Overview of the fundamental prerequisites of branch offices
The conditions for set-up of a branch office in Switzerland are different, depending on whether the company setting up the branch office in Switzerland has its headquarters in Switzerland or another country.
The branch is a commercially led operation which is a legal part of a parent company on which it depends. The branch carries out similar activities to the parent company in its own local area, and therefore enjoys a degree of commercial independence.
Headquarters in Switzerland
The following points should be considered when setting up a branch office in Switzerland:
- Prepare the founding documents and entry in the commercial register
- Same company as the head office, but additions are permitted (Art. 952 OR, cf. blog entry)
- A single authorised person must be registered (Art. 17 Para. 1 HRegV, cf. blog entry).
- Official notarisation of signatures
- No minimum capital requirement for set-up
Headquarters abroad
A company with headquarters abroad can set-up a branch office in Switzerland (cf. blog entry). The Swiss branch office must be entered in the commercial register. The conditions for set-up are fundamentally the same as those for a Swiss branch with the following additions:
- At least one single authorised person with a single power of attorney must be recorded (cf. blog entry)
- Include the excerpt from the commercial register for the headquarters with the application.
- Include the notarised copy of the applicable statutes of the headquarters
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