By Elizabete Klause

Can Romanian entrepreneurs open a Swiss company? Explore AG and GmbH formation, 2026 tax changes, banking, international business and relocation.

Swiss company formation for Romanian entrepreneurs

Can you open a Swiss company and keep living in Romania? Yes. A Romanian citizen or a Romanian S.R.L. can generally own all the shares in a Swiss company. But if a customer in Zurich has just accepted your proposal, you may already have what you need to take the order. A Romanian business can, in many cases, supply that customer directly.

The reason to establish a Swiss company often emerges in the next conversation. The buyer wants someone nearby who can approve a repair, sign a long-term service agreement or employ the engineer who knows their production line. At that point, the Swiss operation has a job to do. You can put a price on it and decide whether the business it brings is worth the investment.

Moving your family or buying Swiss property raises a different set of questions. A Romanian entrepreneur can own a Swiss GmbH from Bucharest, move to Wollerau while keeping a Romanian S.R.L., or invest in certain Swiss commercial premises without doing either. Each decision deserves its own comparison.

From Wollerau to the Romanian factory floor

Wollerau, on Lake Zurich in Canton Schwyz, has a direct connection to Romanian manufacturing. Limec Alpha GmbH, based in the municipality, lists production facilities in both countries. Its work ranges from sheet-metal components to complete assemblies. That local connection reflects a wider trading relationship. In 2024, Switzerland and Romania traded CHF 3.8 billion in goods. Machinery and electronics accounted for the largest share of Swiss imports from Romania.

Technology offers a familiar example. UiPath began in Bucharest in 2005. The software group’s 2026 annual filing lists UiPath Switzerland GmbH among its subsidiaries. Industrial technology illustrates a different use for a Swiss company. Mircea Tudor Scan Tech combines research and prototyping in Romania with production, engineering and testing in Switzerland. In one case the Swiss presence is part of an international software group. In the other, it includes the physical facilities needed to test scanners large enough to inspect aircraft.

One of the more personal connections fits on a wrist. To mark Romania’s centenary in 2018, Swiss watchmaker Tissot produced exactly 1,918 watches in a Romanian edition. The design drew on Constantin Brâncuși’s Endless Column. A Romanian reader could recognise the reference long before turning the watch over to see where it was made.

Starting a Swiss business from Romania

1. Can I own a Swiss company without moving from Romania?

Yes. A Romanian individual or company can generally own 100% of a Swiss GmbH or AG. Swiss company law requires a registered office in Switzerland and signing arrangements that allow the company to be represented by a person resident there. The owner can continue living in Bucharest, Cluj or elsewhere in Romania.

Consider a Romanian manufacturer whose Swiss subsidiary employs a sales manager. The Romanian parent can own the shares while the Swiss company employs the manager and signs local contracts. The people representing the Swiss company have genuine responsibilities. Ownership, authority to act for the company and the owner’s personal residence are three separate matters. Swiss company formation for foreign owners.

2. Can my Romanian S.R.L. invoice Swiss customers directly?

Yes. A Romanian S.R.L. can generally invoice a Swiss customer for goods or services supplied under a contract. What matters is what the company promises to deliver and where the work takes place.

A consultant who completes a project in Cluj and sends the results to a Swiss business faces a different situation from a manufacturer that delivers a machine and sends technicians to install it. The second contract brings customs, import VAT and rules for work performed in Switzerland into the picture. These can affect the price and the date the supplier can promise, even on a first order.

A useful question for the buyer is whether its purchasing policy actually requires a Swiss contracting party. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the buyer simply wants a local service contact or a shorter repair time. The cost of meeting those requirements can be very different. When a Swiss company makes commercial sense.

3. What is the Swiss equivalent of a Romanian S.R.L. or S.A.?

The closest comparison is Romanian S.R.L. to Swiss GmbH, and Romanian S.A. to Swiss AG. In French-speaking Switzerland, the same Swiss forms are called Sàrl and SA. A founder comparing offers from Zurich and Lausanne may therefore encounter two names for the same legal form.

A Romanian S.R.L. and a Swiss GmbH both suit privately held businesses with a small group of owners. The capital commitment differs considerably. In Romania, a newly incorporated S.R.L. generally requires RON 500. A minimum of RON 5,000 applies when reported annual net turnover for the preceding financial year exceeds RON 400,000, subject to the statutory adjustment periods. A Swiss GmbH requires CHF 20,000, fully paid at incorporation, and its shareholders appear in the Commercial Register.

