How to Form a Swiss Association

A Swiss Association is an instant Swiss limited liability entity formed between two initial Member wallets agreeing on a shared objective. It is the legal vehicle of choice for many of the largest Web3 organisations (Ethereum Foundation, Web3 Foundation, Solana Foundation are all variants of Swiss associations). The reasons:

• Instant formation — no notarization required to create an association
• Limited liability — members are not personally liable beyond their stated obligations
• No share capital required
• Non-profit by default under Swiss law
• Tax-favourable for foundations and DAO services platforms

OtoCo describes the Swiss Association as "An instant Swiss limited liability entity between two initial Member wallets agreeing on a shared objective, to be used i.a as a DAO services platform or as single core dev unit."

• You run a DAO services platform that needs European legal standing
• You're a core developer collective or a foundation supporting a protocol
• You need a multi-member, multi-jurisdiction entity that doesn't require any one country's tax residency
• You want a structure recognised globally by counterparties, banks, and grant programs

If you need limited liability + a U.S. trading / e-commerce wrapper, use Delaware instead. If your goal is to govern a tokenised DAO and you expect to cross the 100-token-holder threshold, look at (D)UNA.

• An EVM wallet (or email login via Privy)
• A co-founder wallet — Swiss Associations require at least 2 founding members
• Card or crypto for the $299 annual fee

Go to https://otoco.io/spinup and click Swiss Association · Association · $299/yr — International, privacy-focused.

Click Connect in the header.

You'll see the Choose Your Entity Name screen. The "Association" suffix is appended automatically — don't include it yourself.

Click Check Availability.

Swiss Associations require at least two founding members. Add the second member's wallet address when prompted. Both wallets sign the formation transaction.

Review the Swiss Articles of Association that OtoCo generates from your inputs (statement of purpose, governance rules, dissolution rules). These follow the OtoCo template under Articles 60-79 of the Swiss Civil Code.

Pay with card or crypto. Both founding members sign the formation transaction.

You'll see the new Swiss Association in your DashPanel with:

• Registered Office — OtoCo's Swiss registered address
• Founding Members — both wallets
• Entity Creation NFT — your unique association ID
• Articles of Association — downloadable
• Renewal Date — one year from formation

A Swiss Association on OtoCo is fully compatible with the standard plugins:

• Safe Wallets — multisig treasury for the association's funds
• Mint Tokens — issue membership or governance tokens
• Add Members — onboard more members
• ENS — claim a name for the association's treasury

• Statute — Articles 60 to 79 of the Swiss Civil Code (Schweizerisches Zivilgesetzbuch / Code Civil Suisse / Codice Civile Svizzero).
• Tax — Swiss Associations are generally non-profit by default. See Swiss Association · CH in the Understanding Taxes section for an overview.
• Operating Agreement equivalent — see Articles of Association.

Do I need to be a Swiss resident or have a Swiss bank account?
No. The Swiss Association has its registered office in Switzerland (provided by OtoCo). Members can be anywhere in the world.

Can I have more than two founding members?
Yes. Two is the minimum; there is no maximum.

Can a Swiss Association hold crypto?
Yes — via the Safe Wallets plugin or any other smart-contract wallet you control. Many Swiss DAO foundations use this exact structure.

Next: Articles of Association · (D)UNA