{"id":11887,"date":"2026-06-15T12:23:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T10:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/?post_type=actualites&#038;p=11887"},"modified":"2026-06-15T12:23:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T10:23:34","slug":"company-incorporation-and-management-can-we-expect-administrative-simplification-in-switzerland","status":"publish","type":"actualites","link":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/actualites\/company-incorporation-and-management-can-we-expect-administrative-simplification-in-switzerland\/","title":{"rendered":"Company incorporation and management: Can we expect administrative simplification in Switzerland?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent announcement by the European Commission regarding company management and registration could redefine standards in this area and inspire changes in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0The European project: a \u201c28th regime\u201d for companies<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>The European Commission has announced a project aimed at creating a unified framework for companies within the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>This project notably provides for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<br><li>Company registration within 48 hours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Registration costs capped at EUR 100.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fully digital procedures, including for share transfers or capital transactions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The interconnection of all national registers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>This initiative aims to make company creation and management faster, cheaper, and simpler across the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0The situation in Switzerland: modernization under review<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>In line with this general trend, Switzerland is also endeavouring to modernise these procedures, albeit, regrettably, still in a rather tentative manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Thus, the Federal Council has tasked the Federal Department of Justice and Police (<strong>FDJP<\/strong>) with studying the implementation of a single IT structure to optimize and simplify processes related to the commercial register, in collaboration with the cantons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>A report on the progress of this work is expected by the end of June 2026, which will be closely monitored and which, to our knowledge, is not yet available at the time of this paper&#8217;s publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0The burden of conventional formalities with the register of commerce<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Pending these future simplifications, many procedures with the register of commerce remain cumbersome and involve formalities that may seem outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Here are some concrete examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<br><li><strong>The authenticated notarial deed<\/strong>: many acts in the life of a corporation (SA) or a limited liability company (S\u00e0rl) require a mandatory visit to a notary. This is the case not only for the incorporation of the company, regardless of its size, but for any amendment to the articles of association or changes to its capital. These decisions must be recorded in an authenticated deed to be filed with the register of commerce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The legalization of signatures<\/strong>: To register a person authorized to represent the company (a director, a manager, etc.), their signature must be filed with the register of commerce. This signature must be legalized, i.e., certified by a notary or directly at the office of the register of commerce, which involves a physical process. Furthermore, if the legalization is done abroad, the document must also bear either the Apostille for countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents (intended to authenticate the signature of the foreign public official) or undergo consular or diplomatic legalization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The production of physical supporting documents<\/strong>: The incorporation of a company requires the production of numerous documents, such as the deed of incorporation, the articles of association, but also proof that the members of the board of directors have accepted their appointment, the potential domiciliation, the bank&#8217;s confirmation of deposit, the contribution agreement in case of incorporation by contributions in kind, the founder&#8217;s report, the auditor&#8217;s certificate. During the company&#8217;s existence, the minutes of a corporate body&#8217;s decision, etc., must also be filed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>\u00a0\u00a04.\u00a0\u00a0A wind of modernity: the new digital options in corporate law<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>In parallel with these administrative constraints, Swiss corporate law has undergone significant modernization, creating a singular contrast. Since January 1, 2023, new digital options facilitate the internal management of companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<br><li><strong>Virtual general meetings<\/strong>: It is now possible to hold a 100% virtual general meeting, provided that the articles of association allow for it. Shareholders can thus exercise their rights (vote, ask questions, etc.) by electronic means, without any physical presence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Decisions by electronic means<\/strong>: Decisions of the board of directors can be made by circular resolution, including by e-mail and other electronic means, if no member requests an oral deliberation. Similarly, a shareholders&#8217; meeting can be held by circular resolution, including by e-mail or other electronic means, if no discussion is requested by a shareholder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Switzerland is now at a crossroads. On the one hand, interactions with the register of commerce still impose physical and notarial formalities. On the other, corporate law is fully evolving towards digital possibilities for the internal management of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>The ongoing study by the Federal Council is therefore highly anticipated: it could help bridge this gap and finally align external administrative formalities with the flexibility expected by entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":781,"featured_media":11885,"parent":0,"template":"","format":"standard","auteur":[253],"slider":[],"droit":[79],"class_list":["post-11887","actualites","type-actualites","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","auteur-beatrice-viertl-bujard-en","droit-company-law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualites\/11887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualites"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/actualites"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"auteur","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/auteur?post=11887"},{"taxonomy":"slider","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/slider?post=11887"},{"taxonomy":"droit","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wg-avocats.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/droit?post=11887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}