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Country guide · 2026

How to open a Bulgarian company from Switzerland 🇨🇭

Swiss corporate rates are competitive in low-tax cantons, but the 35% federal withholding tax on dividends, cantonal wealth tax on the shares themselves and CHF 20,000 of AG capital make Switzerland an expensive place to hold a small operating company. Bulgaria offers EU membership, 10% corporate tax and no wealth tax.

Swiss rate
12% to 21% cantonal and federal tax plus 35% withholding on dividends
Bulgaria
10% corporate, 5% dividends
Setup
Remote, 3-7 business days

Why Swiss founders move to a Bulgarian EOOD

  • 5% dividend withholding instead of 35% reclaimed later through a refund procedure
  • No cantonal wealth tax on the value of your shareholding
  • Full EU membership and an EU VAT number, which Switzerland cannot offer
  • About €1 of share capital rather than CHF 20,000 for an AG or CHF 20,000 for a GmbH

The remote registration process, step by step

  1. 1

    Reserve the company name

    We check availability in the Bulgarian Commercial Register and reserve your EOOD or OOD name. Takes a few hours; the reservation holds for six months.

  2. 2

    Sign the incorporation pack

    Articles of association, founder declarations and specimen signature. You sign in front of a notary or a Bulgarian consulate near you, or you give us a power of attorney and sign once.

  3. 3

    Open the capital accumulation account

    The statutory minimum share capital is BGN 2 (about €1). The bank issues a deposit certificate the register requires.

  4. 4

    File with the Commercial Register

    Electronic filing at the Registry Agency. Standard processing is 2 to 4 business days, and you receive an EIK (company number) on approval.

  5. 5

    Register for tax and, if needed, VAT

    The EIK doubles as your tax number. VAT registration is mandatory above the BGN 166,000 turnover threshold and voluntary below it; intra-EU sellers usually register voluntarily on day one.

  6. 6

    Open the operating bank account

    A Bulgarian business account for local payments, plus an EMI such as Wise or Revolut Business for multi-currency invoicing. Most non-resident directors need one video call.

  7. 7

    Appoint an accountant and start filing

    Monthly VAT returns, payroll if you hire, and an annual corporate return filed by 30 June. The 10% flat corporate tax applies from your first invoice.

Tax residency

Switzerland taxes residents on worldwide income at federal, cantonal and communal level, and the effective management test can make a foreign company Swiss resident if it is run from Zurich or Zug.

Exit tax and leaving Switzerland

Switzerland does not levy a general exit tax on private capital gains, but leaving a canton mid-year and unwinding a Swiss company can trigger liquidation-style taxation. Take advice before dissolving.

Banking and payments

Switzerland is in SEPA, so Swiss clients pay a Bulgarian IBAN in euro without issue; add an EMI for CHF receipts.

VAT on sales into Switzerland

Switzerland sits outside EU VAT. Services to Swiss businesses are generally outside the scope of Bulgarian VAT with the Swiss client accounting locally, while goods need customs handling.

Mistakes Swiss founders make

  • Forgetting that the 35% withholding is only reclaimable with correct and timely filings
  • Running the Bulgarian entity from a Swiss office and ignoring effective management
  • Assuming Swiss non-EU status is irrelevant to intra-EU VAT and customs

Questions Swiss founders ask

Is an EU company useful for a Swiss founder?

Often yes. An EU-resident company with an EU VAT number removes customs and VAT friction on sales into the single market that a Swiss entity carries.

Does Bulgaria have a treaty with Switzerland?

Yes, a double tax treaty is in force, so dividends, interest and royalties follow treaty rates rather than domestic maximums.

Full Bulgaria vs Switzerland tax tableRun your numbers in the tax calculatorFormation pricing

Start your Bulgarian company from Switzerland

We handle the register filing, bank introduction, VAT and accounting in English. 750+ EU founders incorporated, fully remote.

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