL) and public stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft-AG or Societe anonyme-SA).
Choose a business name that is not yet registered. Make sure that it ends with the suffix AG/SA or GmbH/SARL, depending on the type of company that you choose. If you opt to use anything else, such as International or European, it is subject to certain conditions, which you have to clarify with the concerned agencies.
Familiarise yourself with the procedures involved in a Swiss company registration. Before your venture becomes a legal entity, it must be entered in the Commercial Register first. One of the requirements is the notarized minutes of the meeting that is attended by shareholders, where the founders adopt the bylaws, elect the members of the board of directors, and subscribe to all the initial shares. Along with it is a registration application that is prepared and assigned by all board members and signatories. Additional information is also needed, which include the legal address of the corporation, disclosure on whether the initial capital contribution of founders are in cash or kind, major assets to be acquired, and statement of non-violation of the Statute on Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners, among others.
Know the three-level tax system of Switzerland. Depending on the operations that you run and the political region that your enterprise is registered under, the rates imposed can be at a federal level, canton level, or communes assess incomes.
Aside from these, you should also adhere to the minimum number of shareholders and directors allowed for each legal form of company. AG/SA, for instance, must have at least three stockholders and one director who is a Swiss resident.
Of course, if you find the legal and technical aspect of starting a business in the country is overwhelming, you can always turn to professional adviser who is familiar with the ins and outs of the local corporate regulations.
Are you searching for a lucrative career minus the boss who is constantly breathing down your neck? If so, then you should venture into starting your own firm. If you are the CEO, then you get to do the scrutinising and reprimanding, right? But more than that, running your own enterprise is as challenging as profitable. So if you are always looking for risks that have rewards, then you definitely have a future in business. So now you have decided to test your luck in Switzerland. Apart from formulating a sound corporate plan, you must deal with the prerequisites of registering the company as well. What are some of the requirements that you must prepare?
As a foreign investor, you must choose either of the two legal forms of firms: private limited company (Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung-GmbH or Societe a responsabilite limitee-SARL) and public stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft-AG or Societe anonyme-SA).
Choose a business name that is not yet registered. Make sure that it ends with the suffix AG/SA or GmbH/SARL, depending on the type of company that you choose. If you opt to use anything else, such as International or European, it is subject to certain conditions, which you have to clarify with the concerned agencies.
Familiarise yourself with the procedures involved in a Swiss company registration. Before your venture becomes a legal entity, it must be entered in the Commercial Register first. One of the requirements is the notarized minutes of the meeting that is attended by shareholders, where the founders adopt the bylaws, elect the members of the board of directors, and subscribe to all the initial shares. Along with it is a registration application that is prepared and assigned by all board members and signatories. Additional information is also needed, which include the legal address of the corporation, disclosure on whether the initial capital contribution of founders are in cash or kind, major assets to be acquired, and statement of non-violation of the Statute on Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners, among others.
Know the three-level tax system of Switzerland. Depending on the operations that you run and the political region that your enterprise is registered under, the rates imposed can be at a federal level, canton level, or communes assess incomes.
Aside from these, you should also adhere to the minimum number of shareholders and directors allowed for each legal form of company. AG/SA, for instance, must have at least three stockholders and one director who is a Swiss resident.
Of course, if you find the legal and technical aspect of starting a business in the country is overwhelming, you can always turn to professional adviser who is familiar with the ins and outs of the local corporate regulations.
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