Opening a Swiss bank account by mail

Dear ladies and gentlement,

I need a bank account in Switzerland in order to receive occassional payments. I would prefer not to travel to Switzerland to open an account, so I am wondering if there is an online account which I can open remotely (by post, for example). I live in Germany.

Thank you very much!

With kind regards

Hi there,

The standard procedure for opening a Swiss bank account involves visiting a bank in person to establish your identity. Opening an account completely by mail is no longer possible.

Several Swiss banks allow online account opening, but this service is limited to residents of Switzerland.

However, there are some Swiss online brokerage accounts which can be opened without visiting a branch office. However, these are typically custody accounts which are not well suited to everyday transactions or saving.

It is also important to note that non-resident customers (regardless of citizenship) pay additional non-resident fees at most Swiss banks. On average, these extra fees add up to 300 Swiss francs per year which you must pay on top of standard account fees. You can find more information in the moneyland.ch guide to bank fees for non-residents.

Best regards from Moneyguru