Form a Swiss GmbH
Swiss business bank account 2026

Swiss business bank account: opening one from abroad

Updated 11 November 2026Bank fees as published in November 2026About 9 minutes to read
The short answer

A Swiss GmbH or AG opens two accounts in a row: a blocked capital deposit account that proves the share capital, then the business account it trades from.

You don't need to live in Switzerland. The bank needs to know who owns at least 25%, who signs and where the money comes from.

What will the deposit cost? My document list
What is protected CHF 100k deposit protection per client and bank, companies included esisuisse covers private and corporate clients alike. Your CHF 20,000 of GmbH capital sits well inside it.

You chose Switzerland because people trust it: your customers, your suppliers, your own family when they ask what you do. The bank account is where that trust has to work for you. Swiss banks rarely care where you live. They care whether they can see the whole company clearly on one sheet of paper. Give them that, and the rest is a sequence you can plan around. This is the sequence, with the fees the banks publish themselves.

Key takeaways

  • First a blocked capital deposit account, then the business account. Many banks turn the first into the second.
  • A GmbH pays in CHF 20,000 in full; an AG pays in at least CHF 50,000 of its CHF 100,000.
  • Deposit account fees run from nothing to over CHF 5,000 depending on the bank and where the capital goes next.
  • Banks identify everyone with 25% or more on Form K; a company with no staff or premises of its own gets Form A.
  • No major bank publishes a minimum balance for a business account.
  • Deposits are protected to CHF 100,000 per client and bank, companies included.
Chapter 1

Why a Swiss company opens two accounts

Swiss law won't let a company start life on a promise. The capital has to sit in a Swiss bank, blocked, before the notary signs, and the bank may release it only after the commercial register has entered the company.

Account 1, before the company existsCapital deposit accountHolds CHF 20,000 for a GmbH, or at least CHF 50,000 for an AG. The bank issues the deposit confirmation the notary and the register need.
Account 2, once it is registeredBusiness accountThe account the company trades from: invoices, salaries, cards, foreign currencies. Often the same account, unblocked and converted.

The second step is where founders abroad lose time, because the bank now opens a full relationship. Choosing the same bank for both keeps one file, one review and, at several banks, a lower fee on the first account.

1
Key takeaway

The deposit account proves the capital; the business account runs the company.

Chapter 2

What the capital deposit account costs

This is the one fee founders rarely see coming, and it differs more than you'd think. Enter your capital and say where it goes after registration. The figures are the banks' own published fees.

GmbH minimum 20,000; AG at least 50,000 paid in
After registration, the money moves to

Raiffeisen banks are independent cooperatives and set their own prices.

The pattern is simple: banks charge little or nothing when the capital stays with them, and a per mille fee with a minimum when it leaves. That is a good reason to pick the business bank first and open the deposit account there.

2
Key takeaway

Open the deposit account at the bank you'll keep, and it is often free.

Chapter 3

Swiss business bank account requirements for your company

Swiss banks follow one rulebook for identifying clients, the Swiss Bankers Association's due diligence agreement (CDB 20). Answer three questions and the list is yours.

The company will have
The shares are held by
Any owner or signatory is a US person

Form K and Form A rules: CDB 20 articles 20, 21 and 39; register extracts no older than 12 months: article 14.

3
Key takeaway

Form K for a trading company, Form A when it has no staff or premises of its own.

Chapter 4

Which Swiss bank fits a company owned from abroad

Switzerland has big banks, a postal bank, cantonal banks owned by their cantons, cooperative banks and a few banks built for crypto. For a young GmbH the choice is less about prestige than about who will run the review with an owner abroad.

Big bank (UBS)

Wide currency and card range. The online forms assume an applicant living in Switzerland, so owners abroad go through an adviser.

CHF 20 a quarter, deposit account free if the capital stays

PostFinance

Opens business accounts after a call with an adviser and says it takes a few working days. Needs a company seated in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

CHF 5 a month, deposit account CHF 145 once

Cantonal bank (ZKB, Zuger KB and others)

Strong locally, and Zürcher Kantonalbank runs the deposit step online. Some price companies without staff of their own higher.

CHF 7 a month; CHF 50 for domiciliary or foreign-based companies

Crypto banks (Sygnum, AMINA)

Both hold a Swiss banking licence on FINMA's list of authorised banks, and both serve companies that hold or are paid in digital assets. Neither publishes small-company terms.

Fees and minimums on request

Most founders abroad end up with a cantonal or big bank for the capital and the main account, and add a crypto bank only when the business really runs on digital assets.

4
Key takeaway

Pick the bank that will run the review with an owner abroad, not the most famous name.

Chapter 5

How long it takes, step by step

  1. Week 1Deposit account openedAfter the bank's first identity review. Some banks run this online.
  2. Same day the money landsDeposit confirmationRaiffeisen Bern says it confirms "sofort". The notary needs this paper for the deed.
  3. 1 to 3 weeksRegister entryThe commercial register enters your GmbH, and the bank can release the capital, usually the same day.
  4. A few working days to several weeksBusiness account openPostFinance states a few working days. With owners abroad, a parent company or unusual payments, plan for longer.
  5. Every yearKeep it currentA fresh register extract and updated owner details when the bank asks, and the new federal transparency register filing kept in line.

