Switzerland
Switzerland: 5 company types, its taxes, banking and business environment, and what it is known for.
Forming a company
Company types in Switzerland
The 5 forms a founder can choose here, each with its own figures. Open one for its sources.
What it is known for
Where Switzerland is in the world’s top 10 on a measure anyone can check, the best rank first. Only the top is shown; a low rank is never stated.
- World’s1stWorld-leading exports Gold (unwrought or semi-finished)Gold (including gold plated with platinum), unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms, or in powder formUS$106.4 bn · 18.1% of world exports of 156 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s1stWorld-leading exports Wristwatches and other watchesWristwatches, pocket-watches and other watches, including stopwatches, other than those of heading 9101US$17.9 bn · 60.0% of world exports of 192 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s2ndWorld-leading exports Medicines, in measured dosesMedicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses (including those in the form of transdermal administration systems) or in forms or packings for retail saleUS$46.7 bn · 9.7% of world exports of 209 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s joint3rdLogistics and freight Logistics Performance Index4.1 of 5 of 138 economies · 2022 World Bank, World Development Indicators See the top 12
- World’s3rdKnowledge-intensive economy Economic Complexity Index1.58 of 142 economies · 2024 Harvard Growth Lab, Atlas of Economic Complexity (CC0) See the top 10
- World’s8thResearch and technology Research and development spending3.22% of GDP of 78 economies · 2023 World Bank, World Development Indicators See the top 10
A rank is among everything the source reports for that year, so it moves when the source adds or drops economies. Exports include goods passing through for re-export. Nothing here is a recommendation.
Doing business here
Business accounts
Providers whose own published list of countries names Switzerland. A listing means a company formed here may apply, not that it will be accepted.
Not in our records No provider's country list has been read for Switzerland.
EU listings
Two lists a bank checks when it opens an account for a company or its owner.
- EU high-risk third countries (AML)
- Not listed
- EU non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes
- Not listedOfficial EUR-Lex, 52026XG01465, Annex I as of 2026-02-17
Official sites
The authorities’ own sites for Switzerland: where to register, file and check.
Business registerHandelsregisteramt of the canton of the seat (cantonal commercial registry offices; the Federal Office for the Commercial Registry runs the central index)zefix.admin.ch
Tax authorityFederal Tax Administration (FTA) / Eidgenössische Steuerverwaltung (ESTV)estv.admin.ch
Tax treaties in forcesif.admin.chsif.admin.ch
Blocs and agreements
The trade arrangements Switzerland belongs to, as each arrangement’s own texts state them: since when, and what each covers. What a membership means for a business is for you to judge.
- Schengen area
- Free movement area · since 12 December 2008
Covers movement of people.
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shall apply to the Swiss Confederation, in its relations with Kingdom of Belgium, the Czech Republic,
- European Free Trade Association
- Free trade area · since 1960
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the other EFTA State, Switzerland, is not party to the EEA Agreement.
- Switzerland–Liechtenstein customs treaty
- Customs union with Liechtenstein · since 1 January 1924
Covers goods, a common external tariff.
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Gebiet des Fürstentums Liechtenstein wird an das schweizerische Zollgebiet angeschlossen und bildet einen Bestandteil des schweizerischen Zollgebietes.
Regional and customs arrangements only, 36 of them; bilateral trade agreements are not yet in our records.
Tax
Company tax
Tax, and what the company owes the registry each year.
- Corporate income tax
- 19.47%
- Distributions
- Not in our records
- Audit
- Ordinary audit for companies above two of: CHF 20 million balance sheet, CHF 40 million turnover, 250 full-time posts, in two consecutive years (Art. 727(1) no. 2 OR); otherwise a limited audit, which may be waived with all members' consent if the company has no more than ten full-time posts (Art. 727a OR, applied to the GmbH by Art. 818(1) OR).Official The registry or ministry page as of 2026-10-10
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Für die Revisionsstelle sind die Vorschriften des Aktienrechts entsprechend anwendbar.
- Small-company relief
- Not in our records
- Annual obligations
- Not in our records
- Annual registry fee
- Not in our records
VAT
The tax on what the company sells in Switzerland, and when it must register, as the tax authority states it.
