1. What changes on 1 October 2026
The Federal Council set the entry into force of the revised Anti-Money Laundering Act and the new Federal Act on the Transparency of Legal Entities and the Identification of Beneficial Owners for 1 October 2026 (Federal Council press release, 12 June 2026). Parliament had adopted both acts on 26 September 2025. The reform closes gaps identified by the FATF and will be assessed in the next FATF country evaluation of Switzerland in 2027–2028.
| Topic |
Before 1 October 2026 |
From 1 October 2026 |
| Company domicile services |
Not subject to the AMLA |
Providing an address or premises as domicile or seat for more than six months makes the provider an adviser under Art. 2 para. 3ter AMLA; the adviser must join a self-regulatory organisation (SRO) |
| Acting as board member or authorised signatory for clients |
Subject to the AMLA only above certain thresholds |
Adviser activity with due-diligence duties when performed for non-operating (domiciliary) entities; exempt for operating companies (Art. 4ter lit. f AMLA) |
| Beneficial owners of Swiss companies |
Reported only to the company itself (share register) |
Reported to the new federal Transparency Register; not public, accessible to authorities and financial intermediaries |
| Threshold for "beneficial owner" |
25 % of capital or votes, or control by other means |
Unchanged: 25 % of capital or votes, or control by other means; if nobody qualifies, the most senior managing person |
| Supervision of domicile providers |
None |
SRO membership, AMLA audit, risk-based client due diligence (Art. 8b–8c AMLA); no asset-freezing or transaction-monitoring regime, unlike banks |
Official sources: State Secretariat for International Finance – Anti-money laundering · Federal Office of Justice – Swiss Transparency Register · Transparency Register portal (TranspaReg)
2. Office Group Zug GmbH is now regulated as an adviser under the AMLA
| Item |
Detail |
| Company |
Office Group Zug GmbH, Untere Roostmatt 8 and Baarerstrasse 38, 6300 Zug |
| Regulatory status |
Adviser under Art. 2 para. 3ter of the revised AMLA (domicile services; corporate-body mandates for domiciliary companies) |
| Self-regulatory organisation |
Member of the VQF – Verein zur Qualitätssicherung von Finanzdienstleistungen, a FINMA-recognised SRO |
| Audit |
AMLA audit by an independent audit firm |
| Compliance contact |
compliance@myoffices.ch |
| Data hosting |
Compliance data and documents stored exclusively on Swiss servers |
What this means in practice: every company that uses an Office Group Zug address, or for which we act as board member or signatory, has a compliance file with us. We identify the people behind the company, screen them against sanctions and PEP lists, classify the risk of the relationship and repeat the checks periodically. The duties are modelled on those of financial intermediaries, applied to what we actually do: we do not hold your assets or execute transactions, so there is no account monitoring – only the identification, documentation and screening described below. This is increasingly the standard banks, notaries and counterparties expect from a Zug company before they do business with it.
3. Our onboarding process – step by step
| Step |
What happens |
Who acts |
Timing |
| 1 |
You receive our self-declaration form (F-01) in German or English, prefilled with your company data from the commercial register |
Office Group Zug |
At onboarding; existing clients in September 2026 |
| 2 |
You complete Part A (three questions on the nature of the company) and Part B (beneficial owners and controlling persons), sign and return the form with a certified ID copy of every person listed |
Client |
Within 14 days |
| 3 |
We check completeness, record the data and file the documents in your compliance file |
Office Group Zug |
On receipt |
| 4 |
We classify whether the company is an operating company or a domiciliary company (Sitzgesellschaft) |
Office Group Zug |
Automatic, confirmed by the responsible person |
| 5 |
We screen every beneficial owner against the current sanctions lists (SECO, EU) and PEP data, and check countries of residence against risk lists |
Office Group Zug |
On receipt and on every list update |
| 6 |
We assign a risk level and a review interval and generate a compliance report |
Office Group Zug |
After every screening run |
| 7 |
Services start or continue. Re-screening at least annually, or whenever you report a change |
Both |
Ongoing |
Classification: holding company or operating company
| Question |
Why we ask |
| Is the company's primary purpose the management of the assets of its beneficial owner? |
Indicator for a domiciliary company |
| Is it a financial vehicle that does not carry on any trading, manufacturing or other business conducted in a commercial manner? |
Statutory definition of a domiciliary company |
| Does the company employ staff or pay salaries? |
Indicator for an operating company |
Being classified as a domiciliary company is not a problem – holding and asset-holding structures are perfectly legitimate. It only determines the depth of our checks and how often we review the file.
