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To obtain a Swiss VAT number<\/strong>, a business registers with the Federal Tax Administration (FTA) once its worldwide taxable turnover reaches CHF 100,000<\/strong>. The number is built on the company identification number (UID) followed by the suffix \u201cVAT\u201d \u2014 in the form CHE-123.456.789 VAT<\/strong>. A company based abroad must also appoint a fiscal representative in Switzerland. This guide covers the format, the registration steps, the timeline, and how to find or verify a Swiss VAT number.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In Switzerland, the VAT number is not a separate identifier: it is based on the company identification number (UID)<\/strong>, completed with the suffix \u201cVAT\u201d. It therefore takes the form CHE-123.456.789 VAT<\/strong> \u2014 with the variants \u201cMWST\u201d in German and \u201cIVA\u201d in Italian. A company entered in the Commercial Register already holds its UID; registering for VAT activates it as a VAT number.<\/p>\n This number must appear on your invoices, your VAT returns and your correspondence with the FTA. It confirms that you are registered and entitled to charge VAT and to recover input tax. For a full overview of Swiss VAT rates and obligations, see our guide on VAT in Switzerland<\/a>.<\/p>\n The VAT number is specific to VAT and should not be confused with the broader Swiss tax identification number (TIN)<\/a> \u2014 the UID for companies and the AVS\/AHV number for individuals \u2014 used for tax reporting and the international automatic exchange of information.<\/p>\n Registration is completed online with the FTA. The process follows four steps.<\/p>\n Registration is mandatory once your annual worldwide taxable turnover reaches CHF 100,000<\/strong>, provided part of it is generated in Switzerland (Art. 10 VAT Act). The threshold is assessed on your worldwide<\/em> turnover, not only the Swiss portion. Below the threshold, you may register voluntarily<\/strong> to recover input tax \u2014 often worthwhile when your Swiss purchases or imports carry significant VAT.<\/p>\n The FTA requests information that varies with your legal form but generally includes:<\/p>\n Registration is filed through the FTA\u2019s online portal, which guides the entry of the required information. A foreign company files the same way, together with its fiscal representation mandate (see below).<\/p>\n Once the FTA approves a complete file, it issues your UID\/VAT number. Allow three to four weeks<\/strong>, depending on the FTA\u2019s workload and the completeness of your file. The number is then required on your invoices, for commercial transactions in Switzerland and for customs operations.<\/p>\n A company established abroad that carries out taxable operations in Switzerland must register once its worldwide turnover reaches CHF 100,000 \u2014 and, having no seat in Switzerland, must appoint a fiscal representative<\/strong> domiciled in Switzerland (Art. 67 VAT Act). This appointment is an administrative requirement and does not create a permanent establishment.<\/p>\n The representative handles registration, the quarterly VAT returns and dealings with the FTA on your behalf. This is precisely the scope of our fiscal representative service for VAT in Switzerland<\/a>, which manages the whole process end to end.<\/p>\n Your own number appears on your FTA registration confirmation, then on your VAT returns and invoices. To verify another company\u2019s Swiss VAT number<\/strong> \u2014 a supplier or a customer \u2014 use the official UID register (uid.admin.ch): it shows the company\u2019s UID and whether it is registered for VAT.<\/p>\n A common point of confusion: because Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, a Swiss company does not have an intra-EU VAT number<\/strong> (VIES format). If you carry out taxable operations within the EU, a separate registration in the relevant country may be required.<\/p>\n It is based on the company identification number (UID) followed by the suffix \u201cVAT\u201d: CHE-123.456.789 VAT. The language variants are \u201cMWST\u201d (German) and \u201cIVA\u201d (Italian). It is the same base number as the Commercial Register UID, activated for VAT.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Generally three to four weeks after a complete file is submitted to the FTA, depending on its workload. An incomplete file lengthens the timeline.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n On your FTA registration confirmation, then on your VAT returns and invoices. To check another company\u2019s number, use the official UID register (uid.admin.ch).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Yes. Once it carries out taxable operations in Switzerland and exceeds CHF 100,000 of worldwide turnover, it registers for VAT and must, without a seat in Switzerland, appoint a fiscal representative domiciled on Swiss territory (Art. 67 VAT Act).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n No. Switzerland is outside the European Union, so there is no Swiss intra-EU (VIES) VAT number. For taxable operations within the EU, a separate local registration may be required.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n Obtaining a Swiss VAT number comes down to a few landmarks: check the CHF 100,000 worldwide threshold, gather your documents, register online with the FTA and allow three to four weeks. The number is built on your UID, in the form CHE-123.456.789 VAT. For a foreign company, a fiscal representative in Switzerland is required. My Swiss Company SA \u2014 Corporate Services Provider in Geneva, Lucerne and Zug \u2014 handles registration and the ongoing management of your Swiss VAT. To assess your situation, speak with our VAT representation team<\/a> or contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you have a business in Switzerland, it is likely that you will have to collect value added tax (Swiss VAT) on your sales. To do this, you need to have a Swiss VAT number registered with the Swiss tax authorities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-4100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate-taxation","tag-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4100"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12226,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4100\/revisions\/12226"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my-swiss-company.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Contents<\/h3>\n
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The Swiss VAT number: format and how it works<\/h2>\n
How to get a Swiss VAT number: the steps<\/h2>\n
1. Confirm whether you must register<\/h3>\n
2. Gather the required documents<\/h3>\n
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3. Submit the registration online to the FTA<\/h3>\n
4. Receive your UID\/VAT number<\/h3>\n
Foreign companies: the fiscal representative<\/h2>\n
How to find or verify a Swiss VAT number<\/h2>\n
FAQ: the Swiss VAT number<\/h2>\n
What is the format of a Swiss VAT number?<\/h3>\n
How long does it take to get a Swiss VAT number?<\/h3>\n
Where can I find my Swiss VAT number?<\/h3>\n
Can a foreign company obtain a Swiss VAT number?<\/h3>\n
Does Switzerland have an intra-EU VAT number?<\/h3>\n
Sources<\/h2>\n
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Get your Swiss VAT number with confidence<\/h2>\n