Opening a business
Premises, lease, licences and registrations in the order they come up. Handled on site, whether you are still abroad or already here.
Who this is for
- Entrepreneurs opening a business in Switzerland, from abroad or from here
- People taking over an existing business
- Companies opening a further location
What is included
- Feasibility: canton, sector and premises
- Review and negotiation of leases and business contracts
- Operating licences and all cantonal and communal requirements
- Meetings with landlords and authorities on your behalf
- Registrations with the commune and for social security (AHV)
The formation itself is arranged through partners. The same applies to a registered address or a Swiss-resident director where one is required.
Same steps, different licences
Which licences and requirements apply depends on the sector and the canton. Typical examples:
Restaurant or café
Hospitality licence, operator certificate, food safety, fire safety, terrace
Shop
Change of use, opening hours, signage
Practice or studio
Professional licence, requirements for the premises
Office or workshop
Lease, registrations and, in some sectors, a licence
Depending on where you start
New opening
Premises, lease and licences from the ground up.
Takeover
Purchase agreement, transfer of the lease and licences that do not pass on automatically in every canton.
Second location
Licences at the new site, under different rules in another canton.
Step by step
Feasibility
Your situation is assessed: citizenship, the canton, the type of business and the premises you have in mind. Afterwards you know what is possible and which steps it takes.
You then decide whether the plan holds as it is or gets adjusted first.
The permit, where one is needed
If you or your staff need a residence or work permit, it comes first. An EU or EFTA passport makes this stage short. A third-country case takes longer and runs with specialist partners.
Premises and contracts
The lease is checked for you before you sign it. Old index clauses, handover conditions, solidarity clauses and hidden obligations are pointed out and negotiated with the landlord or the agency in German, French or Italian.
The same applies to other business contracts, such as the purchase agreement when you take over a business. You receive written negotiation positions based on federal and cantonal law and are accompanied in the negotiation itself.
Where a formal legal opinion is needed, an admitted lawyer is brought in and coordinated. Court representation is not part of this service.
Licences and requirements
This covers the operating licence and the requirements of the canton and the commune. For a restaurant, for example, that means the hospitality licence, food safety self-monitoring and fire safety. The dossiers are assembled and submitted. The authorities are followed up until the answer comes.
Registrations and opening
The registrations with the residents' office and for social security (AHV) come last, shortly before the opening.
How risks are navigated
Premises
Unsuitable premises
Because not every space is approved for every use, change of use and building rules are checked before you sign the lease.
Lease
Costly clauses
Clauses on alterations, indexation and liability are negotiated before you sign, because what is signed unread is paid for over years.
Delay
A stalled application
A permit or licence can sit on a desk for weeks, which is why the authorities are followed up regularly and in writing.
When something stalls, you hear it early with the reason and a plan B.
Example: status update for a restaurant
Week 6: Restaurant opening in Lausanne
Where it stands: the operating licence is issued. The terrace permit is still with the commune.
Next step: the commune has promised a decision by 14 October.
Plan B: the restaurant opens inside on 1 October. The terrace follows once the permit is issued.
While you are still abroad
Until you arrive, someone is on the ground for you.
Your part, from abroad
- You decide on the premises and the details.
- You sign the documents.
- You join the important meetings by video.
On the ground in Switzerland
- Every viewing is done here, with photos and notes.
- Meetings with the commune, the authorities and third parties are attended here.
- Contracts are negotiated and any handovers happen here.
- Documents and conversations are translated between German, French, Italian and English where necessary.
The first conversation is free
Describe what you want to do, where, and where you are right now. You receive a response within one working day.
Describe your caseor book a free callOr write directly to 