Practitioner's note: bilingual documentation for a Zug company

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An international company in Zug should organise its documentation with the two languages in mind. The articles of association should be prepared in German for filing with the commercial register, with an English convenience translation for the shareholders and directors. The organisational regulations of the board, the minutes of board meetings and the resolutions of the general meeting can be kept in English, but resolutions that must be filed with the register, such as changes to the articles or capital increases, should also be prepared in German. The accounts can be kept in English, but the tax return must be filed in German. The company should therefore keep a German translation of the key documents available for the tax administration.

Contracts should specify the governing language and the prevailing version where they exist in two languages. If a contract may need to be enforced in the Zug courts, the parties should consider the costs and risks of translation, and whether an arbitration clause with English as the language of the proceedings would be preferable. The company should designate a person responsible for communication with the authorities in German, usually a Swiss director, an in-house lawyer or an external adviser. Finally, the company should ensure that its employees who deal with the authorities understand that the German version of official documents is the authoritative one, even if an English version was provided for information.

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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Practitioner's note: bilingual documentation for a Zug company

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