Markets
Start an online business in Switzerland
The steps the government of Switzerland sets for a new business that sells online, each linked to the official page that runs it, then the steps to open your store. Read from the official sources on October 14, 2026.
Set up your business in Switzerland
The steps in the order most new sellers take them. Each is read from the official page linked under it.
1. Choose a legal form
The Swiss SME portal describes five common legal forms: Einzelunternehmen, Kollektivgesellschaft, Kommanditgesellschaft, Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) and Aktiengesellschaft (AG).
2. Register the business
EasyGov.swiss (run by SECO) lets founders register a company in the cantonal commercial register (Handelsregister) and with VAT, AHV and accident insurance online.
3. Get your tax number
The Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer (UID, CHE plus nine digits) is assigned free by the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) and serves for both the commercial register and VAT.
4. Check when you must register for VAT
The SME portal states a business with taxable turnover under CHF 100'000 a year is exempt from VAT liability (CHF 250'000 for non-profit sports and cultural associations).
5. Follow the rules for selling online
The SME portal page on Swiss and EU e-commerce laws covers UWG and price indication duties for webshops.
Open your store in Switzerland
What Tanqory sets up for a store based in Switzerland. You change any of it in Settings.
- Tax
Your store starts with a tax entry for Switzerland, collecting off, until you confirm the rate or connect a tax service.
VAT in Switzerland- Card payments
Through your own Stripe account, which Stripe opens for businesses in Switzerland. Tanqory adds no transaction fee; Stripe charges its own rate.
- Shipping labels
DHL Express and Easyship, bought in your admin, with the customs declaration sent with each label for parcels that cross a border.
What stays with you
- Registering the business and choosing its legal form. Tanqory does not register a business for you.
- Registering for VAT, filing returns and paying the tax authority.
- Licences or permits your products need in Switzerland.
- Legal or tax advice. This page points to the official sources; an adviser in Switzerland can apply them to your business.
Questions about starting a business in Switzerland
Which legal form should I choose in Switzerland?
The official page in step 1 lists the forms a business in Switzerland can take. Your choice decides how you register, how you are taxed and whether your own money is kept apart from the business, so an adviser in Switzerland is worth asking before you decide.
What does Tanqory set up for a store in Switzerland?
A tax entry for Switzerland with collecting off, card payments through your own Stripe account, and DHL Express and Easyship labels you buy in your admin. You change any of it in Settings.
Does Tanqory file my VAT return?
No. Your store works out and charges VAT at checkout and keeps a record of every order. You register, file and pay the tax authority yourself, or through your accountant.
What do I have to tell buyers when I sell online in Switzerland?
The official page in step 5 lists the information and rights a buyer in Switzerland must get before and after they order. Put that information on your store before your first sale.
How current are these steps?
Each was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the official page is the authority, so open it before you act.
How we checked
Each step on this page was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. The store facts come from Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup.
- Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup
- www.kmu.admin.ch
- www.kmu.admin.ch
- www.bfs.admin.ch
- www.kmu.admin.ch
- www.kmu.admin.ch
Open your store in Switzerland today
Build your store while you set up your business, and switch on tax collecting when your registration is in place.