- Standard rate
- 8.1%
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Normal rate: 8,1 % The normal rate is 8,1 %. Reduced rate: 2,6 %
- Other rates
- 2.6% Certain goods and services, including foodstuffs (except alcoholic beverages), cattle, poultry and fish, seeds and plants, grains, animal feed and fertiliser, medications, newspapers, magazines and books, radio and television services, and menstrual hygiene products
- 3.8% Accommodation services (overnight stays with breakfast) in the hotel and accommodation business
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Normal rate: 8,1 % The normal rate is 8,1 %. Reduced rate: 2,6 %
- Registration threshold
- CHF 100,000 · about €108,038
worldwide turnover from taxable or zero-rated supplies; per year
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As of 1 January 2018, all companies that are domiciled in Switzerland or that provide supply of goods or supply of services in Switzerland will become liable to VAT, if they generate a worldwide turnover of at least CHF 100 000 p. a. resulting from taxable or zero-rated supplies.
- Voluntary registration
- Yes
A business with annual turnover under CHF 100,000 is exempt but may waive the exemption and enter the register of taxable persons voluntarily.
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Whoever generates an annual turnover of less than CHF 100 000 from taxable or zero-rated supplies is exempted from tax unless he or she waives exemption from tax liability and enters voluntary in the register of taxable persons.
- A foreign company
- The same threshold applies; needs a local tax representative
A company domiciled abroad is liable to VAT if it supplies goods or services in Switzerland and has worldwide turnover of at least CHF 100,000 a year from taxable or zero-rated supplies; companies supplying only exempt or reverse-charge services are exempt. A foreign taxable person must appoint a tax representative in Switzerland and register within 30 days of the commencement of tax liability.
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As of 1 January 2018, all companies that are domiciled in Switzerland or that provide supply of goods or supply of services in Switzerland will become liable to VAT, if they generate a worldwide turnover of at least CHF 100 000 p. a. resulting from taxable or zero-rated supplies.
- Returns filed
- Depends on the business
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Für Korrekturen einzelner Monats-, Quartals- oder Semesterabrechnungen während der Steuerperiode ist die Korrekturabrechnung zu verwenden.
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-22
Tax calendar
When the main returns and payments fall due in Switzerland, tax year Steuerperiode 2025 (tax period 2025) for direct federal tax; 2026 for VAT, as the tax authority states it.
- Corporate tax return
- Set by the states or provinces
The direct federal tax on corporate profit is a federal tax, but the ESTV states that assessment and collection are carried out by the cantons for the Confederation and under its supervision, and the SSK overview states the return is filed by the deadline set by the canton. The corporate income-tax return is therefore devolved to the canton (which also assesses the canton's own profit tax). Page read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/direkte-bundessteuer.
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Unter Aufsicht des Bundes erfolgt die Veranlagung und der Bezug durch die Kantone.
- Corporate tax, final payment
- Set by the states or provinces
The balance of direct federal tax is collected by the canton under Art. 2/Art. 107 DBG; the ESTV states that assessment and collection are carried out by the cantons for the Confederation and under its supervision. The cantonal tax administration issues the provisional and final tax invoices and sets the payment dates, so the obligation is devolved. Page read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/direkte-bundessteuer.
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Unter Aufsicht des Bundes erfolgt die Veranlagung und der Bezug durch die Kantone.
- Corporate tax, instalments
- Set by the states or provinces
Provisional payments of the direct federal tax on profit are demanded and collected by the cantonal tax administration; the ESTV states that collection is carried out by the cantons for the Confederation and under its supervision, and the cantonal authorities handle the provisional and final invoices. The obligation is therefore devolved. Page read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/direkte-bundessteuer.
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Unter Aufsicht des Bundes erfolgt die Veranlagung und der Bezug durch die Kantone.
- Personal income-tax return
- Set by the states or provinces
In Switzerland the income tax return (for the direct federal tax, the cantonal tax and the communal tax together) is filed with the canton by the deadline the canton sets; the SSK/ESTV overview of the system states that the return is filed by the cantonal submission date. The ESTV also states that assessment and collection of the direct federal tax are carried out by the cantons. The obligation is devolved. Pages read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/direkte-bundessteuer and the SSK brochure 'Das schweizerische Steuersystem'.
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Unter Aufsicht des Bundes erfolgt die Veranlagung und der Bezug durch die Kantone.
- Personal income tax, final payment
- Set by the states or provinces
The balance of income tax (federal, cantonal and communal) is collected by the canton; the ESTV states that assessment and collection of the direct federal tax are carried out by the cantons for the Confederation. The cantonal tax administration issues the provisional and final tax invoices and sets the payment dates. The obligation is devolved. Page read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/direkte-bundessteuer.
