Switzerland has no single national companies house. Companies are entered in the Handelsregister / registre du commerce / registro di commercio (Commercial Register), which is kept by the cantons — each of the 26 cantons runs its own Handelsregisteramt (cantonal commercial register office) — under the federal oversight of the Eidgenössisches Amt für das Handelsregister (EHRA, Federal Commercial Register Office) at the Federal Office of Justice. All cantonal registers feed a central database that is published free of charge as Zefix (Zentraler Firmenindex, Central Business Name Index) at zefix.ch, and every entry takes effect through publication in the Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt (SHAB / FOSC, Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce).

The company registry in Switzerland

Article 927 of the Obligationenrecht (OR, Code of Obligations) defines the commercial register as a network of state-run databases whose purpose is to record and disclose legally relevant facts about legal entities, serving legal certainty and the protection of third parties. The detailed procedure is set out in the Handelsregisterverordnung (HRegV, Commercial Register Ordinance), modernised with effect from 1 January 2021.

Registration is filed with the cantonal office of the place of the registered office (or, for a branch, of the place where the branch is located). The EHRA does not levy the fees — those belong exclusively to the cantons — but it operates the central databases of legal entities and of the persons recorded in the cantonal registers, and it approves entries before they take effect. Every registered entity also receives a UID (Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer, business identification number), which is the single identifier used across Swiss administrations. Alongside Zefix, the Federal Office of Justice runs Regix, the service for checking whether a proposed business name is already registered or resembles an existing one, and companies can be founded online through the federal portal EasyGov.

Switzerland does not operate a separate register for sole traders: the Einzelunternehmen (sole proprietorship) is entered in the same commercial register as companies. What differs is the obligation. Under article 931 OR, a natural person running a business that generated turnover of at least CHF 100,000 in the last financial year must register the sole proprietorship at the place of establishment; members of the liberal professions and farmers are exempt unless they run a commercially organised business, and any sole proprietorship or branch that is not obliged to register has the right to register voluntarily.

A major change is under way in the field of beneficial ownership. The Bundesgesetz über die Transparenz juristischer Personen und die Identifikation der wirtschaftlich berechtigten Personen (TJPG, Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities and the Identification of Beneficial Owners), adopted by Parliament on 26 September 2025, creates a Schweizerisches Transparenzregister (Swiss Transparency Register) held by the Federal Office of Justice, with a control unit at the Federal Department of Finance. The revised Anti-Money Laundering Act and the TJPG enter into force on 1 October 2026, with transition periods for entities that must report; a pilot phase started on 16 June 2026 under a pilot ordinance in force since 18 May 2026. Information on the register is published at transpareg.admin.ch.

Legal forms that can be registered in Switzerland

The list below follows the official classification of legal forms used by Zefix and the cantonal commercial registers.

  • Einzelunternehmen (Sole proprietorship) — a natural person trading in their own name; no separate legal personality and unlimited personal liability. The business name must contain the owner’s family name.
  • Kollektivgesellschaft (General partnership) — two or more natural persons trading together; the partners are personally and jointly liable without limit and no minimum capital applies.
  • Kommanditgesellschaft (Limited partnership) — at least one general partner with unlimited liability and at least one limited partner liable only up to the registered Kommanditsumme.
  • Aktiengesellschaft, AG / SA (Company limited by shares) — the standard capital company; minimum share capital CHF 100,000, of which at least CHF 50,000 must be paid in. Since the company-law revision in force from 1 January 2023 the capital may be denominated in EUR, USD, GBP or JPY, and the board may operate within a Kapitalband (capital band) for up to five years.
  • Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH / Sàrl (Limited liability company) — minimum capital CHF 20,000, fully paid in, divided into shares of at least CHF 100 nominal value; the quotaholders are recorded in the commercial register by name.
  • Kommanditaktiengesellschaft (Partnership limited by shares) — a share-based company in which at least one member is liable without limit; rare in practice.
  • Genossenschaft (Cooperative) — a member-based body promoting the economic interests of its members; no fixed minimum capital, with liability governed by the statutes.
  • Verein (Association) — a non-profit body; it must register if it runs a commercial business or is subject to an audit requirement.
  • Stiftung (Foundation) — assets dedicated to a specific purpose, created by public deed or by will and supervised by the competent supervisory authority.
  • Zweigniederlassung (Branch) — a legally dependent but economically autonomous establishment of a Swiss entity.
  • Zweigniederlassung einer ausländischen Gesellschaft (Branch of a foreign company) — the Swiss establishment of a foreign legal entity, registered where it is located.
  • Institut des öffentlichen Rechts (Public-law institution) — a body established under federal, cantonal or communal public law.
  • Gemeinderschaft (Community of joint heirs / ownership in undivided shares) — a family or heirs’ community operating a business jointly.
  • Investmentgesellschaft mit festem Kapital, SICAF (Investment company with fixed capital) — a collective investment vehicle with fixed capital, supervised by FINMA.
  • Investmentgesellschaft mit variablem Kapital, SICAV (Investment company with variable capital) — the open-ended equivalent, likewise supervised by FINMA.
  • Kommanditgesellschaft für kollektive Kapitalanlagen, KmGK (Limited partnership for collective investment schemes) — the Swiss private-equity partnership vehicle.
  • Nichtkaufmännische Prokura (Non-commercial power of attorney) — a registrable signing authority that is not itself a business entity.
  • Besondere Rechtsform (Special legal form) — the residual classification used for entities created by specific legislation.