The slowest part is never the paperwork you send. It's the questions that come back. A file that answers them in advance is the fastest route through.

5
Key takeaway

Days for the deposit, weeks for the full account when owners live abroad.

Chapter 6

Swiss banking for a company paid in crypto

B

Zug's Crypto Valley made Switzerland the obvious home for blockchain companies, and the banks wrote rules for them. The Swiss Bankers Association's guidelines for blockchain company accounts say a small company without a token sale is treated like any other SME client.

Banks are used to
  • Companies that hold their own crypto as treasury
  • Companies paid by customers in crypto
  • Clear records of each conversion to francs
  • Owners who can show where their coins came from
Banks ask for more when
  • The company exchanges, holds or sends crypto for clients
  • It raised money in a token sale
  • Coins can't be traced to a source
  • The activity needs FINMA or self-regulatory membership first

Our Swiss company page explains when crypto activity needs a licence, and the crypto company guide compares the places that take it.

6
Key takeaway

Holding or earning crypto is ordinary business; serving clients with it needs more.

Chapter 7

Who the bank reports the account to

Swiss banking secrecy still protects you from the curious. It no longer stops tax offices: Switzerland has exchanged account data automatically with more than 100 countries every year since 2018, under the partner list kept by the State Secretariat for International Finance.

Where do you live? pick it

US persons are a separate case: Switzerland applies FATCA under Model 2, so the bank reports to the IRS with the client's consent, and some banks restrict products for US persons altogether.

7
Key takeaway

Private from the public, visible to your own tax office.

Chapter 8

How Heirson sets up both accounts with you

1. YouTell us what the company will do, who pays it, in which currencies, and roughly how much a month.
2. WeChoose a bank that opens both accounts for an owner abroad and accepts that business.
3. WePrepare the file: articles, ownership chart, Form K details, source of funds and a one page business outline.
4. YouPay in the capital, join the identification call, and sign. Your CHF 20,000 stays the company's.
5. WeHand the confirmation to the notary, file with the register, and follow the business account until it is open.
IncludedBoth accounts are part of our CHF 6,299 first year price, with the Swiss resident director and Zug address.

The account almost always opens. If one bank turns the file down, we take it to another that suits the business. See the full offer on our Swiss company page.

8
Key takeaway

You pay in and sign; we build the file and stay on it until both accounts are open.

Chapter 9

What no one can promise about a Swiss account

  1. The decisionBelongs to the bankThe Swiss Bankers Association puts it plainly: there is no automatic right to open an account. We build the file and submit it with you; approval stays with the bank.
  2. Minimum balancesNot publishedThe big figures quoted online come from private banking, and no bank we looked at sets one for a business account. We won't invent one.
  3. An address onlyCan cost moreA company with no staff or premises of its own can be treated as a domiciliary company: Form A, closer review and, at some banks, higher fees.
  4. Sanctioned linksClose the doorOwners, customers or suppliers in sanctioned countries end most applications.
9
Key takeaway

The bank decides, minimums are a myth for business accounts, and substance helps.

Chapter 10

Swiss business bank account questions, answered

?!
Can a foreigner open a Swiss business bank account?
Yes, for a Swiss company. The account belongs to the GmbH or AG, which is Swiss. Banks identify every owner with 25% or more and the people who sign, wherever they live.
What is a capital deposit account?
A blocked account at a Swiss bank that holds the share capital while the company is formed. The bank confirms the deposit for the notary and releases the money once the commercial register enters the company.
How much capital does a Swiss GmbH need in the bank?
CHF 20,000, paid in full. An AG has CHF 100,000 of capital, of which at least CHF 50,000 must be paid in. The money stays the company's own.
What does a Swiss business account cost?
Published fees for a standard business account run from CHF 5 a month at PostFinance to CHF 20 a quarter at UBS and CHF 7 a month at Zürcher Kantonalbank. ZKB charges CHF 50 a month for domiciliary companies and companies based abroad. What the company itself files and pays each year: Swiss annual fees and filings.
Is there a minimum balance for a Swiss company account?
None of the four banks we looked at publishes one for a business account. Private banking minimums you read about apply to wealth management, not to a trading company's payment account.
Are company deposits protected in Switzerland?
Yes. esisuisse protects up to CHF 100,000 per client and bank, and it covers corporate clients as well as private ones.
Can I open the account without travelling to Switzerland?
Often. FINMA allows video and online identification, and some banks run the deposit step online. Others want an adviser meeting, by phone or in person. The bank chooses.
Does Heirson open the Swiss account for me?
Yes, both accounts are part of our Swiss GmbH price. We prepare the file the bank asks for and apply alongside you. The account almost always opens, though the final say is the bank's.

Changelog

Your Swiss company

A Swiss GmbH, with both accounts set up alongside it.

Capital deposit, register entry and business account, run with you from wherever you live.

See the Swiss company Swiss tax guide