Company Searches International provides Business Reports on all businesses registered in Switzerland. However because of the nature of Swiss filing regulations, Financial Reports are rarely available.

Full Company Name and Address are required to undertake a search, as companies register in the local Cantons.

Financial Information

Company Accounts

We have a number of quoted company annual reports in house. If not in-house we can obtain the report from a correspondent in the UK.

Business Reports

These are general company profiles based on the most up to date information available at local official registries and other sources. They are always available in English, on a three speed service.

Contents of a Business Report:

Identity, Legal Status & History

• Legal Form
• Date of Creation
• Place of Registration (if available at the registry)

Ownership & Management

Issued Share Capital (Not Shareholders as often Swiss companies are divided into bearer share which are not registered)
• Directors
• Ultimate Holding Company

Activities & Operations

Activities
• Branches/Any plant owned
• Trading Style
• Number of Staff
• Premises (Owned/Rented)
• Mode of Payments,
• Export/Import figures (if available).

Financial & Public Record Information

Sales/Turnover (if available) for last year
• Extracts from Assets/Liabilities (if available)

As Swiss companies are not obliged to make their financial data public, (unless publicly quoted) you may not get the above, or it could be estimated, or obtained from the company.

A Summary & Credit Opinion

• Actual Upper Credit Limit Figure given. Bankers

Principal Business Types

Aktiengesellschaft (AG) or Societe Anonyme (SA)
Corporation or Joint Stock Company. Minimum capital stock of 50,000 Swiss francs or which at least 20,000 Swiss francs must be paid in cash or covered through contributions in kind.

The corporation or joint stock company is the most important and widespread kind of company in Switzerland. Although the corporation was originally conceived at the form for large public companies, it has increasingly developed into a form for small and medium-sized operations.

There are several reasons for the popularity of the corporation as a legal form; liability limited to company assets, anonymity of the capital sources, minimal capital requirements, limited compulsory contributions by the shareholders, simple inheritance regulations and the possibility to share the corporation in terms of the people involved by restricted transferability of registered shares and the admission of shares with voting rights.

Gessellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung (GmbH) or Societe a responsabilite limitee (SARL)
Limited liability company. The common capital stock must amount to at least 20,000 Swiss francs and may not exceed 2 million Swiss francs. At least 50% of the shareholders' capital contributions must be paid in or covered by contributions in kind.

Offene Handelsgesellschaft (oHG) or Societe en non collectif (SNC)
The General Partnership. Two or more partners. The financial obligations of the partnership are met primarily by partnership assets. If, however, these assets are insufficient to meet business debts, each partner is individually liable up to the full extent of his or her private assets.

Kommanditgesellschaft (KG) or Societe en commandite simple (SCS)
The Limited Partnership. At least one associate (the general partner) must assume personal and unlimited liability for all the obligations of the partnership, while one or more associates (the limited partners) are liable only up to a predetermined amount of assets. Unlimitedly liable associates (general partners) must be natural persons. Corporations can be limited partners.

Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien (KGaA) or Societe en commandite limitee par actions
The Partnership Limited by Shares

This is seldom found in Switzerland. It is a mixed form, combining the limited partnership and the corporation. One or more associates, like general partners, are liable jointly and severally for its obligations. Needed additional capital contributions with limited liability are divided into shares and raised by subscription.

Company Accounts Filing Requirements

Whoever operates a factory or any kind of commercial or industrial business is require by law to register in the Commercial Register. The register is open to public inspection and shows:

• the name of the firm
• its legal form
• headquarters (domicile)
• branches and purpose
• owners, co-owners or managers
• authorised persons
• capital stock, if a corporation or an association with limited liability.