Pfaeffikon SZ - No. 1 Business Location of Switzerland

Commercial Register

A company wishing to trade, manufacture or do any other business in Switzerland on a commercial basis must generally be listed in the commercial register. Once registered, a company’s name enjoys legal protection. Corporations must be listed in the commercial register in order to be recognized as holders of rights and obligations.
In the Canton of Schwyz there is a single commercial register for the whole canton:

Amt für Wirtschaft
Handelsregister
Bahnhofstrasse 15
Postfach 1185
CH-6431 Schwyz

Telefon +41 (0)41 819 16 50
Telefax +41 (0)41 819 16 59
E-Mail Handelsregister

Special requirements for certain lines of business

Certain business activities, like managing an investment fund or conducting insurance, banking, finance or real estate businesses, are subject to special legal requirements. A company in these lines of business may require approval by the Federal authorities, either in general or in certain situations.

Informations can be found on

Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA

Swiss Funds Association SFA

Laws governing a business name

Under Swiss law there are generally no restrictions on company names. However, the legal structure of the firm must be discernible. The most important principles are those of corporate transparency and differentiability – meaning you have to be able to tell one company from another. The Canton Schwyz Commercial Register (click link to do a search for your preferred business name) needs to approve the chosen name for a company.