Company formation in Liechtenstein

Company registration in Liechtenstein in 2026: the numbers that matter

A standard Liechtenstein GmbH costs about CHF 1,100 in state fees: CHF 800 for the entry in the Commercial Register (Handelsregister) and CHF 300 for the public deed if the Office of Justice (Amt für Justiz) draws it up. Profit is then taxed at a flat 12.5%. The real budget sits in Article 180a of the Persons and Companies Act (Personen- und Gesellschaftsrecht, PGR): unless the company holds a trade licence, one of its directors must be a licensed Liechtenstein professional. That board seat, not the register fee, decides what the company costs to run.

What you buy is rare: a company in the European Economic Area (EEA), which Liechtenstein joined on 1 May 1995, inside the Swiss customs area under the 1923 Customs Treaty, with books in Swiss francs (CHF), the currency since 1924.

Which legal form to choose: GmbH, AG, Anstalt, foundation or trust enterprise

Minimum capital (Art. 122 PGR) is paid in full on day one, in francs or the same figure in euros or US dollars.

• GmbH (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, limited liability company): CHF 10,000; each shareholder puts in at least CHF 50, in multiples of 50 (Art. 391).
• AG (Aktiengesellschaft, company limited by shares): CHF 50,000.
• Anstalt (establishment): CHF 30,000 when its capital is not split into shares.
• Stiftung (foundation): CHF 30,000 (Art. 552 § 13).
• Treuunternehmen (trust enterprise, "trust reg."): a trust with its own legal personality and a trust fund of at least CHF 30,000.

The short verdict: a GmbH to trade, an AG for investors, a foundation to keep family money together across generations, an Anstalt when one person wants control without being a shareholder.

What is a Liechtenstein Anstalt

Under Art. 534 PGR an Anstalt is a registered entity built around a pool of assets, with no members and, unless its articles create them, no shares. Control sits in the "founder's rights" (Gründerrechte): their holder is the supreme body (Art. 543), and the rights can be sold or inherited but not pledged (Art. 541). An Anstalt can trade like a company or be drafted to behave like a foundation.

The downside is recognition: almost no other country has the form, so banks and your home tax office will ask whether it is a company, a foundation or a trust.

Does a Liechtenstein company need a local director?

Yes, in practice. Art. 180a PGR requires at least one board member with management and signing power who is an EEA national (or a person given equal status by treaty) or a legal entity, and who holds a licence under the Trustee Act (Treuhändergesetz) or the special law on Article 180a professionals: a local trust company or licensed individual.

Exempt are entities that must have a manager under the Trade Act (Gewerbegesetz) or another special law, and entities supervised by a public authority (supervised foundations excepted).

The trade-licence route is no shortcut: the manager must be an EEA or Swiss national (others only after 12 years' residence in Liechtenstein), speak German, hold registered signing authority and actually run the business from staffed premises in the country (Trade Act Art. 8, 11 and 12).

Break the rule and the company is dissolved ex officio, meaning by the authorities without anyone applying (Art. 971 PGR). The law sets no price for a 180a mandate; the trustee does. Ask for one fixed annual quote covering the mandate, address, bookkeeping, tax return and beneficial-owner filings.

How to register a company in Liechtenstein (Firmengründung) step by step

Firmengründung is German for company formation.

1. Pick the form and the licensed director, who runs identity and source-of-funds checks under the Due Diligence Act (Sorgfaltspflichtgesetz).
2. Clear the name with the Office of Justice, which keeps the register.
3. Pay in the capital and obtain the bank's confirmation.
4. Sign the articles as a public deed (öffentliche Beurkundung, an officially authenticated document) at the Office of Justice or a private notary. A GmbH with at most three shareholders and one managing director can use the simplified procedure (Art. 390 para. 5 PGR): articles on the Office of Justice template with no deviations, signatures merely certified. With only one managing director allowed, that seat normally goes to the licensed trustee.
5. File with the Commercial Register. The company exists from its entry.
6. Report beneficial owners to the register of beneficial owners (Verzeichnis der wirtschaftlich berechtigten Personen, VwbP) within 30 days.
7. Register for tax, for VAT once worldwide turnover reaches CHF 100,000, and for a trade licence if the activity needs one.

