Starting a Swiss business: which authorities do you need to contact?

A letter from a compensation office, a commercial register form and a request from the tax authority: when you start a Swiss business, the list of administrative contacts grows quickly. Each body, however, answers a different question.

This guide shows whom to contact for each need. It helps you avoid repeated referrals and, above all, the assumption that completing one registration automatically takes care of every other obligation.

Find the right contact for your situation

You do not need to contact everyone in the table on the same day. Start with your circumstances:

These routes can overlap. Any professional or residence authorisation must be obtained when required. Company registration does not replace it.

Commercial registration and the transparency register

The commercial register office in the canton of the registered office receives applications and changes. The register lets third parties check matters such as the business name, registered office, purpose and authorised representatives.

An LLC or SA/AG acquires legal personality through registration. A sole proprietorship generally has to register from CHF 100,000 of revenue in the preceding financial year, under Article 931 CO. Liberal professions and farmers are exempt where they do not operate a commercially organised business. Below the threshold, registration may be voluntary. A sole proprietorship remains legally tied to its owner.

For an incorporated company, the notary prepares the deed of incorporation. The register then checks the documents within its remit. Our guide to Swiss commercial register changes covers later amendments.

Zefix lets you search Swiss register entries. A business-name search is not a full trademark clearance: trademark protection is handled by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. Find offices and procedures in our Swiss commercial registers guide.

The transparency register

Since 1 October 2026, companies within scope must also report the individuals who control them to the Swiss transparency register — French. This federal register is not public and serves a different obligation from the commercial register.

For a new LLC or SA/AG within scope incorporated under this regime, Article 9 of the relevant federal act — French sets a one-month deadline from commercial registration. Existing companies have separate transitional rules. Our guide to beneficial owners and the Swiss transparency register helps distinguish the cases.

Did your company already exist on 1 October 2026? The transitional timetable depends on its circumstances:

• If all beneficial owners already appear in the commercial register as members or governing officers, the maximum period is two years after entry into force.
• Otherwise, the declaration follows the first commercial register change: the one-month period starts with publication in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, known as FOSC in French and SOGC in English. Maximum deadlines of three to six months after entry into force still apply, depending on legal form and audit regime.
• For an SA/AG without an ordinary audit, the maximum is five months, or 1 March 2027. For an LLC without an ordinary audit, it is six months, or 1 April 2027. A published register change may bring the deadline forward.

Check your category against TranspaReg’s official questions and answers — French before setting a reminder.

Social insurance, accident cover and occupational pensions

The compensation office

The compensation office collects contributions including old-age and survivors’ insurance (OASI; AHV/AVS), disability insurance (DI; IV/AI) and income compensation (EO/APG). Self-employed people contribute on their business income. Employers declare the remuneration they pay and account for the related contributions.

The competent office may be a cantonal or professional association office. Geneva’s OCAS is one cantonal contact; other cantons use different names. Do not automatically send the same registration to several offices.

Recognition as self-employed requires evidence that the activity meets the relevant conditions. The label on a contract or registration in the commercial register alone is insufficient. Our guide to applying for Swiss self-employed status explains useful supporting documents.

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Which compensation office should a self-employed person choose?

Sarah and Romain explain how to choose the appropriate OASI compensation office when starting self-employment in Switzerland. This video is in French.

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The accident insurer

Employers must insure staff under Swiss accident insurance law, commonly referred to as UVG/LAA. Some industries fall compulsorily under Suva; others use an authorised insurer. Not every business can freely choose between all providers.

Non-occupational accidents are covered when the employee works at least eight hours a week for the same employer. A self-employed owner’s personal position must be assessed separately: employing insured staff does not automatically insure the owner.

The pension institution

In 2026, compulsory occupational pension coverage generally starts at an annual salary above CHF 22,680 from the same employer, subject to other conditions and exceptions. Risk cover starts on 1 January following the 17th birthday; retirement saving starts on 1 January following the 24th birthday. Give the pension institution the employee’s salary, age and contract duration to confirm registration.

The pension fund handles occupational benefits, Switzerland’s second pension pillar, governed in particular by BVG/LPP. Coverage depends on statutory conditions and the plan’s rules. Registration with an OASI compensation office does not replace an occupational pension contract where one is required.

For a founder employed by their own LLC or SA/AG, prepare these arrangements as for other relevant employees. Daily sickness allowance and liability insurance address additional risks. Our Swiss business insurance guide helps identify the cover you need.