Information available from the Swiss registry

Article 936 OR states that the commercial register is public, and that publicity covers the entries, the applications for registration and the supporting documents; only the AHV insurance number is withheld. Entries, Statuten (articles of association) and Stiftungsurkunden (foundation deeds) must be made available on the internet free of charge, and the online entries must be searchable by defined criteria. Other supporting documents and the applications themselves can be inspected at the competent cantonal office or made available by it over the internet on request. Changes must remain chronologically traceable, which is why Swiss extracts show both current and deleted entries.

A Zefix record typically shows the business name and any previous names, the UID and the register number, the legal form, the seat and address, the date of first entry, the purpose clause, the capital and its composition, the members of the board or management, the persons with signing authority and the form of that authority, the auditors where appointed, the domiciliation provider if any, and the status of the entity, including liquidation or deletion. Every SHAB publication concerning the entity is linked from the same record, so the full sequence of registered changes can be reconstructed.

What Swiss law does not put on the public file is the annual accounts of an ordinary company. Under article 958e OR, the annual and consolidated accounts together with the audit reports must be published in the SHAB — or supplied to anyone who asks within a year of approval, at that person’s cost — only if the undertaking has outstanding bonds or equity securities listed on an exchange. All other undertakings must merely grant inspection of the annual report and audit reports to creditors who demonstrate a protected interest, and the court decides in case of dispute. Beneficial ownership is likewise not part of commercial-register publicity: it will sit in the separate Transparency Register from 1 October 2026, held by the Federal Office of Justice rather than by the cantonal register offices.

Documents that can be obtained from the registry

  • Handelsregisterauszug (Commercial register extract) — the certified statement of an entity’s current registered particulars: name, UID, seat, purpose, capital, governing bodies and signing authorities. The standard proof of existence and representation for banks, notaries, tenders and cross-border use.
  • Beglaubigter Handelsregisterauszug (Certified extract) — the version bearing the register office’s certification, required whenever a simple printout is not accepted; it can be issued with an apostille for use abroad.
  • Historischer Auszug / Auszug mit gelöschten Einträgen (Historic extract) — an extract including deleted entries, showing how the entity’s name, seat, capital and officers have changed over time.
  • Statuten (Articles of association) — the constitutional document of an AG, GmbH or cooperative, available free of charge over the internet under article 936 OR.
  • Stiftungsurkunde (Foundation deed) — the founding instrument of a foundation, likewise freely accessible online.
  • Belege (Supporting documents) — the notarial deeds, meeting minutes, capital-contribution confirmations and declarations filed with an application, inspectable at the cantonal register office or supplied by it on request.
  • Anmeldungen (Applications for registration) — the signed applications themselves, which form part of the public file.
  • SHAB-Publikationen (SHAB publications) — the official gazette notices in which each entry becomes effective, searchable and free at shab.ch and through Zefix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who keeps the business register in Switzerland?

The cantons. Each canton runs its own commercial register office, under the federal oversight of the Eidgenössisches Amt für das Handelsregister at the Federal Office of Justice, which operates the central databases behind Zefix.

Is there a free company search for Switzerland?

Yes. Zefix at zefix.ch is the free central business name index, updated daily, with a REST interface for programmatic access and links to the cantonal registers and to SHAB publications.

Does a Swiss sole trader have to register?

Only if the business generated turnover of at least CHF 100,000 in the last financial year, under article 931 of the Code of Obligations. Members of the liberal professions and farmers are exempt unless they run a commercially organised business; voluntary registration is always possible.

How much capital does a Swiss company need?

CHF 100,000 for an Aktiengesellschaft, of which at least CHF 50,000 must be paid in, and CHF 20,000 fully paid in for a GmbH. Since 1 January 2023 share capital may also be denominated in EUR, USD, GBP or JPY.

Are Swiss company accounts public?

Generally no. Under article 958e of the Code of Obligations only undertakings with outstanding bonds or listed equity securities must publish their accounts; other companies grant inspection only to creditors who show a protected interest.

Will Switzerland have a beneficial ownership register?

Yes. The Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities creates the Swiss Transparency Register, held by the Federal Office of Justice. The Act and the revised Anti-Money Laundering Act enter into force on 1 October 2026, following a pilot phase that began on 16 June 2026.

Sources

  • Obligationenrecht (Swiss Code of Obligations), SR 220 — fedlex.admin.ch
  • Bundesamt für Justiz (Federal Office of Justice) — Handelsregister, Zefix® und Regix — bj.admin.ch
  • Zefix — Zentraler Firmenindex (Central Business Name Index) — zefix.ch
  • Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt (Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce) — shab.ch
  • Bundesamt für Justiz — Schweizerisches Transparenzregister (Swiss Transparency Register) — bj.admin.ch
  • Schweizerisches Transparenzregister — transpareg.admin.ch
  • Der Bundesrat — Bundesrat setzt neue Regeln gegen Geldwäscherei in Kraft (Federal Council brings new anti-money-laundering rules into force) — admin.ch
  • KMU-Portal (SME Portal) — Rechtsform: Aktiengesellschaft AG — kmu.admin.ch
  • KMU-Portal — Rechtsform: Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) — kmu.admin.ch
  • KMU-Portal — Rechtsform: Einzelunternehmen — kmu.admin.ch
  • EasyGov.swiss — online desk for companies — easygov.swiss

Keywords

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