A Romanian S.A. generally requires RON 90,000 in share capital. A Swiss AG requires CHF 100,000 in nominal capital, with at least 20% of each share’s nominal value and at least CHF 50,000 in total paid in at incorporation. An AG often merits consideration where several investors will participate or future share transfers are already part of the plan. Shareholders generally do not appear in the Swiss public Commercial Register solely because they hold AG shares. Beneficial-owner transparency obligations still apply.

For a Romanian group opening one wholly owned Swiss office, the simpler ownership arrangements of a GmbH may fit perfectly well. If a Swiss partner expects to buy into the business, the terms on which shares can be transferred deserve attention from the outset. Swiss AG and GmbH compared, including capital, governance and ownership.

4. How much does it cost to set up and run a company in Switzerland?

For a GmbH, distinguish the CHF 20,000 that belongs to the company from the fees paid to establish it. Once the company is registered and the bank releases the capital, the business can use the funds for legitimate expenses, including equipment, rent and salaries.

The Swiss Commercial Register’s basic registration fee for an AG or GmbH is CHF 420. That covers one part of incorporation. The notary, any professional advice, bank charges and work associated with foreign corporate documents are separate. If a Romanian parent company will be the shareholder, its ownership and representation documents can affect the work involved.

The more revealing number is often the first-year budget. An owner who lives in Switzerland and runs the company personally has a different cost base from a Romanian group that needs local representation, office space, accounting and payroll for a Swiss employee. The Swiss company formation cost calculator gives an initial estimate based on the services selected.

5. Can a Romanian owner open a Swiss business bank account?

Yes, a Romanian-owned Swiss company can apply for a Swiss business account. The bank assesses the company, its owners and the proposed activity. For a cash incorporation, the capital contribution account serves a specific purpose during formation. The bank makes a separate decision about the ongoing operating relationship.

A real order explains the business better than a general statement about international expansion. If a Swiss buyer will pay in francs and the Romanian engineering company will invoice in euros, the bank can understand both sides of the transaction. It will also want to know who controls the companies, where the initial funds come from and what level of activity is realistic. Swiss capital contribution and corporate bank accounts.

Comparing company taxes and deciding where to live

6. How does Swiss corporate tax compare with Romania’s?

Romania’s standard corporate income tax is 16% of taxable profit. Its separate microenterprise regime generally taxes qualifying businesses at 1% of taxable revenue in 2026, with a revenue ceiling equivalent to EUR 100,000 and additional eligibility conditions. In Switzerland, the combined corporate income tax depends on the canton and municipality.

The word revenue makes a substantial difference. A qualifying Romanian S.R.L. with EUR 90,000 in taxable revenue pays EUR 900 under the 1% regime. If its pre-tax profit is EUR 9,000, that charge absorbs 10% of profit. If profit falls to EUR 4,500, the same charge absorbs 20%. A comparison based on the headline percentages alone would give the owner little idea of the actual cost.

Canton Schwyz publishes a particularly clear Swiss example. On CHF 100,000 of pre-tax profit, its 2026 illustration gives total corporate income tax, including federal tax, of CHF 11,599 in Wollerau and CHF 13,302 in the municipality of Schwyz. These figures concern profit taxable there. Where a business operates in both countries, the work performed, management decisions and risks assumed in each country help determine the tax position. The Swiss figure cannot simply be applied to the Romanian group’s entire earnings. Swiss corporate tax rates by canton and municipality.

7. Can I move to Switzerland and keep my company in Romania?

Yes. A Romanian citizen can retain shares in a Romanian S.R.L. after moving to Switzerland. As an EU citizen, the owner may also qualify to live in Switzerland through employment, genuine self-employment or, for someone moving without gainful activity, sufficient financial means and appropriate health insurance. The applicable residence conditions depend on what the person will actually do in Switzerland.

The practical distinction is between owning the Romanian company and running it daily from Switzerland. A shareholder who moves to Wollerau while an established management team continues operating the factory in Romania has one set of circumstances. A sole owner who moves the company’s pricing decisions, negotiations and day-to-day management to a Swiss home office has another. The latter may affect the company as well as the individual.

For the family, the move also involves comparing housing, health insurance, schools and travel back to Romania. Wollerau gives access to the Lake Zurich business region while remaining in Canton Schwyz. That can matter to a founder who wants to reach Zurich clients and still make regular trips to the Romanian business. Wollerau as a business location.