What we ask for per beneficial owner
| Data point |
Source |
| Last name, first name(s) |
Form F-01 |
| Residential address including country |
Form F-01 |
| Share of capital or voting rights |
Form F-01 |
| Intermediate company, if held indirectly |
Form F-01 |
| Function in the company (board/management with signing authority; signing authority only; none) |
Form F-01 |
| Politically exposed person (PEP) status |
Form F-01 |
| Date of birth and document expiry |
Certified copy of passport or ID card |
We store only what the law requires. We do not keep any additional sensitive information.
How to obtain a certified ID copy
| Option |
Where |
Cost and time |
| Swiss Post "Gelbe Identifikation" |
Any Swiss Post branch, no appointment |
approx. CHF 25, immediate |
| Cantonal chancellery, municipality or notary |
Switzerland |
approx. CHF 20–30, immediate or a few days |
| Swiss embassy or consulate |
Abroad |
Varies; allow several weeks |
| Video identification (on request) |
Online, from anywhere, about five minutes with the original document |
Arranged by us; the result is transmitted to us directly |
4. Your own new duty: the Transparency Register
Independently of our checks, your company must report its beneficial owners to the new Swiss Transparency Register. This is the company's own responsibility as a legal entity; we can support you on request.
| Item |
Detail |
| Who must register |
Swiss AGs, GmbHs, cooperatives and certain other legal entities; foreign entities with a Swiss branch, effective management in Switzerland or Swiss real estate |
| Who is exempt |
Listed companies, pension funds, entities majority-owned by the public sector, among others |
| What is reported |
Name, date of birth, nationality and address of every beneficial owner, and the nature of control |
| How |
Online via EasyGov.swiss – prepare your EasyGov login now |
| When |
Transitional periods for existing entities start on 1 October 2026; new entities register at incorporation |
| Public? |
No. Access is limited to authorities and, under defined conditions, financial intermediaries |
| Sanctions |
Fines for intentionally missing or incorrect reports |
Official information: Transparency Register – overview and FAQ · EasyGov news on the Transparency Register · Federal Office of Justice
5. Fees and what stays the same
| Item |
Detail |
| Compliance fee |
CHF 100 per company per year (excl. VAT), invoiced for the first time in 2027 |
| Domicile and office fees |
Unchanged |
| Contract |
Unchanged; complete documentation is a condition for continuing the relationship |
| Your data |
Stored in Switzerland, used only for our legal duties, retained for ten years after the end of the relationship |
| Questions |
compliance@myoffices.ch – we reply within three working days |
6. Frequently asked questions
Why does a domicile provider need my passport?
Because from 1 October 2026 the law treats domicile providers as advisers subject to the AMLA. We must know who controls the company using our address, and we must be able to prove it to our SRO and auditor.
I already sent you an ID copy years ago. Do I need to do it again?
Yes, if the copy is not certified or older than twelve months. The new rules require a certified copy on file.
My company is a holding with no staff. Is that a problem?
No. It will be classified as a domiciliary company, which only changes the review interval, not whether we can work with you.
Does Office Group Zug report my details to the Transparency Register?
No. Reporting to the Transparency Register is your company's own obligation. Our compliance file is separate, but the same information will satisfy both.
What happens if I do not return the form?
We are obliged to follow up and, if the relationship cannot be documented, to end it. Please contact us early if you need more time.
Is my information shared with anyone?
No, they are merely reviewed by the regulatory body as part of an audit or, if there is cause for suspicion, forwarded to the authorities where required by law. They are neither sold nor used for marketing purposes.
Office Group Zug GmbH is a member of the VQF Verein zur Qualitätssicherung von Finanzdienstleistungen. This article provides general information and is not legal advice. For the binding text of the legislation, see the Federal Council press release of 12 June 2026 and the official Transparency Register portal.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or business advice. The content is provided without guarantee of completeness or accuracy. In particular, legal frameworks may change after publication. To assess your specific situation, we recommend consulting a qualified specialist. Liability on the part of Office Group Zug GmbH is - to the extent permitted by law - excluded.
