Forming a company in Switzerland follows a common federal framework, described in detail on our company formation in Switzerland page: choice of legal form, drafting of the articles of association, registration with the commercial register, compulsory social security affiliations. Part of this process, however, plays out at the level of the canton where the company is established, with its own points of contact, its own commercial register and its own local practices.
This guide focuses on what is specifically Genevan in a company formation: the canton's commercial register, the question of address and business address services, the affiliations to put in place locally, the sector-specific licences handled by cantonal authorities, and the actual order of steps as we observe it in our practice in Geneva.
What is specific to Geneva in a company formation
On substance, Switzerland applies a single federal law for the incorporation of companies: the legal forms, minimum capital rules, the content of the articles of association and the registration principles are the same from one canton to another. What varies in Geneva is the environment in which these steps take place: a cantonal commercial register with its own deadlines and processing practices, a property and business address market specific to a dense financial centre, cantonal licensing authorities specific to certain activities, and a network of Geneva compensation funds and social institutions with which the company will need to affiliate. It is this local environment, not the substantive law, that this page details.
The commercial register of the canton of Geneva
Any commercial company formed to carry out an activity in Geneva must register with the canton's commercial register, the cantonal authority responsible for maintaining this public register. It is this registration that gives a Sàrl or an SA its legal personality, and that makes a number of pieces of information enforceable against third parties: company name, registered office, purpose, bodies authorised to bind the company. The Geneva register follows the same federal rules as other Swiss cantonal registers, but remains the direct point of contact for any filing, any subsequent amendment to the articles, or any deregistration.
A sole proprietorship is in principle exempt from this obligation as long as it stays below a certain activity threshold set by federal law, but crossing that threshold — or simply wanting to appear in the register to strengthen commercial credibility — triggers the same registration process with the Geneva register. Any registration, amendment or deregistration is then published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, a publicity mechanism that applies across Switzerland but whose initial filing, for a Geneva company, goes through the cantonal register.
The Geneva commercial register does not act alone in this process: depending on the legal form chosen, a notarial deed is required before registration for a Sàrl or an SA, which means choosing a notary active in the canton. This notarial step, specific to capital companies, fits around the commercial register's timetable and determines the effective date of the company's incorporation.
The choice of legal form, seen from Geneva
The choice between a sole proprietorship, a Sàrl and an SA follows criteria that are not specific to the canton — capital available, number of founders, level of personal liability accepted, the image sought with partners. Geneva, as a dense and international business centre, nonetheless sees a notable proportion of formations as Sàrl and SA, particularly where the company targets a B2B client base, banking partners or investors for whom the legal form acts as a signal. Our dedicated pages detail each option: Sàrl in Geneva and SA in Geneva.
Geneva has a particular feature linked to its status as an international centre: a significant proportion of company founders do not yet reside in Switzerland at the time of the project, or have just arrived. For a founder from outside the European Union or EFTA, the question of residence status and the right to work in Switzerland arises alongside the choice of legal form, and can affect the incorporation timetable. This dimension, specific to the canton's international character, deserves to be anticipated from the very first discussions with the fiduciary or legal adviser.
Address and business address services in the canton
A company registered with the Geneva commercial register must have a registered office located in the canton. For a company starting out without its own premises — a common profile among individual founders or small teams — a business address solution with an authorised third party (fiduciary, business address provider) makes it possible to have a valid address without immediately committing to a commercial lease. The choice of address is not neutral: it must correspond to the activity actually carried out and remain reachable for the authorities and third parties. Details of the solutions available are on our business address in Geneva page.
The Geneva business address market reflects the density and cost of commercial property in the canton: many young companies start out with a business address, then move to their own premises, a coworking space or a shared office once the activity has stabilised. Some regulated activities, however, require identifiable operating premises, distinct from a simple mailbox — a point to check before choosing a business address solution, particularly for activities subject to cantonal licensing.
Affiliations to plan for from the outset
As soon as it takes on staff — including, depending on the legal form, its own founders as employees — a Geneva company must affiliate with a compensation fund in the canton for federal social security contributions, with a Geneva family allowance fund, and, depending on the thresholds, with an occupational pension institution (LPP) and an accident insurer (LAA). If projected or actual turnover exceeds the liability threshold, VAT registration must also be initiated, along with the choice of a settlement method suited to the activity. These mechanisms are detailed on our social security contributions and taxation pages.
The corporate bank account, a particular step in Geneva
Opening a bank account in the company's name — necessary from the incorporation of a Sàrl or an SA to deposit the capital, then for day-to-day operations — is a step in its own right, distinct from registration with the commercial register. Geneva, a dense banking centre, offers a wide choice of institutions, but this density does not necessarily shorten timelines: banks apply their own procedures for verifying the founders' identity and the origin of funds, and these checks can take longer than expected, particularly for founders residing abroad or for structures with several layers of shareholding. Anticipating this step, rather than leaving it until last, avoids a gap between the company's formal registration and its actual ability to operate.
Sector-specific licences and cantonal authorities
Certain activities can only start in Geneva once a specific licence has been obtained from the relevant cantonal authority — this applies, depending on the sector, to catering, certain healthcare professions, private security, or regulated financial and real estate activities. This licence is independent of registration with the commercial register: a company can be validly registered while not yet being authorised to carry out its actual activity. It is therefore useful to identify, even before registration, whether the project falls under a cantonal licensing regime, and to initiate that process in parallel rather than afterwards.
Each cantonal authority has its own prerequisites: recognised professional qualification of the person in charge of operations, premises requirements, or specific training obligations depending on the sector. These requirements are independent of the legal form chosen — a Sàrl and an SA are subject to them in the same way as a sole proprietorship, as soon as they carry out the activity concerned. The time needed to obtain these licences varies considerably from one authority to another and is not always aligned with the generally faster pace of commercial register registration; it is often this mismatch, more than the slowness of any single step, that delays the effective launch of the activity.
The actual order of steps, and what gets discovered too late
In practice, the most efficient order is to first settle on the legal form and company name, then secure a registered office address in the canton, check in parallel whether the activity requires a sector-specific licence, prepare the incorporation documents, register with the commercial register, then proceed without delay with the social security affiliations and, where applicable, tax affiliations. Founders often discover three things too late: the time needed to open a corporate bank account with a Geneva institution, the existence of a sector-specific licence that determines when the activity can effectively start, and the obligation to affiliate with social insurances from the first salary paid, including to themselves as a founder-employee.
What AX-Fiduciaire does
AX-Fiduciaire, on Boulevard Georges-Favon in Geneva, supports company founders in the canton from the choice of legal form through to the full implementation of social security and tax affiliations, including registration with the Geneva commercial register and, where necessary, a business address solution suited to the activity. Our team identifies, in advance, any sector-specific licences that may be required, to avoid late discoveries that delay the launch of an activity. To discuss your project, see our fiduciary in Geneva page or request a quote.