Is a Swiss Association a real legal entity?

Yes. It’s a limited-liability association under Articles 60–79 of the Swiss Civil Code — the same class of entity used by many of the largest Web3 foundations.

No. Unlike many entities, a Swiss Association requires no notarization to form, so OtoCo can create it instantly onchain.

How many founders are required?

At least two founding members, each with a wallet. Both sign the formation transaction; you can add more members later.

OtoCo · Swiss Association

Swiss Association.
The Web3 foundation standard.

An instant Swiss limited-liability entity between two founding member wallets agreeing on a shared objective — the vehicle behind many of the largest Web3 foundations. Formed onchain in the OtoCo flow, registered office and Articles of Association included.

Form Swiss Association Compare jurisdictions

See the workflow

A Swiss Association.Built together.

Name the association, set its founding members, and activate it with onchain ownership.

Form Swiss Association

Illustrative preview. Live eligibility, pricing, and availability are confirmed during the actual flow.

FormationLive demo

1Name

2Members

3Activate

Step 01

Choose your association name

Entity name

Helvetia Protocol Association

Name available

What is a Swiss Association?

A Swiss Association (Verein) is a limited-liability entity formed under Articles 60–79 of the Swiss Civil Code between at least two founding members agreeing on a shared objective. It requires no notarization and no share capital, and is non-profit by default — the structure used by many core dev units, foundations, and DAO services platforms. OtoCo forms it onchain for $299/yr with a Swiss registered office included.

Why choose a Swiss Association

Instant, no notary

Formation completes onchain in the same instant flow as the LLCs — no notarization required to create the association.

Limited liability

Members are not personally liable beyond their stated obligations, and no share capital is required.

Globally recognized

The structure behind leading Web3 foundations — recognized by counterparties, banks, and grant programs worldwide.

Non-profit by default

Tax-favorable for foundations and DAO services platforms under Swiss law, with no single-country tax residency required.

What you get

Swiss Articles of Association
Generated from your statement of purpose, governance, and dissolution rules under Articles 60–79 of the Swiss Civil Code.
Swiss registered office
OtoCo’s Swiss registered address is included in the $299/yr, all-in fee.
Two founding members
Add a co-founder wallet — Swiss Associations require at least two founding members; there is no maximum.
Dashpanel + Entity NFT
Manage the association onchain with a unique Entity Creation NFT, downloadable Articles, and renewal tracking.
Plugins ready
Safe Wallets multisig treasury, Mint Tokens, Add Members, and ENS all work with your Swiss Association.
Members anywhere
No Swiss residency or Swiss bank account required — the registered office is provided by OtoCo.

How Swiss Association formation works

01
Open the formation flow
Go to spinup and choose Swiss Association · $299/yr, then connect your wallet.
02
Name and add a co-founder
Pick a name (the “Association” suffix is added automatically) and add a second founding member wallet.
03
Review, sign & activate
Review the generated Articles of Association, pay with card or crypto, and both members sign the formation transaction.

Pros

Instant formation with limited liability and no share capital
Recognized structure for foundations and DAO services platforms
Members can be anywhere — no Swiss residency required

Tradeoffs

–Requires at least two founding members
–Best for international/non-profit ops, not US e-commerce (use Delaware)
–Banking bundle is US-focused; pair with Revolut/Wise for EU banking

How OtoCo can help

OtoCo forms your Swiss Association onchain and gives it the same dashboard, plugins, and AI operator as every other OtoCo entity.

Do I need to be in Switzerland?

No. The association’s registered office is in Switzerland (provided by OtoCo) and members can be anywhere in the world. No Swiss residency or Swiss bank account is required.

Can more than two members join?

Two founding members is the minimum; there is no maximum. Add more anytime with the Add Members plugin.

Can a Swiss Association hold crypto?

Yes — via the Safe Wallets plugin or any smart-contract wallet you control. Many Swiss DAO foundations use exactly this structure.

When should I pick (D)UNA instead?

If your goal is to govern a tokenized DAO and you expect to cross 100 token holders, consider a (D)UNA. For a US trading or e-commerce wrapper, use Delaware.

Answers summarized from the OtoCo documentation.