LiechtensteinCompany formation, tax and banking
Foundations and trusts with access to the European market and Swiss-level discretion.
Liechtenstein is the only country with a European-style legal system that offers both the Anstalt and the Stiftung (foundation) — structures designed to hold family wealth over generations rather than to trade — inside the European Economic Area. That gives families access to the European market, backed by more than a century of law built around private wealth.
It's compliant, expensive and conservative. Trustees are licensed, anti-money-laundering rules are enforced, and the cost keeps out casual structures. Families who want something built to last a hundred years, not a cheap wrapper, come here.
Why people choose Liechtenstein
- Foundations and trusts built to hold family wealth over generations
- Inside the EEA, so it satisfies European banks and partners
- Investment-only Private Asset Structures (PVS) just pay the CHF 1,800 minimum
- No inheritance or gift tax, and no tax kept back on dividends
- More than a century of law built around private wealth
Where Liechtenstein fits
- Private foundations
- Succession planning
- Asset protection
Where Liechtenstein fits in a structure
Typical role · Family wealth holder
A Liechtenstein foundation (Stiftung) is a separate legal entity that holds your family's wealth rather than trading. A licensed Liechtenstein trustee sits on its council and provides the local presence, and the foundation passes wealth down the generations. Families who already know trusts, or whose heirs live in common-law countries like the UK or US, can use a Liechtenstein trust instead.
What it depends onLiechtenstein takes full part in CRS (the international exchange of tax information), so this is privacy within the law, not secrecy from it, and the cost is built for genuine private wealth, not casual structures.
A simplified picture to explain the idea, not a recommendation. General information, not tax or legal advice.
Opening a bank account
LGT, VP Bank, Bank Frick and Neue Bank serve international clients with genuine private wealth. Private banking usually starts at around CHF 1m; Bank Frick is notably open to blockchain and fintech businesses. Paperwork standards are the same as in Switzerland.
How tax works here
A flat 12.5% company tax, with a minimum of CHF 1,800 a year. Private Asset Structures (PVS) that only hold investments and don't trade just pay the minimum. No tax on gains from qualifying shareholdings, no tax kept back on dividends, and no inheritance or gift tax.
Real presence, and who can see the owners
A foundation needs a licensed Liechtenstein trustee on its council, which provides the local presence. The real owners are registered but not publicly searchable. Liechtenstein takes full part in the international exchange of tax information (CRS) and has many tax-information agreements, so this is privacy within the law, not secrecy from it.
When to choose it
Choose Liechtenstein when the goal is passing wealth down several generations, protecting assets through a foundation, or a private investment-holding structure that has to sit inside the EEA and satisfy European banks and partners.
You get a written comparison, not a sales pitch.
Every Liechtenstein recommendation comes as a written comparison with the alternatives — whether the setup will stand up to scrutiny, how easy banking will be, which tax treaties apply, who can see the owners, what it costs to run each year and the risk to your reputation — so you can see the trade-offs before you commit.
Considering Liechtenstein? Get a written comparison first.
Answer six questions and our team will come back with a shortlist, rough costs and where you could bank.
Questions we hear on every Liechtenstein intake.
- Foundation or trust in Liechtenstein?
- Liechtenstein recognises both. A Stiftung (foundation) suits families from countries with European-style law who want a separate legal entity; a trust suits families who already know trusts, or whose heirs live in common-law countries like the UK or US.
- What does a Liechtenstein foundation cost?
- Setting up usually costs CHF 15,000–30,000, with yearly trustee and running costs of CHF 10,000–25,000, depending on how complex it is and what it holds.
- Is Liechtenstein in the EU?
- No, but it's in the EEA, so it has access to the single market for goods, services and money without being an EU member.
What we typically deliver in Liechtenstein
Trusts & Foundations
Trusts that protect and pass on family wealth, in every common form, plus Panama and Nevis foundations.
AdvisoryFamily Office Set-up
Designing single- and multi-family offices: who decides what, written rules, and how it runs day to day.
BankingPrivate Banking Introductions
Personal introductions to top private banks in Singapore, Hong Kong, Monaco, Switzerland and London.
StructuresGold & Bullion Storage
Gold and other bullion stored in your name, kept separate from anyone else's, in non-bank vaults on four continents.
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Every engagement begins with a twenty-minute advisory call. The fee is in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.