GmbH (limited liability company)
The limited liability company is a corporation with its own legal personality and nominal capital of at least CHF 20,000, which must be fully paid in; the members are entered in the commercial register and therefore publicly visible.
Definition
It is liable with its own assets, not the members — with the practical restriction that banks and landlords regularly demand personal security from young companies. The managing director is, in employment law terms, an employee of their own company and must therefore be covered under AHV, unemployment insurance, BVG and UVG.
It is required to keep books from the first franc: double entry with balance sheet, income statement and notes. Whether an audit is needed depends on size and on the members’ waiver.
The wording
The nominal capital must be at least CHF 20,000.
The numbers
- CHF 20,000
- minimum nominal capital, to be paid in full Art. 773 CO
Where to read it
What the software must be able to do
Unlike a sole proprietorship, payroll and full annual accounts are not optional but a precondition — even in a one-person company. The simplest programs therefore drop out.
Checked Aug 2026
More terms under Legal form and register: AG (public limited company) Association Auditor Commercial register Cooperative General partnership Liquidation Signing authority (Prokura) Sole proprietorship UID number