Good to know
Good to Know
- The real bottleneck for a solo non-resident nomad isn't the paperwork — it's finding a Swiss-resident person willing to be your legally responsible signing officer, since 100% foreign ownership is fine but at least one director/manager with genuine signing authority must live in Switzerland.
- Graubünden has only one commercial register office for the entire canton, based in Chur, not in St. Moritz itself, so filings and in-person notary appointments are typically done there or remotely.
- Budget separately for the share capital (CHF 20,000 for a GmbH, refundable to the company once operating) versus the actual formation fees (a few thousand CHF) — these are often conflated in cost estimates.
- If you're a third-country (non-EU/EFTA) national planning to actually live and work in St. Moritz rather than just own the company remotely, you'll separately need a Swiss residence/work permit process handled at the cantonal level — company registration alone does not grant you the right to reside or work in Switzerland.
- The headline low Swiss corporate tax rates you see quoted (e.g., Zug at ~11.85%) are not what a company in St. Moritz pays — Graubünden's combined effective rate, plus the St. Moritz communal multiplier, is a separate figure that a local advisor should confirm before assuming Switzerland is a 'low-tax' choice here specifically.
- A sole proprietorship is only open to a foreigner who already has a Swiss work/residence permit allowing self-employment — it is not a route for someone who wants to own a St. Moritz business remotely without relocating.
- For a foreign owner who wants to keep living abroad, forming a GmbH (CHF 20,000 minimum capital) with a nominee Swiss-resident director is the realistic path most foreign-owned small businesses use, rather than a branch or sole proprietorship.
- Graubünden is one of the cantons that gives little or no credit of profit tax against capital tax, so a company holding significant local assets (e.g., a chalet or ski-related property) can still owe capital tax even in a loss year.
- VAT registration only becomes mandatory once turnover exceeds CHF 100,000/year, which matters for smaller nomad-run consultancies or freelance operations.
Corporate Tax Structure
- Loss Carryforward
- Tax losses can be carried forward for up to seven years to offset future profits; there is no loss carryback.
- Pillar Two Global Minimum Tax
- Only relevant to multinational groups with consolidated annual revenue of at least EUR 750 million; the vast majority of foreign-owned small businesses or freelancer-run companies in St. Moritz fall well below this threshold and are unaffected.
VAT
- Rate
- Standard VAT rate is 8.1% as of mid-2026; a reduced 2.6% rate applies to basic-need items (food, books, newspapers), and medical/educational/cultural services are exempt.
- Registration Threshold
- CHF 100,000
- Note
- Businesses with worldwide taxable turnover above the threshold must register; below it, registration is optional.
Stamp Duty
- Exempt Threshold
- CHF 1,000,000
- Description
- A one-time 1% federal stamp duty (Emissionsabgabe) applies to equity contributed to a Swiss company, but the first CHF 1,000,000 of contributions is exempt.
Capital Tax
- Description
- Every canton, including Graubünden, levies an annual capital tax on a company's net equity in addition to profit tax. Rates vary by canton and are typically a small fraction of a percent of taxable equity.
Federal Tax
- Rate Description
- Flat 8.5% federal direct tax on profit after tax, which works out to roughly 7.83% measured on pre-tax profit, applied uniformly to every company regardless of canton.
- Applies To
- AG and GmbH entities; sole proprietorships and partnerships are not taxed as separate legal entities (see below).
Filing Obligations
- Deadline
- Deadlines vary by canton; typically due between six and twelve months after the close of the business year.
- Return Frequency
- One annual tax return covering federal, cantonal and communal profit (and capital) tax, filed once a year.
- Accounting Period
- The default tax year follows the calendar year, but a company may elect a different accounting period.
Cantonal Communal Layer
- St Moritz Commune Multiplier
- Not independently confirmed for St. Moritz specifically; general cantonal-capital tables (Chur) do not necessarily reflect the St. Moritz communal multiplier. A local Graubünden tax advisor or the cantonal tax administration should be consulted for the exact current St. Moritz rate.
- Description
- On top of the federal rate, Graubünden sets its own cantonal corporate profit tax rate, and the St. Moritz commune applies its own multiplier on top of that. Combined effective corporate tax rates (federal + cantonal + communal) across Switzerland in 2026 range from about 11.66% (Lucerne) to 20.54% (Bern), with a national average around 14.4%.
