Business establishment in Switzerland

August 10th, 2015News0 comments

Evolutiza Lawyers and Tax Advisors offers you the possibility of creating a new company in Switzerland adapted to your needs or the possibility of acquiring an already preconstituted company in Switzerland indicating all the necessary information.

Switzerland is located in the heart of Europe, but it isn’t part of European Union. The bilateral agreements, including the free movement of persons, greatly facilitate the installation of the citizens of the European Union in Switzerland.

With its soft but complex taxation, Switzerland has the lowest VAT in Europe, a flexible labour market, qualified personnel and higher wages.

So, Switzerland is, without a doubt, a great place to start a business and create a company.

As we have said previously, Switzerland isn’t part of European Union and so the types of companies are different, meeting with:

• Joint-stock company, abbreviated SA or AG
• Society limited warranty, abbreviated SaRL or GmbH

Like essential requisite we must point out that both a joint-stock company as a society limited warranty must be represented by a person domiciled in Switzerland. So, a manager, an administrator, a principal, a commercial agent… must comply with this requirement being registered in the mercantial registration.

Focusing on the importance of the joint-stock company, given that this is one of the most reliable legal forms and prestige in Switzerland, we must point out that for its constitution, is necessary to follow a series of steps such as:

• Choice of name: the same should be checked in the register of companies
• The minimum share capital is of 100.000 swiss francs (72.700€)
• At least 50% of the share capital must be paid. This means that 50.000 swiss francs must be provided with the constitution.
• Submit the documents of constitution to commercial register
• Payment of stamp duty on share capital
• The company must be represented by, at least, a person resident in Switzerland.
• A minimum shareholder is required and can also be an employee of the company
• Compulsory registration in the mercantial registration and in the register of companies

The swiss joint-stock companies have a great credibility in the business world, due diligence and excellent banking system that support being very useful in carrying out important business.

At this point it is relevant to point that swiss bank are among the safest in the world. These entities ensure 100% of the amounts deposited by their customers. In this way, all banks operating in Switzerland must be authorized by the FINMA Market, swiss financial supervisory authority.

It should be noted that these joint-stock companies have a number of advantages such as:

• Anonymity: the identity of the shareholders isn’t available to the public
• You can constitute your company to distance: you don’t need to move for its constitution
• Easy of transfer of shares: thanks to the bearer shares
• Tax advantages: favorable international tax agreements. It must be emphasized the protocol amending the Convention between Spain and the Confederation of Switzerland on April 26, 1966 to avoid double taxation in respect of taxes on income and on capital, made in Madrid on June 29, 2006.

In the case of preconstituted joint-stock companies, are companies ready for immediate use, so you are saving time, money and bureaucratic framework that is needed to constitute them (the only thing you need to change is the property of the same).Also, a very obvious advantage is that the acquisition of a company with certain age allows you to create an appearance of longevity in business and helps inspire confidence.

Finally, we must point out that whether you decide for the creation of a new company as the acquisition of a preconstituted, in Evolutiza Lawyers & Tax Advisors have available the service of business, legal and tax advice with highly qualified staff.