How to Start a GmbH in Switzerland

If you've decided to start a GmbH in Switzerland in Zug, Zurich, Geneva or any other canton in Switzerland' you've already made one of the biggest decisions: which legal structure your business will use.

Whether you’re setting up a GmbH in Zurich, Zug, Geneva or elsewhere in Switzerland, the core requirements for forming a GmbH are the same.  

Now comes the practical part.

How much money do you need? What paperwork is involved? Do you need a notary? How long will it take? And what actually happens to the CHF 20,000 you need to put into the company?

Here's what to expect, step by step.

What is a GmbH?

A Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) - known as a Sàrl in French-speaking Switzerland - is one of the most common ways to structure a small or medium-sized business in Switzerland.

A GmbH is legally separate from the people who own it. You can start one on your own or with other shareholders, and you'll need at least CHF 20,000 in share capital to set it up.

One of the main reasons founders choose a GmbH is limited liability. In most cases, if the company owes money, its shareholders aren't personally responsible for paying those debts. There can be exceptions depending on the company's setup, so it's worth getting professional advice if you're unsure.

In practical terms, a GmbH gives you a formal company structure and a clear separation between you and the business - without the higher minimum capital required for an AG.

What do you need to start a GmbH in Switzerland?

Before you start the formal process, you'll need to make a few decisions and have some key things in place.

At least one shareholder

You don't need a business partner to form a GmbH. One person can set one up alone.

Alternatively, the company can have several shareholders, and shareholders can be individuals or other legal entities.  

CHF 20,000 minimum share capital

You'll need at least CHF 20,000 in share capital.

You must pay this in full when you form the company. We'll explain below where that money goes and, importantly, what happens to it afterwards.

A company name

You'll need to choose a name for your GmbH. The legal name must include GmbH.

Before you start ordering business cards or buying domains, check whether your proposed name is already being used.

You can do this using the Swiss Central Business Name Index (Zefix).

A registered office

Your GmbH needs an official registered address in Switzerland.

This also determines which canton your company is registered in.

Someone in Switzerland who can represent the company

At least one person who is authorised to represent the GmbH must live in Switzerland.  

This doesn't necessarily mean that every shareholder or founder needs to be Swiss or live in Switzerland.

Articles of association

You'll also need articles of association.

Think of these as the company's basic rulebook. They set out essential information such as the company name, what the business does, where it's based and how its share capital is structured.  

They form part of the legal documentation used to create your GmbH.

How much share capital do you need for a GmbH?

The minimum is CHF 20,000 and the important thing that often causes confusion is that the CHF 20,000 is not a fee for setting up the company.

It's your GmbH's starting capital.

When you form the company using cash capital, the money is normally deposited into a special blocked capital deposit account. It stays there while the GmbH is being created.

Once the company has been registered, the money can be released to the GmbH and used for legitimate business purposes.  

So when you're working out how much money you need to get started, think of it as two separate things:

CHF 20,000 — money going into your company

plus

Formation costs — money you'll spend setting the company up

That's an important distinction.

How much does it cost to start a GmbH in Switzerland?

There isn't one fixed price for setting up a GmbH.

Your total cost will depend on things such as the canton, how complicated the company structure is and how much professional support you use.

Current SECO guidance, as of August 2026, gives the following indicative costs:  

• Minimum share capital - CHF 20,000
• Formation advice - CHF 600–2,000
• Notarial incorporation documents - CHF 700–2,000
• Commercial Register registration - Around CHF 600 in the circumstances described by SECO

These figures are a guide rather than a quote.

You may also have costs for things such as the capital deposit account, document preparation or additional legal or fiduciary support.

How to start a GmbH in Switzerland: step by step

1. Decide the basics of your company

Before you get into paperwork, you'll need to decide:

• What the company will be called  
• What it will do  
• Where it will be registered  
• Who will own it  
• How ownership will be divided (shareholders)
• Who will manage and represent it  
• How the share capital will be structured  

These decisions are used to prepare your company's incorporation documents and articles of association.

It's worth checking your company name early. Finding out there's a problem with it after you've prepared everything else is an avoidable headache.

2. Deposit the CHF 20,000 share capital

If you're forming the company with cash, the CHF 20,000 share capital is paid into a special capital deposit account before the GmbH is registered.

The bank then confirms that the money has been deposited.

The money stays blocked while the company is being formed. Once registration is complete, it can be released to the company.  

Need a capital deposit account? Helvo offers capital deposit accounts for founders setting up a GmbH in Switzerland. Once your company is registered, you can then move on to setting up the everyday financial tools you'll need to run the business.

3. Complete the notarisation

You will need a notary to formally create the GmbH.

A notary is an independent legal professional who verifies and officially certifies certain legal documents and transactions. For a GmbH, their role is to make sure the company's incorporation is properly documented and legally certified.

This is a required part of forming a GmbH in Switzerland, so you can't complete the entire process simply by filling in an online form.

Before your appointment, you'll need to prepare the key information about the company, including its name, purpose, shareholders, share capital and who will manage it. Having everything ready beforehand can make the notarisation process much more straightforward.

Need to find a notary? You can search for one by location and language using the Swiss Federation of Notaries directory.

4. Register the GmbH in the Commercial Register

Next, the incorporation documents are submitted to the Commercial Register in the relevant canton. This is the moment that matters legally as it’s when your GmbH officially becomes a company.  

Until then, you're still in the formation process.

Once registration is complete, you'll receive the Commercial Register details you need for the next stages of setting up the business.

5. Take care of the registrations that come next

Being entered in the Commercial Register doesn't mean every piece of administration is finished.

