Resources
Official information on doing business in Switzerland, sorted by the five parts of your plan. Every link goes to the authority's own page, so you always see the current version.
Links checked in September 2026. They explain the general rules, and your case may differ.
People
Who may live and work here, and on which permit?
Who benefits from free movement, which permit applies, and what cross-border commuters need.
The criteria for third-country nationals: quotas, qualifications and the precedence of workers already here.
The offices that decide on permits, canton by canton.
Registering at your new place of residence, usually within 14 days of the move.
Who counts as self-employed for social security, and how the contributions are calculated.
Place
Where can the business operate, and what needs approval first?
Checklists on legal structures, market analysis, business plans and registering in the commercial register.
Registrations, applications and reports to the authorities, handled online in one place.
Company formation, taxes, the labour market, work permits and legal matters, free to download in full or by chapter.
Paper
What are you signing, and on what terms?
Check a company before you sign with it: its registered name, purpose, address and the people who sign for it.
What the extract shows and how to order it. With a credible interest, such as ongoing contract negotiations, you can also request one about a counterparty.
The rate that rent adjustments in residential and commercial leases are tied to, published every quarter.
Taxes
What does the state expect, and by when?
How tax at source works for foreign employees without a C permit, and where to turn in your canton.
The turnover thresholds that make a business liable for VAT.
The rates the tax authorities accept for loans between a company and its shareholders. A new edition appears every January.
Numbers
Does the plan pay off?
The standard rates the tax authorities accept, a basis for planning the year-end.
All of the federal tax leaflets for businesses in one list.
Financing, business plans, management and succession, with checklists.
Your case, applied.
These sources explain the rules. Applying them to your plan, in the right order, is the part that takes judgement.
Describe your case