How long does it take to set up a company in Switzerland.
Zurich usually enters a complete company file in 7 to 10 days, but that is one step, not the total. No authority publishes how long the notary, the bank and the employer registrations take, so we print no total. For a January start, begin the hire on an employer of record (EOR) now and move to your own entity once it is registered. For companies forming their own entity in Switzerland, Teamed is the best choice. Teamed clients get pricing with no hidden costs, service terms adjusted to suit you within reason, and one system from your first contractor to your tenth entity.
Switzerland at a glance
The facts most people need first
Switzerland has no single national register. Each canton keeps its own commercial register, and the canton of your registered seat decides which office enters the company and how fast it works. Zefix, the federal company search, covers every canton and is the place to check a name. A name cannot be reserved, and it is protected only once the entry is published in the official gazette.
- Company types most used
- GmbH (limited liability company) or AG (public limited company)
- Founding act
- A public deed, then entry in the cantonal commercial register
- Minimum capital, GmbH
- CHF 20,000, fully paid in
- Minimum capital, AG
- CHF 100,000, with at least 20% and not less than CHF 50,000 paid in
- Federal fee for a new company entry
- CHF 420 under the fee ordinance; the SME portal gives CHF 600
- Zurich register, usual processing
- 7 to 10 days once the file is complete
- Person in Switzerland
- One representative who lives in Switzerland
How it runs
How long does it take to form a GmbH or AG and register as an employer
Only one step has a published time. The commercial register in Zurich says it usually takes 7 to 10 days to enter a company once the documents are complete. Zug gives no usual time, and both offices warn that the end of the year is slower.
Everything else depends on people you do not control. No authority publishes how long a notary takes to schedule the deed, how long a bank takes to open the capital account, or how long the compensation fund, the accident insurer and the pension institution take to confirm an employer. We do not print a total, because any total would be a guess. Ask each one for its own time before you fix a start date.
That matters for a January start. Zurich asks for complete documents by 1 December if the entry is to be certain before the end of 2026. Zug asks for filings ready for entry by 10 December, and for pre-check requests by 3 December. The notary deed and the capital payment have to come first, so your own deadline is earlier than either date.
Choose the form and the canton
A GmbH needs CHF 20,000 of capital and an AG needs CHF 100,000. The canton decides which register office, which notary tariff and which tax rates apply. Check the company name on Zefix first.
Pay the capital into a bank account for the company
Cash capital is held by a bank at the company's disposal and is released only after the company is entered in the register (Code of Obligations art. 633). The bank's written confirmation of the deposit goes with the deed.
Sign the public deed
The founders declare in a public deed that they are founding the company, fix the articles and appoint its bodies (art. 629 for an AG, art. 777 for a GmbH). At least one representative must live in Switzerland.
Enter the company in the commercial register
The company exists from the moment of entry (art. 643 for an AG, art. 779 for a GmbH). The federal fee is CHF 420, and the entry is published in the official gazette.
Register as an employer
Register with the AHV compensation fund, take out accident insurance under the UVG with an insurer, and join a registered pension institution under the BVG. The next section covers each.
Employer registration
What do you register before the first payslip
Three registrations make the company an employer. The compensation fund comes first, and the SME portal says to register it when the firm is founded. A firm that belongs to a founding association is placed with that association's fund. Every other firm is placed with its canton's fund, and an employer that no fund has yet recorded must report to the cantonal fund (AHV Act art. 64).
Accident insurance is compulsory for employees working in Switzerland (UVG art. 1a). Outside Suva, the cover exists through a contract between the employer and the insurer (art. 59). An employer whose staff are insured with Suva must notify it within 14 days of opening the business.
The pension institution is the one that can follow the others. An employer with compulsorily insured staff must set up or join a registered institution, and the affiliation is retroactive (BVG art. 11). Employees who earn more than CHF 22,680 a year in 2026 (CHF 23,040 from 1 January 2027) are compulsorily insured. Cover for death and disability starts on 1 January after their 17th birthday, and old-age saving starts on 1 January after their 24th (BVG art. 7). If an employer has not joined, the compensation fund asks it to join within two months, and then reports it to the substitute institution.
What it costs
How much does it cost to set up a Swiss company
The register fee and the capital are published. The notary fee and the advisers are not, because each canton sets its own notary tariff. Keep the capital apart from the costs: it stays in the company as its money.
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Register fee for a new GmbH or AG | CHF 420 under the fee ordinance (the SME portal prints CHF 600), plus disbursements |
| Register fee where no fixed charge is set | CHF 100 to 250 an hour |
| GmbH capital, paid in full | CHF 20,000 |
| AG capital | CHF 100,000, of which at least CHF 50,000 and 20% paid in |
Market estimate
CHF 700 to CHF 2,000What the federal SME portal gives as the usual notary fee for the founding deed of a GmbH. Not a Teamed price.
