Company
Before a Swiss GmbH or AG can be registered, the cash share capital is normally deposited into a blocked capital contribution account at a bank.
The bank issues the confirmation needed for the notarised incorporation and commercial-register filing.
A GmbH requires CHF 20,000 fully paid in.
For the surrounding context, see Swiss company formation.
An AG has CHF 100,000 minimum share capital, with at least 20% of each share and at least CHF 50,000 paid in at formation.
If this decision changes the viability or sequence of your move, a Swiss relocation strategy consultation can apply it to your own facts.
The founders, beneficial owners, ownership chain and source of the formation capital. Foreign shareholders, offshore holding companies, US persons, crypto-origin wealth or high-risk jurisdictions can make this stage slower than the notary.
Prepare passports, address/tax-residence evidence, corporate documents for shareholder entities and a clean source-of-funds chain.
Once the commercial-register entry is complete, the bank releases the blocked capital to the company’s operating account. It is then company money and can be used for legitimate business expenses; it is not a personal deposit that can simply be withdrawn again.
For the surrounding context, see GmbH versus AG.
Assets can be contributed instead of cash if the legal requirements are met, but contributions in kind require additional agreements, founders’ reports and audit confirmation. Cash is operationally faster.
For the surrounding context, see Swiss business banking.
If timing matters, pre-clear the bank before scheduling the notary.
| Provider type | Indicative fee | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Large bank / online process | from CHF 0 in some offers | relationship and onboarding conditions matter |
| PostFinance | around CHF 100-145 | verify current tariff |
| Cantonal banks | roughly CHF 200-300 | often regional, established process |
| Raiffeisen-type relationship | around CHF 250 | may be reduced if business account follows |
| Digital business-bank provider | around CHF 249 in the source example | useful where classic banks are slow |
These are commercial prices, not statutory charges. Re-check them when incorporating.
The bank confirms that the share capital has been paid. That confirmation is part of the incorporation package. After the company is entered in the commercial register, the blocked capital is released into the company’s operating account under the bank’s process.
The two bottlenecks are therefore bank onboarding before incorporation and release/operating-account onboarding after registration. A founder with no Swiss history should choose the institution with both steps in mind rather than optimising a CHF 100 setup fee.
General information on Swiss law and practice, not individual legal, tax or investment advice.
Whether your company moves with you, stays behind or is replaced is a decision best made before the move, not after it.
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