Depending on what your company does and whether you employ people, you may also need to deal with:

• AHV/AVS and social insurance  
• Occupational pension arrangements  
• Accident insurance  
• VAT registration  
• Any requirements specific to your industry  

For example, if your GmbH employs staff, including you as a founder where applicable, there are social insurance and other employer obligations to consider. SECO's official formation checklist covers these post-registration steps.  

6. Get the company ready to do business

Once your GmbH is registered, the share capital can be released from the blocked account.

Now you need to turn the legal company you've created into a business that can operate.

That means being able to:

• Receive payments from customers  
• Pay suppliers  
• Manage expenses  
• Send invoices  
• Keep your accounts up to date  
• Understand your cash flow  
• Manage payroll when you employ people  

This is the point where forming the company becomes running the company.

Helvo is designed for this next stage, bringing business banking, payments, invoicing and financial administration together for Swiss SMEs.

How long does it take to start a GmbH in Switzerland?

There's no single guaranteed timeline.

How long it takes will depend on several things: how quickly your documents are prepared, opening the capital deposit account, arranging the notarisation and how long the relevant Commercial Register takes to process your application.

The best way to avoid unnecessary delays is to get as much organised as possible before you start.

Have your company name, shareholders, share capital, registered office and documentation ready. The fewer things that need correcting or chasing later, the smoother the process is likely to be.

Helvo can also help with some of the practical steps along the way. You can arrange the capital deposit account through Helvo, and Helvo works with notary partners who can support the incorporation process. Bringing these steps together can mean fewer separate providers to coordinate while you're getting your GmbH registered.

It's also worth remembering that forming the company and setting up its everyday banking are two different stages.

Formation creates your GmbH.

Your everyday business account is what helps you start operating, receiving customer payments, paying suppliers and managing the company's finances.

Can you start a GmbH online in Switzerland?

Partly - but not completely.

A lot of the preparation can now be handled digitally, but this doesn't remove the legal requirement for notarisation.

EasyGov.swiss, the official online platform from the Swiss authorities, allows you to prepare parts of the GmbH formation process online.

The digital tools make the administration easier but the underlying legal formation process still needs to be completed.

GmbH formation checklist

Here's the process:

• Choose your company name  
• Check that the name is available  
• Confirm the registered office  
• Decide who the shareholder(s) will be  
• Agree how ownership will be divided  
• Decide who will manage and represent the company  
• Prepare the minimum CHF 20,000 share capital  
• Open the capital deposit account  
• Prepare the articles and incorporation documents  
• Complete the notarisation  
• Submit the company to the Commercial Register  
• Obtain the Commercial Register extract  
• Release the deposited share capital  
• Check your AHV/AVS and insurance obligations  
• Check whether you need to register for VAT  
• Set up your everyday business banking  
• Set up invoicing and accounting  

This follows the main stages in the official SECO GmbH formation checklist.  

Common mistakes when starting a GmbH

Thinking the CHF 20,000 is a fee

This is a common misconception, but rather than a fee, it's money you're putting into your company as its starting capital.

Choosing a company name without checking it

Check the name before you invest in domains, branding, signs or other materials.

Waiting until registration to think about how the business will operate

Getting into the Commercial Register means you've created the company.

It doesn't automatically mean you're ready to send invoices, receive customer payments, pay bills and keep your accounts up to date.

Think about those things while you're forming the GmbH, not afterwards.

Forgetting what comes after registration

Depending on your circumstances, you may still need to deal with VAT, AHV/AVS, insurance, bookkeeping and payroll.

Relying on an old checklist

Rules and administrative processes can change. Make sure you’re using current and official Swiss sources, and if something isn't clear or your setup is more complicated, get professional advice rather than guessing.

Not sure whether a GmbH is right for you?

This guide assumes you've already decided to form a GmbH.

If you're still choosing between a GmbH, sole proprietorship, AG or another structure, the Swiss SME Portal provides official guidance on choosing the right legal form for your business.

Once you've made that decision, come back here for the practical GmbH formation steps.

After formation: make your GmbH operational

Getting your GmbH into the Commercial Register is a big milestone, but it’s also just the starting line.  

Now the business needs to be able to send an invoice, get paid, pay a supplier and know where its money is going.

Traditionally, founders have pieced this together across different systems: a business bank account in one place, invoicing somewhere else, separate accounting software and spreadsheets filling the gaps.

Helvo is designed to bring those everyday financial tasks together.

So once you've finished creating the company, you can spend less time building the administration around it, and more time building the business itself.

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Frequently asked questions about starting a GmbH in Switzerland

How much money do I need to start a GmbH in Switzerland?

You need at least CHF 20,000 in share capital.

Remember, this isn't the same as your formation costs. The CHF 20,000 becomes capital belonging to the company once the GmbH has been registered and the funds are released.  

When does my GmbH officially become a company?

When it's entered in the Commercial Register. That's the point at which the GmbH legally comes into existence.  

Do I need a notary?

Yes. Forming a Swiss GmbH requires public notarisation.  

Can I start a GmbH on my own?

Yes. You can form a GmbH with a single shareholder.  

Can I start a GmbH online?

You can prepare parts of the formation process digitally, including through EasyGov. But you still need to complete the required legal and notarial steps.

What happens to my CHF 20,000 after registration?

Once the GmbH has been registered, the money can be released from the blocked capital account to the company.

It hasn't been spent on formation, it belongs to your GmbH and can be used for the business.  

This article provides general information and does not constitute legal, tax or accounting advice. Requirements can depend on the company, canton, shareholders and business activities. Use current official Swiss guidance and seek qualified professional advice where appropriate.

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