Updated 13.08.2026
Company registration · Liechtenstein
Company registration in Liechtenstein 12.5%tax and access to the EEA market
A principality inside the European Economic Area with a currency and customs union with Switzerland. A low corporate rate, solid banks and dedicated vehicles for owning family capital.
Launch package
What the base package covers
- 01Choice of form and preparation of the statutes
- 02Registration with the principality’s registry
- 03Local representative and address for the first year
- 04Full set of corporate documents
- 05Tax registration
- 06A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
and 3 more documents
The actual timing, cost and tax treatment depend on the corporate form, the activity and the structure of the company. Government fees are paid separately at the official tariffs.
Quick selection
Find the right structure
Where will the clients be?
What will the company do?
What do you need?
How many owners?
Reply within one business day
Fit
Who Liechtenstein suits
- Family ownership of assets through a foundation or trust
- Holdings with participations in European companies
- Licensed financial and management companies
- Businesses that need EEA access without EU membership
- Projects settling in Swiss francs
- Minimum budget: upkeep here is expensive
- You need a cheap operating company for trading
- You are counting on anonymity: compliance is strict
- A shell company with no economic purpose
Company types
What structures are available in Liechtenstein
Beyond ordinary companies, the principality is known for its family wealth vehicles.
The classic form with share capital, the one banks recognise most readily.
- For whom
- Holdings, financial and management structures.
- Advantage
- High standing and flexible share arrangements.
- Limit
- Capital and upkeep requirements above the average.
A form with participation interests and lower capital.
- For whom
- Services, trade, smaller holdings.
- Advantage
- Simpler to manage than a company limited by shares.
- Limit
- Less suited to complex investment structures.
A structure with no members: the assets belong to the foundation and are managed under its statutes.
- For whom
- Family ownership and succession planning.
- Advantage
- Separates the assets from the founder’s personal estate.
- Limit
- Requires careful statutes and a professional council.
Every form requires a local representative and an address. Regulated activity requires a licence from the financial market authority.
Comparison
Liechtenstein or Switzerland
Two neighbouring centres for capital with different tax mechanics.
| Liechtenstein | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax | 12.5% | federal, cantonal and communal layers |
| Minimum annual tax | yes | none, depends on the canton |
| Single market | EEA membership | bilateral agreements |
| Currency | Swiss franc | Swiss franc |
| Vehicles for assets | foundations, establishments, trusts | narrower range |
| Upkeep cost | high | high |
| Who it suits better | family ownership and EEA access | operating business and reputation |
Liechtenstein wins on a predictable rate and dedicated ownership vehicles; Switzerland on the scale of its economy and its brand.
Where to register
What shapes the structure in Liechtenstein
The choice depends on what you are structuring: a business or family capital.
What we check
- What will own the assets: a company, a foundation or a trust
- Whether EEA access and European counterparties matter
- Who the beneficiaries are and where they are tax resident
- Whether licensed activity is planned
- Which bank is prepared to serve the structure
- How the origin of the capital is evidenced
- Whether succession planning is required
- Whether a real office in the principality is planned
- What reporting and audit will be needed
- The upkeep budget for the next three years
A foundation or trust solves ownership problems, not tax ones. The tax consequences for the beneficiary are determined by their country of residence.
Licensing
Activities and licences
Financial activity is licensed; ordinary business needs a trade permit.
No licence required, but a local representative is.
Licensed by the financial market authority.
Require a professional trustee.
Licences with capital and personnel requirements.
A dedicated law governs tokens and trusted service providers.
Require a trade permit and usually a local manager.
What sets the licence
- Whether a licence or trade permit is required
- Whether there is a real office and staff
- Who acts as the local representative
- Expected turnover
- Whether a local banking relationship is needed
- Who the beneficiaries are
Prices
Three ways to launch
The scope is built from real scenarios, from a simple company to an ownership structure.
from $6 500
A holding or an operating structure
3-5 weeks
Included
- Choice of form and preparation of the statutes
- Registration with the principality’s registry
- Local representative and address for the first year
- Full set of corporate documents
- Tax registration
- A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
Government fees, paid separately
- Registration fees
- Minimum annual tax
Not included
- A regulator licence
- The bank account — handled as a separate stage
from $11 000
A working structure with settlements
6-12 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company package
- Bank file and submission to suitable banks
- Substantiation of the origin of capital
- Support at meetings and in correspondence
- Initial tax position of the structure
Government fees, paid separately
- Bank tariffs
- Certifications and apostille
Not included
- A guarantee that the account opens — the bank decides
by project
Family capital and succession planning
from 2 months
Included
- Everything in the Company and account package
- Drafting the foundation statutes or trust terms
- Selection of a professional trustee
- Agreeing the tax position for the beneficiaries
- Accounting, reporting and audit where required
- Annual support of the structure
Government fees, paid separately
- Trustee fees
- Audit fees
The minimum annual tax, registry fees and the representative’s fee appear as separate lines in the quote.
Estimate
Preliminary quote
Seven questions about the task, the assets, the beneficiaries and banking. A preliminary budget in return.
The range is indicative: ownership structures are priced individually.
Add-ons
Add-ons for any package
Switched on as the task requires.
Drafting the statutes and selecting a trustee.
A qualified professional resident in the principality.
Accounting, reporting and audit as the form requires.
Support with preparing the application.
Agreeing the consequences for the beneficiaries.