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Unter Aufsicht des Bundes erfolgt die Veranlagung und der Bezug durch die Kantone.
- Personal income tax, instalments
- Set by the states or provinces
Provisional income tax payments are demanded and collected by the cantonal tax administration together with the cantonal and communal tax; the ESTV states that collection of the direct federal tax is carried out by the cantons. The obligation is devolved. Page read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/direkte-bundessteuer.
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Unter Aufsicht des Bundes erfolgt die Veranlagung und der Bezug durch die Kantone.
- VAT return
- 2 months after the end of the quarter · each quarter
DE: die MWST-Abrechnung muss innert 60 Tagen nach Ablauf der Abrechnungsperiode unaufgefordert eingereicht und bezahlt werden. EN: a VAT-registered business submits the VAT return and pays the tax within 60 days after the end of the reporting period; for the standard quarterly period that is 31 May, 31 August, 30 November and 28/29 February. Businesses with turnover below CHF 5,005,000 may elect half-yearly reporting, and monthly reporting is possible on request; the record takes the standard quarterly case. VAT is a federal self-declared tax collected by the ESTV. The page states no weekend shift, so the shift is unstated.
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Die Abrechnung muss jeweils innert 60 Tagen nach Ablauf der entsprechenden Abrechnungsperiode unaufgefordert eingereicht ( Art. 71 Abs. 1 MWSTG ) und bezahlt werden ( Art. 86 Abs. 1 MWSTG ).
- Payroll withholding
- Set by the states or provinces
The employer deducts the employment withholding tax from the wages of the affected employees and transfers it to the competent CANTONAL tax administration; the ESTV states that the withholding is settled directly with the competent canton under Art. 107 DBG, under either the monthly or the annual model depending on the canton. The obligation is therefore devolved to the canton. Note that a resident employee with a settlement permit and no other reason for withholding is ordinarily assessed in the cantonal ordinary procedure instead. Page read: https://www.estv.admin.ch/de/quellensteuer.
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Arbeitgebende ziehen die Quellensteuer den betroffenen Arbeitnehmenden vom Lohn ab und überweisen diese der zuständigen kantonalen Steuerverwaltung.
Running the company
Running a company here
Not in our records The authorities’ pages on running a company have not been read for Switzerland yet.
Economy and trade
What it exports
Goods Switzerland exported, by product, as a share of its goods exports each year. Exports include goods passing through for re-export. A share describes Switzerland’s own trade; it does not compare places.
| Product (HS heading) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Value, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold (including gold plated with platinum), unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms, or in powder form HS 7108 | 27.3% | 27.6% | 26.7% | US$106.4 bn |
| Medicaments (excluding goods of heading 3002, 3005 or 3006) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses (including those in the form of transdermal administration systems) or in forms or packings for retail sale HS 3004 | 11.3% | 10.8% | 11.7% | US$46.7 bn |
| Human blood; animal blood prepared for therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic uses; antisera, other blood fractions and immunological products, whether or not modified or obtained by means of biotechnological processes; vaccines, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms (excluding yeasts) and similar products; cell cultures, whether or not modified HS 3002 | 8.5% | 9.4% | 10.6% | US$42.3 bn |
| Wristwatches, pocket-watches and other watches, including stopwatches, other than those of heading 9101 HS 9102 | 4.2% | 4.7% | 4.5% | US$17.9 bn |
| Heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom(s) only HS 2933 | 3.5% | 4.2% | 3.8% | US$15.1 bn |
| Wristwatches, pocket-watches and other watches, including stopwatches, with case of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal HS 9101 | 2.5% | 2.9% | 2.9% | US$11.7 bn |
| Articles of jewellery and parts thereof, of precious metal or of metal clad with precious metal HS 7113 | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2.8% | US$11.2 bn |
| Orthopaedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability HS 9021 | 1.9% | 2.0% | 1.9% | US$7.5 bn |
| Instruments and appliances used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences, including scintigraphic apparatus, other electromedical apparatus and sight-testing instruments HS 9018 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.1% | US$4.6 bn |
| Electrical energy HS 2716 | 2.5% | 1.3% | 1.1% | US$4.2 bn |
Total goods exports, 2024: US$398.8 bn. The ten largest headings are shown.