Swiss companies now have fixed deadlines for reporting their beneficial owners. The Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities and the Identification of Beneficial Owners (LETA) has applied since 1 October 2026. Existing companies, however, get a transition period. Its length depends on the company type and on whether it is subject to an ordinary audit. The first deadline falls on 4 January 2027.
Who is covered
The Act applies to Swiss entities and to foreign entities with a connection to Switzerland. Within them, three kinds of people have duties:
- highest-ranking member of the governing body;
- holder of company interests carrying control rights;
- beneficial owner.
As a result, if you are none of these, LETA does not apply to you.
Who is exempt
Three types of legal entity fall outside the scope:
- listed companies, and subsidiaries owned more than 75% directly or indirectly by a listed company;
- occupational pension institutions and comparable supervised pension institutions;
- entities owned at least 75% directly or indirectly by the public sector.
What each role must do
- Highest-ranking member of the governing body. Identify the beneficial owners, document the relevant information and report changes to the Transparency Register on an ongoing basis.
- Holder of company interests carrying control rights. Report the beneficial owners, submit the required information and supporting documents, and keep the company informed of changes.
- Beneficial owner or other affected third party. Report the beneficial owners, submit the information and documents, and report changes to the shareholders and the company.
Deadlines
The shortest deadline is generally one month. It starts to run at different moments:
- for companies newly registered on or after 1 October 2026, from the date of registration;
- following a relevant change to a Commercial Register entry, from the date of the change;
- after a change to reportable information, from the date the change becomes known.
Existing legal entities, however, have longer transitional periods:
- AG/SA subject to an ordinary audit: 4 January 2027;
- other companies subject to an ordinary audit: 1 February 2027;
- AG/SA not subject to an ordinary audit: 1 March 2027;
- other companies not subject to an ordinary audit: 1 April 2027;
- companies whose beneficial owners are all already registered in the Commercial Register as shareholders or corporate officers: 2 October 2028.
How to report
The standard route is the Transparency Register, through EasyGov.swiss. The company can file the report itself or authorise another person to do it. Alternatively, a report can go to the competent Commercial Register. That works only if all beneficial owners are already registered there as shareholders or corporate officers, and this is confirmed.
Some points remain unclear, and practice will take time to develop. Therefore, companies should follow developments and review their own case individually.