Update your Swiss commercial register entry: company changes

Is your company moving, changing its name or expanding into a new activity? You may need to update your Swiss commercial register entry. An amendment application, known in French as a réquisition de modification, is the formal request used to update your company’s official details.

The procedure depends on what is changing. A new address within the same municipality can generally be reported without amending the articles of association. For a Swiss limited liability company (LLC, Sàrl or GmbH) or a company limited by shares (SA or AG), changing the registered office municipality, company name or corporate purpose requires a notary. Here is what we can handle for you and what you can usually file yourself.

What is a commercial register amendment application?

The application is a request sent to the cantonal commercial register office. It identifies the information to update and includes evidence supporting the change: a members’ resolution, meeting minutes, amended articles or acceptance of an appointment, depending on the circumstances.

This procedure applies to LLCs and SAs, as well as registered sole proprietorships and partnerships. Even if you registered your business voluntarily, its published details must remain up to date.

The application does not replace the underlying decision. A new board member, for example, must first have been validly appointed. Start by obtaining a recent register extract and your articles of association, then list exactly what needs to change.

Do you need a notary to update a Swiss company?

Amending an LLC’s or SA’s articles requires a public deed, drawn up by a notary. Other changes can be reported directly to the commercial register. You may still need signature certification (in French): this is a separate formality from amending the articles.

These are the usual situations. Read your articles carefully, as individual provisions may impose additional requirements. The rules also differ for a sole proprietorship, which does not have articles of association like an LLC or SA.

Company changes that require a notary

An LLC’s or SA’s registered office, corporate purpose and company name appear in its articles. To change them, the resolution must be recorded in a public deed and then entered in the commercial register. Here is what each of these three changes involves.

Change the company’s registered office

The registered office is the political municipality in which your company is based. Moving from Lausanne to Nyon therefore changes the registered office even though both are in the canton of Vaud. The new municipality must replace the old one in the articles. Moving from Vaud to Geneva also transfers the file between cantonal registers.

Entreprendre.ch prepares the documents, coordinates the amendment with its partner notaries and follows the commercial register application. Give us the new municipality and address, and we will guide you through the documents and signatures required.

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Amend the corporate purpose

Is your company launching a new activity or changing direction? Check whether its corporate purpose still covers its business. If the wording is too narrow, amend the articles, have the resolution notarised and report the change to the commercial register.

A well-drafted purpose describes both current activities and planned developments. It does not replace any required professional licences. Our guide to defining your company’s corporate purpose will help you prepare. We can then assist with the wording and handle the amendment formalities.

Arrange my corporate purpose amendment

Change the company name

Before choosing a new registered company name, check existing names on Zefix and any trademark rights. A name available in the commercial register may still conflict with a protected trademark. Our guide to choosing a company name in Switzerland explains the checks to make.

Once you have chosen the name, have the resolution notarised, amend the articles and register the new name. Entreprendre.ch supports you from document preparation through to registration. Afterwards, update your invoices, contracts, bank details and communications.

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Changes you can usually file without a notary

You can generally handle the following three procedures yourself, without a public deed, as long as the articles remain unchanged. Written resolutions, supporting documents and sometimes certified signatures are still required. Our free guides help you prepare the application.

Change address within the same municipality

Moving from one office in Lausanne to another in Lausanne changes your address but not your registered office municipality. In principle, an application with the required attachments is sufficient. Check your articles nevertheless: if they state the full street address, an amendment may be necessary.

Provide the street, number, postcode and locality, plus “c/o” if a third party provides your company’s domicile. In that case, a declaration from the domicile provider may be required. The postcode alone does not establish whether you remain within the same political municipality.

To prepare the filing yourself, use our guide to changing address within the same municipality.

Update directors, representatives and signing authority

Is a managing director leaving, a board member joining or someone receiving signing authority? These changes do not generally require amendments to the articles. The competent corporate body must first make the decision: the general meeting elects an SA’s board members, while the members’ meeting appoints an LLC’s managing directors. Representation powers must also be properly documented.

Collect the resolutions, acceptances of appointment and evidence requested by the register. Review the company’s signing authority and arrange certification of the new representative’s signature where required. If the departing person fulfilled the Swiss-resident representation requirement, arrange a replacement. Changes to a representative’s personal domicile may also need reporting.

Our guide to updating people entered in the commercial register explains how to prepare the documents.

Sell or transfer LLC membership interests

A transfer of LLC membership interests requires a written agreement and, in principle, approval by the members’ meeting, subject to the articles. Members and their interests appear in the commercial register, so the entry must be updated. A public deed is not required if the transfer does not involve amending the articles.

Check provisions concerning members and the capital structure. If these must change, a notary may become necessary. Keep the transfer of interests, management role and signing authority separate: transferring an ownership interest does not automatically resolve the other two matters.

Our guide to selling or transferring LLC membership interests sets out the documents and steps for handling the procedure yourself.

What about shares in an SA? Shareholders do not generally appear on the ordinary commercial register extract. A share sale therefore does not trigger the same filing. However, the share register must be kept up to date, transfer restrictions checked and applicable reporting obligations met.

Example: reporting two changes together

Consider an LLC moving to another street in Lausanne and appointing a new managing director. If the articles simply state Lausanne as the registered office and no other provision changes, the move generally does not require a public deed. You must still report the new address and attach the appointment documents.