Selection of a bank suited to the capital profile.
Changes to bodies, capital and beneficiaries.
Proper closure of the company or foundation.
Banking
The bank account after incorporation
The principality’s banks specialise in private capital and demand complete transparency on its origin.
The origin of the capital, the beneficiaries, the economic purpose of the structure and the expected flows.
The corporate set, evidence of the source of funds and the beneficiaries’ tax history.
In the principality and in Switzerland; for operating settlements, in EEA banks.
We prepare the file, choose the bank and run the submission through to account opening.
Minimum balances and transparency requirements here are above average. If the capital is not documented, the account will not open.
Tax
Taxes in Liechtenstein
The rate is low and predictable, but a minimum annual charge applies regardless of profit.
A rate of 12.5% on taxable profit.
Payable even where there is no profit; it is credited against the tax due.
The law allows a deduction of notional interest on equity.
A system aligned with the Swiss one applies, at a low rate.
Annual accounts are mandatory; audit depends on the form and the size.
Owning the structure creates obligations in the beneficiary country of residence.
Verified on 13 August 2026. This is not tax advice: the treatment of foundations and trusts is assessed individually.
Documents
What we need from you
The set is collected in advance: compliance here goes deeper than usual.
- 01Passport with a notarised copy
- 02Proof of residential address
- 03Curriculum vitae and description of the activity
- 04Evidence of the origin of capital
- 05Bank reference
Documents are accepted in German or English. Translations and certifications are handled by us.
Annual administration
What we handle every year
Upkeep in the principality is above average — plan for it in advance.
Payable regardless of the result of the year.
Calculated at 12.5% and filed by return.
A mandatory requirement, renewed annually.
Prepared and filed within the deadlines.
Depending on the form of the structure and its size.
For foundations and trusts, an ongoing cost.
Periodic updating of information about the capital.
Changes to bodies and beneficiaries are registered.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the company over three years
A company is not a one-off payment for incorporation: the annual items below repeat every year. We count ownership, not entry.
- Registration and corporate documents
- Minimum annual tax
- Corporate income tax
- Local representative and address
- Annual accounts
- Audit
- Trustee fees
- Bank compliance
- Changes to the structure
- Minimum annual tax
- Corporate income tax
- Local representative and address
- Annual accounts
- Audit
- Trustee fees
- Bank compliance
- Changes to the structure
- Minimum annual tax
- Corporate income tax
- Local representative and address
- Annual accounts
- Audit
- Trustee fees
- Bank compliance
- Changes to the structure
What falls into each year depends on the corporate form, the activity and the requirements of the bank and the regulator. The three-year calculation comes together with the incorporation quote — before the engagement.
Process
How the work runs
Timelines are split by who is responsible.
Task, assets, beneficiaries, tax position.
One meetingWe fix the scope of work and the amount.
2-3 daysVerification, collection of the set, translations and certifications.
1-3 weeksFiling with the registry and issue of the documents.
3-5 weeksBank file, meetings and account opening.
The bank sets the timingReporting, audit, minimum tax, changes.
OngoingThe outcome is an EEA structure with a clear tax position: a company or foundation, an account and reporting in place.
Scenarios
A company for a specific task
The structure follows the client task and the banking model, not the name of the jurisdiction.
BusinessHolding shares in operating companies across countries.
DirectionA holding company with professional administration.
BankingAn account for dividends and intra-group settlements.
BusinessSecurities and investment accounts under one structure.
DirectionAn investment holding with reporting and audit.
BankingThe bank and the broker check the origin of the capital.
BusinessBringing family assets together and setting long-term ownership.
DirectionA structure with a clear ownership chain and distribution rules.
BankingThe profile is built on the source of capital and the beneficiaries.
BusinessHolding properties and other assets through a structure.
DirectionAn SPV or a holding, subject to ownership rules in the country of the asset.
BankingAn account for the upkeep of the assets and settlements.
A scenario does not assign a corporate form automatically: the actual form, licence and bank are checked against the current requirements for your activity.
Why BRIDGES
Who runs the incorporation and what we answer for
The difference shows in how the work is run, not in the promises.
Owning assets and running a business need different structures. We do not mix them.
Minimum tax, representative, audit — we show the three-year total.
A foundation does not remove obligations in the beneficiary’s country of residence.
We evaluate the capital profile before incorporation.
Trustees and directors are licensed specialists of the principality.
Beneficiaries are disclosed to the bank and to the competent authorities.
FAQ
Questions and answers
12.5% on taxable profit. A minimum annual tax is also payable and is credited against the corporate tax.
No, but it participates in the European Economic Area, which gives access to the single market.
The Swiss franc — the principality is in a currency and customs union with Switzerland.
A foundation has no members: the assets belong to the foundation and are managed under its statutes for the benefit of beneficiaries.
Not automatically. The tax consequences are determined by the beneficiaries’ country of residence.
Three to five weeks after compliance. Foundations and trusts take two months or more.
Yes, a representative and an address in the principality are mandatory.
Banks are demanding about the origin of capital. With a documented history it is achievable; without one it is not.
Calculation
Get the structure and a full quote before incorporation
Tell us what needs structuring: a business, family capital or the ownership of assets. We will select the form, assess the taxes and prepare the launch and upkeep budget.
The structure, budget and scope are fixed after the business and the owners are reviewed. Account opening and registration decisions are taken by banks and state authorities.