Yes: the Swiss transparency register is live. Since 1 October 2026, reporting legal entities such as AGs and GmbHs must report their beneficial owners through the federal EasyGov.swiss platform. The register is run by the Federal Office of Justice.
In short:
After a change in the commercial register, reporting companies must as a rule report the change within one month; existing entities benefit from transitional periods of up to two years depending on the case.
A shareholding of at least 25 percent is usually the relevant threshold; where no person can be identified on that basis, the top management body counts as beneficial owner instead.
Reporting through EasyGov.swiss is free of charge; match names and dates of birth exactly against the official ID and upload a copy of it right away.
Companies must document how they identified beneficial owners, keep records for ten years after the end of a person's beneficial-owner status, and update changes in shareholdings on time.
The register is not public; only authorities, the supervisory body, financial intermediaries and certain advisers may access it in the course of their statutory tasks.
Who must report, and which deadlines apply?
Reporting duties apply primarily to stock corporations, limited liability companies, cooperatives and SICAVs. Certain foreign legal entities with a connection to Switzerland and trusts in clearly defined cases are also covered. Associations and foundations have their own rules, which we do not go into here.
The basic deadline for a report is one month after a commercial-register change, such as a change in the shareholding structure. Entities that existed before the law came into force benefit from staggered transitional deadlines of up to two years, depending on the situation, as the Federal Office of Justice sets out.
The timeline:
- Pilot run from 16 June 2026 with selected test users.
- Regular operation since 1 October 2026 for all reporting entities.
- Early months with the expected high volume of filings, because many existing companies become active at the same time.
Anyone planning a change in the commercial register, such as a new shareholding structure, will find background in our article on commercial register entries in Zurich. Anyone newly setting up a GmbH should factor in the reporting duty from the start, as we describe in our GmbH incorporation guide.
Who counts as a beneficial owner, and what data is required?
A beneficial owner is always a natural person, never a legal entity. If a holding company owns the shares, the chain of control must be followed through until a specific natural person stands at the end, one who actually controls or benefits.
The TJPG sets out in articles 9 to 11 what information a report must contain:
The benchmark for a relevant shareholding is usually a threshold of 25 percent of capital or voting rights. Where no person can be identified above that threshold, a subsidiary rule kicks in: the top management body is then treated as beneficial owner instead. Listed companies and their directly controlled subsidiaries benefit from a simplified report because their ownership structure is already transparent under stock-exchange rules.
How does reporting through EasyGov work in practice?
The technical process runs entirely through EasyGov.swiss, the federal government's central platform for business services. The system links automatically with existing commercial-register data and the company's UID number, which speeds up data entry.
In practice, a report runs through the following steps:
- Create an EasyGov account or use an existing one and link the company via the UID.
- Fill in the form on the beneficial owner, including name, date of birth and scope of control.
- Upload supporting documents, such as a copy of an ID and, if needed, minutes or the articles of association.
- Review the entries and submit the report electronically.
The most common source of errors is incorrectly formatted dates of birth or diverging spellings of names, which block automated checks, as TranspaReg describes in its practice notes. Uploading a copy of an ID at once significantly reduces the risk of a correction request.
Practitioner tip: before submitting, check names and dates of birth a second time against the official ID, not against internal company records.
Which documentation and retention duties apply internally?
The report to EasyGov is not the end of the duty. Under Art. 8 TJPG, every company must document internally how it identified its beneficial owners.
In concrete terms, we recommend:
- Record the individual verification steps and the documents used in writing.
- File copies of the evidence, such as ID or shareholding agreement, together with the verification result.
- Plan for a retention period of ten years from the end of beneficial-owner status.
A clear internal responsibility, for instance a named person for updates, prevents changes in the shareholding structure from going unnoticed. Those reworking their data protection processes anyway will find complementary guidance on retention and deletion in our article on the revised Federal Act on Data Protection.
Is the register public, and who may access it?