Liechtenstein company formation costs: a worked example

A GmbH with CHF 10,000 capital and two managing directors, the founder and a trustee, pays under the official register fee ordinance:

• Register entry: CHF 700, plus CHF 30 per signing authority and CHF 20 per function: CHF 800.
• Public deed at the Office of Justice: 1 per mille (0.1%) of capital, minimum CHF 300: CHF 300.
• Formation duty (Gründungsabgabe): CHF 0; the 1% duty applies only once capital exceeds CHF 1 million.

State total: CHF 1,100 before the trustee's fees. A private notary costs more: the Liechtenstein Notary Chamber's guideline minimums (CHF 600 for articles, CHF 450 for the formation, CHF 500 per register filing) add up to about CHF 1,550, plus 5% for an English deed and VAT. Under the simplified procedure a certified signature costs CHF 10 at the Office of Justice, CHF 80 at a notary.

Above CHF 200,000 of capital the register fee rises by 0.02% of the excess, capped at CHF 10,000. A foundation pays formation duty of 0.2% of capital, at least CHF 200.

Liechtenstein corporate tax in 2026: 12.5%, a CHF 1,800 floor and a 4% equity deduction

The Tax Act (Steuergesetz, SteG) sets profit tax at a flat 12.5% (Art. 61), and the tax itself is not deductible. Five rules decide the real bill (all Liechtenstein rates):

• Minimum tax of CHF 1,800 a year, credited against profit tax (Art. 62). Only purely commercial businesses with an average balance sheet of up to CHF 500,000 over three years are exempt; a small holding company pays it.
• Dividends and capital gains on shareholdings are exempt, with no minimum stake or holding period (Art. 48), except deductible dividends on stakes of 25% or more and income from mostly passive foreign subsidiaries taxed at under half the Liechtenstein level.
• Notional interest deduction (Eigenkapital-Zinsabzug): 4% on "modified equity", meaning paid-in capital and reserves minus own shares, shareholdings, non-business assets and 6% of the remaining assets (Art. 54 with Art. 5). It cannot create a loss.
• No withholding tax on dividends, apart from legacy pre-2011 reserves, and no capital tax on companies.
• Private asset structures (Privatvermögensstrukturen, PVS): passive vehicles holding only financial instruments, non-controlling stakes and cash for private individuals pay the CHF 1,800 minimum and nothing else (Art. 64), with the status confirmed to the Fiscal Authority every year.

Groups with revenue of EUR 750 million or more have paid a 15% minimum since 2024 (Pillar Two, the OECD global minimum tax). VAT follows Swiss rates: 8.1% standard.

Worked example. An operating GmbH earns CHF 400,000 before tax, with CHF 1,000,000 of equity, CHF 1,500,000 of assets and no shareholdings. Modified equity is CHF 910,000 (after the 6% deduction of CHF 90,000), so the deduction is CHF 36,400. Tax: 12.5% of CHF 363,600 = CHF 45,450, an effective 11.4%. What the owner then pays at home depends on local controlled foreign company rules.

Is Liechtenstein an offshore jurisdiction?

No. The Tax Act in force since 1 January 2011 replaced the old privileged regimes with one flat rate, and Liechtenstein was among the 49 early adopters of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), the OECD system for automatic exchange of bank data, exchanging from 2017 (CRS and FATCA).

The beneficial-owner register is not public, but it is no vault. The Fiscal Authority, police, prosecutors, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Financial Market Authority (FMA) query it directly; outsiders must show an anti-money-laundering purpose and pay a fee. Low tax, yes. Secrecy, no.

EEA membership adds market access: an FMA licence for payments, e-money or investment services passports across the EEA, and since MiCAR, the EU crypto-assets regulation, entered the EEA Agreement on 24 June 2025, so does a crypto licence (financial licensing).

Opening a bank account for a Liechtenstein company

The Liechtenstein Bankers Association lists 12 member banks, one in voluntary liquidation; deposits are protected up to CHF 100,000 per depositor per bank. Expect to document source of wealth and a business plan (bank accounts).