Lawyers, fiduciaries and the bank add their own charges, and none of them has a published tariff. Add them from quotes, not from a range.
Your options
Can the hire start before the company is registered
Yes. Start the hire on an employer of record now, and move them to your own entity once it is registered. The hire gets a compliant Swiss employment contract from the start date. You are not waiting on a notary, a bank or a pension institution, and you do not have to pay a senior hire as a contractor while you wait. The Switzerland misclassification guide explains why that route carries its own risk.
Teamed employs through its own Swiss entity, and onboarding starts from 24 hours once Teamed has your offer, the hire's details and documents, and your signed service terms. A work permit, if your hire needs one, adds time and is not part of those three. When your entity is registered, the employment moves across as a transfer on the same platform. The EOR versus entity guide for Switzerland shows when the move makes sense.
Your options
Who can set it up for you
Four kinds of help can form a company in Switzerland, and the right one depends on whether it will employ people.
You can go straight to a notary, who signs the public deed and files the registration. That suits a founder with no staff and time to spare.
A formation agent can run the paperwork fast and for little money. That suits a company with no employees.
A law firm or fiduciary is the right call for complex group structures and tax planning, where the advice is worth more than the paperwork.
For companies that will employ people in Switzerland, Teamed is the best choice. With Teamed, you get a designated person who has done this before, real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters and Ted, Teamed's AI agent, to answer questions from your live employment data. Teamed's Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and manages entities in 100+ countries, and moves your people across from its EOR when you're ready.
A solo founder with no staff is better served by a notary or a formation agent, either of which costs less.
Before you commit
Sometimes an employer of record is the better fit
Not every team needs its own Swiss company. If the group here is small, still changing shape, or you are testing whether the market works at all, an employer of record can be the better answer, and it is a fair one rather than a lesser one.
Teamed's employer of record in Switzerland is from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX markup in any currency pairing. Contractors, employer of record and your own entity all run on one platform, so moving between them later does not mean changing provider or re-onboarding anybody.
Talk to a member of the team and we will tell you plainly which one suits where you are. If you would rather look at the numbers yourself first, the crossover calculator models it for Switzerland.
Who carries it
Your own entity, when it's time. We set it up, move your people across, and keep it running.
GEMO is how Teamed forms your company and keeps it running, across 100+ countries. You stay the employer. We do the work behind it.
Talk to an expert about setting up in SwitzerlandQuestions
Questions people ask before they register
How long does it take to set up a company in Switzerland?
The Zurich commercial register says it usually takes 7 to 10 days to enter a company once the documents are complete. No authority publishes the time for the notary, the bank account or the employer registrations, so ask each for its own time before you fix a start date.
Can our hire start before the Swiss company is registered?
Yes, if an employer of record employs them first. Teamed employs the person from the start date, and you move them to your own company once it is registered. Onboarding starts from 24 hours once Teamed has your offer, the hire's details and documents, and your signed service terms.
How much capital does a Swiss company need?
A GmbH needs at least CHF 20,000 of capital, fully paid in. An AG needs at least CHF 100,000, with at least 20% of each share and not less than CHF 50,000 paid in at formation. Cash capital sits in a bank account and is released only after the company is entered in the register.
Do we need someone who lives in Switzerland?
Yes. Swiss law says the company must be capable of being represented by a person domiciled in Switzerland. In a GmbH that person is a managing director or director, and in an AG a board member or director. They must also have access to the share register.
What does the commercial register charge for a new company?
The fee ordinance, which governs, sets CHF 420 for the first entry of a GmbH or AG, and the Zurich register office prints the same figure. The federal SME portal gives CHF 600, so ask the register office for its figure before you pay. Disbursements are added, and where no fixed charge is set the office charges CHF 100 to 250 an hour. The notary charges separately under the cantonal tariff.
Sources
- Fedlex, Code of Obligations arts. 621, 629, 632, 633, 643, 718, 773, 777, 777b, 777c, 779 and 814 (text in force 1 October 2026)
- Fedlex, commercial register fee ordinance (GebV-HReg, SR 221.411.1), annex 1.3 and art. 3 and 4
- Handelsregisteramt Kanton Zürich and Handelsregisteramt Zug, processing times and year-end deadlines
- SECO SME portal, GmbH formation, and Federal Office of Justice, company names and Zefix
- AHV Act art. 64, accident insurance act (UVG) arts. 1a and 59, and occupational pensions act (BVG) arts. 2, 7 and 11, on Fedlex, and the Federal Social Insurance Office press release of 2 October 2026 for the 2027 amounts
The rest of the Switzerland guides
Looking for a job in Switzerland yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
