Swiss Stamp Duties

In Switzerland, the federal tax administration levies a stamp tax on certain financial services. It is sometimes referred to as a stamp duty or stamp fee.

There are three kinds of stamp duties in Switzerland:

• Stamp duties on securities transactions
• Stamp duties on insurance premiums
• Stamp duties on new securities issues

Stamp duties on securities transactions

Swiss stamp duties are levied on each purchase and sale of stocks, bonds, structured products, investment funds, ETFs and other securities.

The stamp duty is automatically deducted by your bank or broker. Stamp duties are levied as a per mille of the transaction’s value.

Stamp duties on Swiss securities (Swiss ISIN): 0.75 per mille. That translates into 7.5 centimes of stamp duty per 100 francs.
Stamp duties on foreign shares (non-Swiss ISIN): 1.5 per mille. That translates into 15 centimes of stamp duty per 100 francs.

Stamp duties are substantially higher than the stock exchange fees of Swiss and foreign stock exchanges, but in most cases, they are a relatively small cost compared to brokerage fees.

Stamp duties on insurance premiums

Swiss insurance policies are subject to a stamp duty equal to 5 percent of insurance premiums. Insurance policies affected by this tax include liability insurance, car insurance, travel insurance and pet insurance, among others.

Permanent life insurance policies which accumulate cash value are subject to a 2.5-percent federal stamp duty if they are paid for via a single premium.

Insurances which are exempted from stamp duties include health insurance, accident insurance, disability insurance, unemployment insurance, livestock insurance, and life insurance (other than single-premium permanent life insurance).

Stamp duties on new securities issues

When a Swiss company issues new shares (including shares in cooperatives) or participation certificates, the Swiss federal government levies a 1-percent tax on the new issue. However, this tax only applies when the total value of new securities in an issue exceeds 1 million francs.

More information:
Compare Swiss stock brokers now
Anticipatory tax explained