8. What would I pay personally on salary, dividends and wealth after relocating?

The answer depends on where you are tax resident, what income you receive and which Swiss municipality you choose. Romania generally taxes employment income at 10% of the taxable base, with social contributions affecting take-home pay. Dividends distributed to individuals from 2026 are generally taxed at 16%, subject to transitional rules. Under ordinary Swiss taxation, federal, cantonal and municipal income taxes apply, and family circumstances influence the result.

One difference can surprise an owner whose wealth is tied up in a Romanian business. Schwyz levies personal wealth tax. Shares in a privately held Romanian S.R.L. may need to be valued for the Swiss return even in a year when the company distributes no dividend. In the canton’s 2026 illustration, a married couple with two children and CHF 2.5 million in taxable assets pays annual wealth tax of CHF 2,610 in Wollerau, excluding church tax. Switzerland has no federal wealth tax.

An owner retiring after handing over management may also ask about expenditure-based taxation. Schwyz allows this regime for qualifying foreign nationals who take up Swiss tax residence for the first time, or after at least ten years abroad, and do not pursue gainful activity in Switzerland. Both spouses living together must qualify. Schwyz has a minimum cantonal income assessment base of CHF 600,000, and expenditure, housing and treaty-related calculations can result in a higher assessment. Zurich has abolished the regime. For someone who intends to continue managing the business from Switzerland, ordinary taxation is the appropriate starting point for the family budget.

Investing in Swiss real estate from Romania

9. Can I buy commercial property in Switzerland while I still live in Romania?

Yes, in principle. Under the Swiss rules commonly known as Lex Koller, a person living in Romania can generally acquire Swiss premises used on a continuing basis for a qualifying business activity. An office, workshop, shop or warehouse can qualify. The investor may use it for their own business or lease it to an independent commercial tenant.

Consider a Romanian investor comparing two properties on Lake Zurich. One is a workshop let to an engineering company. The other is a building with a shop downstairs and apartments above it. The first may fit the commercial-property exemption. The second needs a closer look because the residential element can change the legal assessment. The building’s actual use matters more than the word “commercial” in the sales listing.

For the financial comparison, the tenant, remaining lease term, condition of the building and likely capital expenditure matter alongside the purchase price. A Swiss-franc asset also introduces an exchange-rate consideration for an investor whose income and financing are in lei or euros. Can foreigners buy commercial property in Switzerland?

10. Can I buy a Swiss apartment and rent it out? Does the answer change if I move there?

If you live in Romania, buying an ordinary Swiss apartment solely to rent it to a household is generally restricted under Lex Koller. Residential letting does not normally qualify as the commercial use described above. Owning a Swiss GmbH does not by itself alter the assessment. Foreign-controlled Swiss companies can also fall within the legislation.

If you are a Romanian citizen lawfully and actually domiciled in Switzerland, the position is different. EU/EFTA citizens who meet that residence condition generally have the same acquisition rights as Swiss citizens under Lex Koller, including for a residential investment. Other rules affecting the property or its use can still apply. Purchasing a property does not itself confer Swiss residence rights.

The same apartment can therefore have a different answer for a buyer living in Bucharest and for that buyer after a genuine relocation to Switzerland. Before comparing rental yields, establish which position applies. Can a foreign investor buy a residential property in Switzerland to rent out?

Three distinctions worth taking into the first meeting

  • A Swiss customer and a Swiss company. If the buyer needs local maintenance, establish what service it expects before committing to the annual cost of a subsidiary. The existing Romanian S.R.L. may already be able to fulfil the contract.
  • The company’s tax bill and the family’s tax bill. A Wollerau corporate tax illustration tells you what happens to a stated amount of company profit. It says little about a household that receives a salary, owns shares in Romania and plans to move with children.
  • A commercial tenant and a residential tenant. Both can pay rent in Swiss francs. The right of a Romanian nonresident to acquire the underlying property can differ substantially.

For an initial discussion, bring the decision that is actually in front of you. It might be a draft order from a Swiss buyer, a family move under consideration or the particulars of a property you have found. From Wollerau, Alpine Capital can help you assess the Swiss side against that specific opportunity. Contact Alpine Capital.

Sources and further reading

Swiss–Romanian business and cultural connections

Company law, taxation, residence and property

Related Alpine Capital guides

This overview is for general information and does not replace individual legal, tax or financial advice.

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