The guide to Swiss social security contributions explains the differences between an employee’s deductions and a self-employed person’s contributions.

VAT and direct taxes: different authorities

The Federal Tax Administration: VAT and withholding tax

The Federal Tax Administration, or FTA (AFC in French; ESTV in German), handles VAT registration and returns. As a general rule, compulsory registration starts at CHF 100,000 of annual worldwide revenue from supplies not excluded from the tax. Particular activities and special regimes need separate assessment. Commercial registration is not VAT registration.

For example, a consultant who expects to exceed the threshold from the outset should not wait for the year’s final invoice to enquire. Assess the services and forecasts when the business starts.

The FTA also handles withholding tax, including on certain dividend distributions. Different business tax questions therefore go to different offices.

The cantonal authority: direct taxes

A sole proprietor’s business reporting forms part of their personal tax position. An LLC or SA/AG files its own return. The cantonal authority also administers direct federal tax in this context. “Federal” does not mean you should send the ordinary annual return directly to the FTA.

Keep file references and electronic access details, and record instalments and deadlines. An accountant can prepare accounts and returns, but correspondence from the authority still needs active follow-up.

Check the steps for VAT registration before making an application. Our VAT services can then help coordinate returns with your accounting records.

Permits and business support

Professional, premises and work authorisations

Commercial registration does not authorise every activity. For healthcare, hospitality or certain technical installations, contact the specialist authority before investing. Municipalities deal with matters such as permitted use of premises, some building works and signage.

The process for a foreign national working or being hired depends on nationality, existing permit and duration of the activity. A French national may follow a different procedure from a non-EU/EFTA national. Ask the cantonal authority which formalities apply rather than assuming a new authorisation is always, or never, necessary.

Advice, training and finance

Cantonal economic development services and chambers of commerce can direct you to training, networks and targeted support. In Vaud, the SPEI business helpdesk is an entry point; Innovaud may suit an innovation project. Other French-speaking cantons have their own contacts.

Support can take the form of advice or coaching without a cash payment. For funding, see our guide to startup funding and support in French-speaking Switzerland.

Accountants, notaries and lawyers help with different parts of the project: accounting, incorporation, founders’ agreements or contracts. Define who does what, at what price and by which deadline. EasyGov facilitates several administrative procedures, but does not replace every authority’s decision.

Cantonal starting points

Economic development services are useful local entry points. They do not replace the authority issuing a permit. These are starting points in the six French-speaking cantons; the linked local pages are in French.

For other cantons, consult the official SME portal directory — French. An introductory meeting is neither a grant award nor legal approval of the project. Describe the activity and your need before asking whether a programme applies.

Example: a consultant moves from sole proprietorship to LLC

She may already be registered with a compensation office as self-employed. Forming an LLC is not simply changing the name on that file. The new company becomes an employer if it pays a salary. Coordinate the end or possible continuation of self-employment, employer registration, insurance, invoicing and VAT.

The same person may therefore have several dealings with one office in different roles. Identify whether each letter concerns the private individual, sole proprietorship or new company. Confusing those roles often leads to filing mistakes and inconsistent answers.

Track each registration to completion

Use one row per procedure in a tracking table: organisation, contact, file number, documents sent, next action and deadline. Keep confirmations where the people handling administration can access them.

Distinguish three stages: sent, received, then accepted or decided. An acknowledgement of receipt does not mean your self-employed status has been recognised or a permit granted.

After submitting an OASI application, for example, retain the acknowledgement, respond to requests for documents and then file the decision specifying the recognised activity and effective date. If a customer needs proof while you wait, ask the office what document it can provide at that stage.

Before calling, put your question into one sentence and gather the relevant documents. Afterwards, record the answer and request written confirmation where an important decision depends on it. Add recurring returns and renewals to the calendar.

For the full sequence of startup formalities, read our Swiss business registration checklist.

Before contacting an authority

The right contact depends on the issue: legal existence, social insurance status, tax, authorisation or funding. Prepare the core file once, then adapt the documents to each application. This makes answers easier to use and helps ensure no obligation falls between two advisers.

Sources and references

• OASI/DI information centre: self-employed contributions, 2026 — English.
• Federal Tax Administration: VAT liability — English.
• Federal Social Insurance Office: 2026 amounts and occupational pension threshold — French.
• TranspaReg: obligations and deadlines — French.
• Code of Obligations, Article 931: sole proprietorship registration — English.
• Suva: assessing employed or self-employed status — French.
• Vaud: corporate taxes — French.
• Vaud: commercial register — French.