- Graubunden Specific Note
- Graubünden is one of a small group of cantons (along with Zug, Jura, Fribourg, Valais and Aargau) that apply limited or no credit of profit tax against capital tax, meaning an asset-heavy company (e.g., one holding real estate or chalets) can owe capital tax in Graubünden even in a loss-making year.
Freelancer Sole Proprietor Vs Company
Branch Office
- Description
- A foreign company can also open a Swiss branch rather than forming a new subsidiary. It is not a separate legal entity from the foreign parent but still needs a Swiss-based manager with signatory authority and is subject to Swiss tax on Switzerland-attributable profit.
GmbH LLC Equivalent
- Taxation
- Taxed as a corporate entity under the federal/cantonal/communal structure described above — GmbH and AG are taxed identically to each other.
- Formalities
- Notarized articles of association and registration in the cantonal Commercial Register are mandatory; the company name, directors and structure become publicly listed.
- Who Its For
- The most common structure for foreign-owned small and medium businesses in Switzerland, including those run remotely without relocating.
- Minimum Capital
- CHF 20,000
- Foreign Ownership
- 100% foreign ownership is permitted; there is no nationality restriction on founders or shareholders. A single founder (individual or legal entity, any nationality) can establish a GmbH.
- Swiss Resident Director Requirement
- At least one director or manager with a valid Swiss residence permit and signatory authority is legally required. Foreign owners who do not live in Switzerland typically satisfy this via a professional nominee director arranged through a fiduciary firm.
- Capital Note
- Must be fully paid in at incorporation.
Ag Corporation Equivalent
- Taxation
- Identical tax treatment to a GmbH.
- Minimum Capital
- CHF 100,000
- Paid In Minimum
- CHF 50,000
- Shareholder Privacy
- Shareholders are not listed in the public Commercial Register (unlike GmbH quota-holders), which is one reason larger or investment-oriented foreign-owned businesses choose this form.
- Swiss Resident Director Requirement
- Same requirement as GmbH: at least one Swiss-resident board member with signatory authority.
Sole Proprietorship Einzelfirma
- Liability
- The owner is personally liable for all business debts with their private assets — there is no liability shield.
- Capital Requirement
- No minimum capital is required.
- Legal And Tax Status
- A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal entity. Business income and assets are combined with the owner's private income and assets and taxed together at ordinary personal income and wealth tax rates, rather than at corporate rates.
- Registration Threshold
- CHF 100,000
- Eligibility For Foreigners
- A foreign national can only operate a sole proprietorship in Switzerland if they already hold a valid work and residence permit that allows self-employment — it is not an option for a non-resident wanting to run a business remotely.
- Registration Note
- Registration in the Commercial Register only becomes mandatory once annual turnover exceeds this threshold; below it, registration is optional (though the business still needs a valid local permit basis).
Practical Cost Of Using A Fiduciary Setup
- Registered Address Domiciliation
- CHF 300
- Typical Incorporation Support Fee
- CHF 1,000
Incorporation Process And Requirements
- Mandatory Audit Exemption
- Companies with 10 or fewer full-time employees can opt out of the statutory audit entirely with unanimous shareholder/member consent — most small foreign-founder GmbHs in St. Moritz's tourism/service economy would qualify.
- Registered Office Requirement
- A real, physical registered office address in Switzerland is mandatory (a lease agreement or a licensed domiciliation/virtual-office contract); the address must be verifiable and display the company nameplate, as virtual addresses alone can complicate registration and bank account opening.
- Local Resident Director Requirement
- This is the single biggest hurdle for a non-resident foreign founder: Swiss law requires at least one director (AG) or managing officer (GmbH) with individual or joint signing authority to be domiciled in Switzerland — either a Swiss citizen or a foreigner holding a valid Swiss residence permit (B or C). Foreign founders without a Swiss presence typically satisfy this via a nominee/fiduciary resident director service rather than a genuine 'local partner' in the ownership sense; ownership itself can remain 100% foreign.