Describe each change separately in the application: the old and new address, then the managing director’s identity, role and signing authority. Attach the appointment resolution, acceptance of office and other required documents. If a third party provides the domicile, remember its declaration.

If the same company moves to Nyon, the procedure changes: amend the registered office municipality in the articles and include the public deed. What matters is the change of municipality, not the distance travelled.

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A before-and-after check prevents omissions

Example wording to adapt: “Company: [registered name and UID]. New address: [street, number, postcode and municipality]. New managing director: [full identity as required by the office], with [sole signature or joint signature by two, according to the resolution].” This illustrates how to describe changes; it does not replace the cantonal form, resolutions or supporting evidence.

A precise description makes the register’s review easier. Your notary or adviser can also identify the necessary steps and provide a quote covering the whole application.

How do you prepare and submit the application?

The process depends on the planned change. You can entrust amendments to the articles to us. For simpler procedures, our guides help you prepare your own commercial register filing.

Changing your registered office, purpose or name: we can help

Choose the service matching your project and send us your company details. Our team reviews your needs, prepares the documents and coordinates with our partner notaries. You sign the required documents; we then organise the remaining steps through to registration.

Tell us from the outset if several changes are planned together. We can clarify the documents required and the scope of our support before work begins.

Filing a change yourself without amending the articles

For an address change within the same municipality, an update to registered people or a transfer of membership interests, start with the relevant guide. Then:

1. Prepare the resolutions and supporting evidence. Check who must decide, the applicable voting majorities and your canton’s document requirements.
2. Draft and sign the application. Identify the company by name and UID number, then describe precisely what needs updating.
3. Submit the documents and check the result. Use a submission method accepted by the office, then compare the new extract with your request.

Detailed guidance is available for changing address within the same municipality, updating registered people and transferring LLC membership interests.

Signing the application and depositing a new representative’s signature are distinct formalities. For the latter, Article 21 of the Commercial Register Ordinance requires certification or an accepted equivalent procedure. A simple scan or ordinary electronic signature does not replace these formalities. Check the accepted submission method too: an email with attachments is not automatically sufficient.

Which commercial register office should you contact?

A commercial register amendment is handled by the competent cantonal office, generally in the canton where your company has its registered office. For a transfer to another canton, prepare the formalities with the register at the new registered office.

Use our dedicated pages to find office contact details, obtain an extract and access your canton’s procedures:

• Swiss commercial registers: guide and contacts by canton.
• Vaud commercial register: company searches, extracts and practical information.
• Geneva commercial register: entries, documents and contact details.

Registering a business for the first time and amending an existing company require different documents. Select the amendment forms for your legal structure and follow the relevant office’s instructions.

How much does a company amendment cost, and how long does it take?

The cost depends on the changes and documents required. It may include commercial register fees, notary fees, signature certification and professional support. When comparing quotes, check what is included and what will be invoiced separately.

Timing varies by canton, type of amendment and whether any documents are missing. Before committing to a date with business partners, ask the person handling your application for an estimate. This helps you coordinate the change with banking, invoicing and existing commitments.

Registration is not the final step. Update insurers and public authorities, followed by contracts, invoices, your website and commercial materials. If someone’s signing authority has been revoked, review bank access and IT permissions as well.

Remember the transparency register

Since 1 October 2026, companies covered by the Swiss legal-entity transparency legislation must report their beneficial owners to the Swiss transparency register. This is separate from commercial register registration, and the information is not public.

If an existing Swiss company has not yet made its first report, a published commercial register amendment may trigger a one-month reporting deadline, starting from publication in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SOGC, or FOSC in French). Transitional deadlines still apply: do not assume that the maximum two-year period available to certain entities still applies to your company.

For example, an amendment published in the SOGC on 9 October 2026 may set the initial reporting deadline at 9 November inclusive. If the company is already registered, a change to a fact recorded in TranspaReg must be reported within one month of becoming aware of it. In either case, agree with your adviser who will handle the report.

Conversion and deregistration are separate procedures

Converting an LLC into an SA, or transferring a sole proprietorship’s business to an LLC, requires specific legal and accounting preparation. It is more than a simple register update. Our guide to converting a sole proprietorship into an LLC explains what to plan for.

Similarly, an LLC or SA is generally deleted from the register following liquidation or another legally recognised transaction. If you plan to stop trading, read our guide to closing a Swiss company.

Make a final check after registration

Whether a professional handled the application or you prepared it yourself, take time to read the new extract. The registered details must match the decisions made. Then carry the changes across to your everyday documents and systems: a correct register entry does not automatically update your bank, invoices or website.

Sources

Legal texts and official guidance for preparing your application.

• Canton of Vaud: amend an LLC register entry (in French).
• Canton of Vaud: documents required for LLC amendments (in French).
• Canton of Vaud: documents required for SA amendments (in French).
• Canton of Geneva: amend an entry and application templates (in French).
• Commercial Register Ordinance, particularly Articles 18 and 21 (in French).
• Code of Obligations: corporate resolutions and transfers of membership interests.
• TranspaReg: FAQs and initial reporting deadlines (in French).
• Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities, Articles 9, 10 and 51.