No, the transparency register is not publicly accessible. Access is limited to authorities, the supervisory body at the Federal Department of Finance, financial intermediaries and certain advisers in the course of their statutory tasks under the AMLA, as TranspaReg makes clear.
Technically, data hosting is ensured in Switzerland, supplemented by multi-step authentication and limited query capacity in the initial phase, as a federal press release confirms. The actual report through EasyGov is free of charge. Anyone coming across paid third-party providers online that offer registration for a fee should be cautious: these are not official federal services.
How are checks run, and what sanctions apply for errors?
The supervisory body at the Federal Department of Finance monitors the accuracy and completeness of the reported data. The register-keeping authority systematically compares entries with central databases, including via the AHV number, as the TJPV ordinance sets out.
Where a discrepancy is noticed, a request for correction follows first. If corrections are ignored, administrative measures apply, and the management is responsible, not just the company as such.
Practice checklist: what you should do now
- Go through the ownership structure and identify every beneficial owner down to the natural person.
- Have supporting documents such as ID copies and shareholding evidence ready digitally.
- Register an EasyGov account and prepare the report before the deadline looms.
- Appoint an internal person in charge and mark the one-month deadline for changes in the calendar.
- Set up a running change process that captures changes in shareholdings within one month.
Where our view on this topic comes from
We support companies and private clients in cross-border legal matters, from incorporations with a foreign element to contract review. As a Zurich firm focused on international compliance, we regularly review commercial-register structures and support incorporations where the new reporting duty is directly relevant. Detailed figures on case numbers or individual mandate outcomes are not publicly listed.
What is often underestimated about the new transparency register
Public debate on the transparency register focuses almost exclusively on the reporting duty itself, but the real risk lies elsewhere: in the internal documentation. Many companies file on time but fail to store the verification steps and supporting documents in a way that remains traceable ten years later.
Those who think a one-off report settles the matter also underestimate the duty to update. A change in shareholdings not reported within one month stays in the system until a check uncovers it, and the explanation then needed is significantly more work than a timely correction. Our view: priority number one is not the first report, but an internal process that captures changes automatically. Those who understand this will save themselves the biggest headaches in the second and third years of the register.
— Bitblade
How we support you with implementation
If your company's ownership structure spans several countries or involves trusts, foreign holdings or multi-tier shareholdings, identifying the beneficial owner quickly gets complex. That is where we come in: we review your shareholding chain, prepare the content of the EasyGov report, and represent you in queries from the supervisory body.
Specifically, we offer:
- An initial consultation to classify your reporting duty and deadlines.
- A review of your ownership chain down to the natural person.
- Support in compiling the required supporting documents.
- Representation vis-à-vis register authorities in correction requests or queries.
Our initial consultation can be booked from CHF 150 per hour; details on further service packages are on our services overview. For companies with ongoing ties to Eastern Europe we also offer a monthly retainer from CHF 500 that covers compliance questions around the annual report. Technical questions on data-protection-compliant storage of internal records can be addressed with specialised partners such as Ashio.
This article contains general information and does not replace advice from a qualified lawyer. Consult a qualified legal professional about your personal situation before acting on the basis of this content.
FAQ
Is there a UBO register in Switzerland?
Yes, the Swiss transparency register has been live since 1 October 2026 and is run by the Federal Office of Justice. Reporting companies enter their beneficial owners through EasyGov.swiss.
When was the transparency register introduced in Switzerland?
A pilot ran from 16 June 2026, and regular operation started on 1 October 2026. Existing companies have staggered transitional periods of up to two years, depending on the situation.
Where can I find the register of beneficial owners in Switzerland?
The register itself is not publicly accessible; under TranspaReg, access is limited to authorities, the supervisory body at the Federal Department of Finance, financial intermediaries and certain advisers. Reporting is free of charge via the EasyGov.swiss platform.
What is the UBO register?
The UBO register, officially the Swiss transparency register, captures the beneficial natural persons behind companies such as AGs or GmbHs. The basis for it is the TJPG, which sets out reporting duties, required fields and deadlines.