Checklist: serving European clients from Geneva

Identify, for each Member State in which the institution has clients, the rules applicable to cross-border services and the exemptions available, and document the basis of each relationship.
Distinguish services provided at the client’s own initiative from services actively offered, and train advisers on the limits of solicitation.
Assess the case for a subsidiary in the Union, in Luxembourg or elsewhere, in the light of the volume of European clientele and the cost of the passport.
Follow the parliamentary and referendum timetable of the Switzerland–EU package and anticipate its effects on the recruitment of European staff.
Apply the tax and social security rules on cross-border teleworking and document the days of presence of cross-border workers.
Verify the compliance of data transfers with clients and subsidiaries in the Union, on the basis of the recognition of Switzerland’s adequacy.
Use the Berne agreement with the United Kingdom as a model and an argument in the debate on mutual recognition.
Take part, through the umbrella organisations, in the public debate on free movement, with data on the contribution of foreign staff to the financial centre and to the canton.

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of September 2025.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Rechtsanwalt/Attorney-at-Law

I am a Swiss attorney-at-law and also admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong and in England & Wales, with almost 25 years of experience.

Together with my multilingual team, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian and French native speakers, I advise companies and their owners from around the world on the full range of banking, corporate, commercial and tax law matters in Switzerland, including international tax planning, fiduciary services, and legal family office services including immigration & relocation or real estate investments. My practice has a particular focus on clients from growth and frontier markets in Greater China, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and I equally advise clients from Europe and North America. Through an affiliated Swiss trust company, we also take care of the incorporation and ongoing administration of their companies and other structures, including accounting, tax returns and corporate secretarial services, and I serve as a professional director where required. With the support of a network of first-class cooperation partners, I also implement solutions worldwide.

My approach is to act as a trusted advisor who works directly with decision-makers, on an equal footing: I start from what you want to achieve and shape every structure, contract and tax decision around your commercial goals and how it improves your after-tax return. As “lawyers who make it happen”, my team and I stay involved until your company is set up, your structure is in place and your transaction has closed, and we remain available for any follow-on work that may be required. You benefit from bespoke solutions and personal attention, and sound, friendly and practical advice. We are not the lowest-cost provider in the market, nor do we intend to be; our aim is to deliver well-founded, proper solutions and excellent value for money.

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