Many families hold their wealth through structures outside Switzerland, and the trustees, banks and advisers who administer them are often in Switzerland. The articles collected here explain trusts, foundations and companies in Jersey, Guernsey, Liechtenstein, the Cook Islands and other offshore centres, how they are recognised in Switzerland under the Hague Trust Convention, how they are taxed when a settlor or beneficiary lives in Switzerland, and what banks and authorities expect in terms of substance, reporting and the exchange of information.
Many families who live in Switzerland or bank here hold their wealth through trusts in Jersey, Guernsey or the Cook Islands, foundations in Liechtenstein or holding companies in other centres. Switzerland recognises these structures and taxes them according to clear rules that have developed through long practice of the cantonal tax authorities.
Switzerland has no trust law of its own, but it has ratified the Hague Convention on the Law Applicable to Trusts and on their Recognition. Swiss courts and authorities therefore respect trusts validly created under foreign law, and Swiss banks and trustees administer them daily. Foundations and companies established abroad are recognised under the Swiss Private International Law Act.
The tax treatment of a foreign trust in Switzerland depends mainly on whether it is revocable or irrevocable, whether beneficiaries have fixed or discretionary interests, and where the settlor lived when the trust was created. Families moving to Switzerland should have their existing structures reviewed before arrival, since a structure that was neutral in the former country of residence may be taxed differently here.
Offshore structures are also subject to the automatic exchange of information, so trustees and banks report accounts held by trusts and foundations and the persons connected with them. For families with members in several countries, succession planning must reconcile the law of the structure, Swiss inheritance law and the rules of each state where heirs live or assets are located.
The articles explain how offshore trusts and foundations are recognised and taxed in Switzerland, what banks and trustees expect, how Liechtenstein structures work, and how international families plan their succession across borders.
Jersey and Guernsey trusts and companies for families with Swiss links
How Jersey and Guernsey trusts, firewall provisions and private trust companies work, and what families with Swiss bank accounts should check before using them. Read more Private Client · Offshore CentresBVI and Cayman Islands holding companies after the economic substance rules
Economic substance rules, beneficial ownership registers and stricter banks have changed BVI and Cayman holding companies. When to keep, migrate or replace them. Read more Private Client · Offshore CentresSingapore and Hong Kong as wealth-structuring centres compared with Switzerland
Trusts, family offices, Singapore VCCs and Hong Kong limited partnership funds: how the Asian centres compare with Switzerland and how families combine them. Read more Private Client · Offshore CentresCRS, FATCA and beneficial ownership registers: what an international structure must report
How the Common Reporting Standard, FATCA and beneficial ownership registers apply to trusts, foundations and holding companies with Swiss bank accounts. Read more Private Client · LiechtensteinLiechtenstein trusts: the trust in a civil law country
Liechtenstein was the first civil law country to adopt the trust. Since 1926 its Persons and Companies Act has contained… Read more Private Client · LiechtensteinThe Liechtenstein family foundation: formation, founder's rights and tax
The family foundation is the structure for which Liechtenstein is best known. It holds the family's wealth as an independent… Read more Private Client · LiechtensteinLiechtenstein structures: foundations, trusts and establishments for private clients
Liechtenstein, Switzerland's small neighbour between the Rhine and the Alps and known in the region as das Ländle, is one… Read more Private Client · StructuresOffshore trusts, foundations and companies: how Switzerland treats them
Many international families hold their wealth through trusts, foundations or companies in Jersey, Guernsey, Liechtenstein, the Cook Islands, the British… Read more Corporate Structures · PracticeDomiciliary companies in Switzerland: why the BVI company with a Swiss address has had its day
For decades, a familiar structure for investors from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America was a company incorporated… Read more