- Jurisdiction Note
- St. Moritz is a municipality in the Canton of Graubünden. Company registration for any business domiciled in St. Moritz is handled by the single cantonal Handelsregisteramt (commercial register office) in Chur, the cantonal capital — Graubünden has only one central register office for the whole canton, not a local St. Moritz office.
Core Steps
- Choose legal form (GmbH/Sàrl or AG/SA) and check the company name is available via the federal Zefix commercial-register portal.
- Draft the articles of association / founding deed, defining purpose, capital and governance.
- Open a Swiss blocked/escrow bank account and deposit the required share capital; the bank issues a capital-deposit confirmation.
- Execute the notarial deed of incorporation before a Swiss notary (this can be done remotely by a foreign founder via a notarized and apostilled power of attorney).
- File the notarized documents with the Graubünden Handelsregisteramt (cantonal commercial register office in Chur) for entry into the Commercial Register.
- Registration is published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SHAB/FOSC); the escrow capital is then released to the company.
- Register for social insurance contributions (AHV/IV/ALV) and, if applicable, VAT.
Typical Timeline
- Standard
- 2 to 4 weeks for a straightforward GmbH once all documents and capital are ready, if the resident-director and bank onboarding pieces are already lined up.
- Registry Processing Only
- Once documents and capital are fully submitted, the Handelsregisteramt itself typically completes entry within 5 to 10 business days.
- Ag Conversion Or In Kind Capital
- Extends timelines further — in-kind capital contributions require an independent auditor's valuation certificate, typically adding 2–3 weeks.
- Realistic For A Non Resident Foreign Founder
- 6 to 10 weeks is a more realistic total window once you factor in: 1–3 weeks of bank anti-money-laundering / customer due diligence on a foreign capital sender before the escrow account opens, sourcing a Swiss-resident nominee director, and notarization logistics from abroad.
Typical Cost Breakdown
- Sogc Gazette Publication Fee
- CHF 40
- Bank Escrow Account Setup Fee
- CHF 500
Banks typically charge roughly CHF 200–800 to open the capital escrow account and process the deposit.
- Commercial Register Filing Fee
- CHF 550
- GmbH Formation Fees Excl Capital
- CHF 3,500
Covers notary, legal/advisory, and registration fees; wide range depending on canton and whether a DIY online platform or full-service law/fiduciary firm is used.
- Low Cost Online Platform Package Example
- CHF 1,100
Example all-in package cost (notary, legal, register, capital account) quoted by an online formation platform; excludes the CHF 20,000 GmbH share capital itself, which is not a fee but company capital.
Official Registry Links
- Graubünden cantonal Handelsregisteramt (where St. Moritz companies are actually filed): https://www.gr.ch/DE/institutionen/verwaltung/dvs/giha/handelsregister/Seiten/handelsregister.aspx
- Federal Central Business Names Index (Zefix) — search/verify any Swiss company nationwide: https://www.zefix.ch
- Swiss federal SME portal overview of how the commercial register works: https://www.kmu.admin.ch/kmu/en/home/concrete-know-how/setting-up-sme/starting-business/commercial-register%20.html
Legal Forms Available To Foreigners
GmbH / Sàrl (limited liability company)
- Ownership
- 100% foreign ownership permitted; minimum one member, individual or legal entity, any nationality.
- Disclosure
- Members' names and quota sizes are published in the public Commercial Register.
- Min Share Capital
- CHF 20,000
- Capital Payment Rule
- Fully paid in at registration, deposited into a blocked (escrow) Swiss bank account before the notarial deed.
AG / SA (stock corporation)
- Ownership
- 100% foreign ownership permitted.
- Disclosure
- Ordinary shareholders are not publicly disclosed in the register (only board members are), giving more privacy than a GmbH.
- Min Share Capital
- CHF 100,000
- Min Paid In At Registration
- CHF 50,000
Sole proprietorship
- Note
- Available to a foreigner who already holds a valid Swiss residence permit (B or C). Not a practical route for a non-resident nomad wanting to incorporate from abroad without first securing residency.
Jurisdiction Context
St. Moritz is a municipality (commune) in the canton of Graubünden (Grisons). Swiss corporate tax is a three-layer stack: federal + cantonal + communal. Federal rules are identical everywhere; the cantonal/communal layers determine most of the variation between locations.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this business permits & incorporation for foreigners research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.