Russian citizens: what the sanctions rules allow

Liechtenstein's Ukraine sanctions ordinance of 10 March 2022 hits this audience directly:

• Deposits (Art. 21): banks may not accept more than EUR 100,000 per bank from Russian nationals and residents.
• Trusts and foundations (Art. 29d): creating or administering trusts, foundations, foundation-like establishments and foundation-like trust enterprises is banned where they are settlors or beneficiaries.
• Crypto (Art. 21 para. 2a): they may not own, control or sit on the board of an EEA or Swiss crypto-wallet or custody provider.

Only EEA or Swiss nationals and EEA or Swiss residence-permit holders are exempt, so a second passport from, say, Argentina does not help; a Liechtenstein residence permit does. A company more than 40% Russian-owned must also report its transfers above EUR 100,000 outside the EEA to the FIU every quarter (Art. 22a).

What a Liechtenstein company must do every year

• Prepare annual accounts with a review (prüferische Durchsicht), a lighter check than an audit. Trading micro companies (under two of: CHF 580,000 balance sheet, CHF 1.16 million turnover, 10 employees) can waive it by unanimous shareholder vote.
• A full audit applies once two of three limits are exceeded on two consecutive balance-sheet dates: CHF 9.2 million balance sheet, CHF 18.5 million turnover, 50 employees (Art. 1064 PGR).
• AGs and GmbHs file accounts with the Office of Justice within 12 months of year-end (CHF 30 per document).
• File the tax return by the date the Fiscal Authority sets, report beneficial-owner changes within 30 days, and never leave the 180a seat empty.

Liechtenstein vs Switzerland (Zug), Luxembourg, Cyprus and Malta

SARL is Luxembourg's limited company (société à responsabilité limitée). Zug wins on headline rate but taxes company equity (0.068% in Zug city) and withholds 35% on dividends. Cyprus and Malta need no licensed director, but Cyprus moved from 12.5% to 15% on 1 January 2026, and Malta's low rate depends on a refund claim. Compare Switzerland, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Malta.

Who a Liechtenstein company suits, and who should look elsewhere

It suits families passing on wealth through a foundation or Anstalt taxed at the CHF 1,800 PVS minimum (estate planning), family holdings, and fintech or crypto firms wanting an EEA passport with a Swiss-franc base.

It is not for solo founders wanting a cheap company they run alone, anyone after secrecy, companies really managed from another country (which may tax them as its own), or Russian citizens without EEA or Swiss residence who want a foundation.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to register a company in Liechtenstein?

State fees for a GmbH with two signing directors come to about CHF 1,100: CHF 800 for the register entry and CHF 300 for the public deed at the Office of Justice. The largest cost is the licensed trustee required by Art. 180a, priced by the firm, not by law.

Is a notary required to form a company in Liechtenstein?

No. The Office of Justice draws up the public deed itself, for CHF 300 on a standard GmbH or AG. A small GmbH can skip the deed under the simplified procedure.

Can a foreigner register a company in Liechtenstein without living there?

Yes. Shareholders can be of any nationality and live anywhere, but the board needs a licensed 180a professional or, for a licensed trade, a German-speaking EEA or Swiss manager working on site.

What is the difference between an Anstalt and a Stiftung?

A Stiftung (foundation) belongs to no one: its assets serve beneficiaries under the founder's rules. An Anstalt is controlled by whoever holds its founder's rights, which can be sold or inherited. Both start at CHF 30,000.

Do Liechtenstein companies pay tax on dividends from subsidiaries?

As a rule, no: dividends and gains on shareholdings are exempt with no minimum stake or holding period. The exemption fails for deductible dividends on stakes of 25% or more and for low-taxed foreign subsidiaries earning mostly passive income.

Is the owner of a Liechtenstein company public?

No. Beneficial owners are reported within 30 days, authorities query the register directly, and outsiders need an anti-money-laundering purpose. Account data also flows abroad yearly through the CRS.

Can Russian citizens open a company in Liechtenstein in 2026?

A company, yes, with limits. Without an EEA or Swiss passport or residence permit, a bank may take no more than EUR 100,000 from them, and trustees may not set up or run foundations or trusts for them. A company over 40% Russian-owned reports large non-EEA transfers quarterly.