A Foundation (Stiftung) and a Trust Enterprise (registriertes Treuunternehmen/Trust reg.) are both legal entities established for non-commercial purposes (charity, preservation of family assets etc.) and operating on account of the property contributed by the settlor. Neither Foundation nor Trust Enterprise has members or shareholders, but can have beneficiaries appointed by the settlor and entitled to the income from the Foundation or Trust Enterprise on the terms set by the settlor.
The settlor of the Foundation and Trust Enterprise can be either an individual or a legal entity, without restriction as to the country of residence or nationality. The settlor signs a foundation deed or a deed of trust, adopts the statutes/bylaws, appoints the Foundation Board or Board of Trustees and pays in the share capital.
The minimum statutory capital is CHF 30 000, however the capital can also be denominated in USD or EUR, in which case the same amount should be paid in in the selected currency.
The bank issues a special letter to confirm payment of the capital which is required for the completion of registration.
The assets put into the Foundation or Trust Enterprise become the property of this legal entity and can only be taken back by the settlor if the deed or the statutes specifically permit the settlor to do that.
The details of the settlor must be stated in the foundation documents and submitted to the Trade Register.
The settlor can be a member of the Foundation Board or the Board of Trustees if he/she is not also a beneficiary of this Foundation or Trust Enterprise.
The settlor must state the following in the foundation deed or the deed of trust:
Any other matters of the future operations of the Foundation or Trust Enterprise can be dealt with in the statutes. Upon formation, the affairs of the Foundation or the Trust Enterprise, including distributions to the beneficiaries, will be managed by the Foundation Board or Board of Trustees.
In addition to the statutes, the settlor can adopt the so-called supplementary foundation deeds which, unlike the statutes, need not be submitted to the Land and Public Registry Office of Liechtenstein. This means that, despite being part of the statutes, such information will not be public or available to third parties. Supplementary foundation deeds normally contain details of beneficiaries of the Foundation or Trust Enterprise, the manner of asset management and functions of the protector (if the settlor finds it necessary to appoint one).
As the Liechtenstein laws do not have strict requirements for the content of supplementary foundation deeds, the settlor is practically free to draft them as he/she chooses, in particular the settlor may specify different priorities of beneficiaries and the terms on which beneficiaries become entitled to income in the Foundation or Trust Enterprise.
The settlor can also state that no-one but himself/herself has the power to amend or modify the foundation deeds, in particular with respect to adding or removing beneficiaries of the Foundation or Trust Enterprise.
Neither Foundation nor Trust Enterprise is allowed to carry on commercial activity unless such activity is aimed at achieving the purpose of the Foundation or Trust Enterprise which should also be non-commercial in nature. The purpose of the Foundation or Trust Enterprise is normally defined as management and preservation of family assets.
The worldwide income derived by the Foundation or Trust Enterprise from commercial activity is subject to tax at the rate of 12.5%. Besides, all legal entities incorporated in Liechtenstein must pay a minimum tax of CHF 1200 even if they had no profit in the financial year.
Local companies must also pay stamp duty upon payment of initial share capital and in the case of share capital increase. The stamp duty is levied at the rate of 1% of the capital, but the first CHF 1 000 000 is exempt.
The Foundation and Trust Enterprise are obligated to keep accounting records and prepare financial statements that should be filed with local tax authorities. The financial statements must be audited by a licensed certified accountant if the Foundation or Trust Enterprise carries on commercial activity.
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Services
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Fees
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Total cost of incorporation with standard constitutive documents (including preparation and provision of original constitutive documents of the company, but excluding payment of share capital)
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CHF 15 290
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Local Manager (per year)
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CHF 7 700
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Renewal (starting from the second year of existence), including secretarial services, local manager and registered office
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CHF 12 650
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Drafting the Regulations, creating an individual structure of the Foundation or Trust Enterprise
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Charged on time spent basis at the lawyer’s rate
CHF from 300 per hour |
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Preparation and submission of financial statements
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Charged on time spent basis at the auditor’s rate
CHF 100-350 per hour |
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Compliance fee
Payable in the cases of: - incorporation of a company, - renewal of a company, - liquidation of a company, - transfer out of a company, - issue of a power of attorney to a new attorney, - change of director / shareholder / beneficial owner, except the change to a nominee director / shareholder, - signing of documents |
350 (standard rate, includes the check of 1 individual),
+ 150 for each additional individual (director, shareholder, or beneficial owner) or legal entity (director or shareholder) if such legal entity is administered by GSL, + 200 for each additional legal entity (director or shareholder) if such legal entity is not administered by GSL, 450 (rate for high-risk companies, includes the check of 1 individual), 100 (signing of documents) |
[1] The fees are valid as of July 2024 and may change without prior notice.