| Guaranteed Swiss Personal Bank Account |
Account Features and Benefits
No References Required
Swiss Bank Secrecy
Indentification Required
Tax Rules
Account Opening Procedure
The below Swiss account offers impressive Internet banking access, an international debit card enabling you to withdraw cash at ATMs anywhere in the world, no minimum deposits, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing your funds are completely safe. This is a great solution if you need a powerful current account, and it is also an excellent entry-level account.
 Powerful 24/7/365 Internet banking access
International Cirrus/Plus debit card*
Standing order payments to any account in the world
Transfer funds to any account online
No minimum balance required
Multiple currencies, £, Euro, $, Swiss Franc
Offices throughout Switzerland
Total security of your deposits
Interest 2.20 - 4.55% on payment accounts, as at June 2006
No currency conversion charges for deposits
The information contained in this webpage is not meant to be a substitute for qualified legal advice given by a specialist who is aware of your particular situation. We cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of decisions made following information found on this website.Freedom Banking Solutions is not a bank and neither solicits nor accepts deposits.
* International Cirrus/Plus debit card issued automatically with Euro and CHF accounts. For clients requiring a GBP account, a multi-currency account would ensure the issue of an ATM card. The linked, additional currency account, would be set up at no extra cost.
Swiss Bank Secrecy . . . . .
No credit checks
No references
No status required
No bank visit needed
No minimum account opening balance
Available for international applicants WORLDWIDE
Account features and benefits . . . . .
You can open your account in various currencies: CHF (Swiss Francs), EUR (Euro), USD (United States Dollar), GBP (United Kingdom Pound) etc. You can open as many as you wish.
There is no minimum opening balance required. You only send money to your bank account after it is fully activated.
The maintenance charge of the account is FREE if you maintain a total assets equivalent to 1,000 Euros.
The bank has a SWIFT code so that it is easy to receive money from all over the world. Send wire transfer for only CHF 10 per wire (approximetely USD 8 or GBP 4.32).
You can deposit cheques by mailing them to the bank; bank envelopes and banking slips will be sent to you after your account is activated. There is no charge for cash or wire incoming deposits. Cheque charges depends on the currency and country of issue, these range from $5 USD - $15 USD.
Your ATM card will be issued automatically with a Euro or CHF account. This card will bear the PLUS logo (part of the Visa Network) and can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs showing the PLUS logo worldwide.
You can choose to deal with your account in English, German, French or Italian.
You will be assigned a Personal Account Manager whom you can phone or fax directly.
It is a BIG and established bank! It holds 2.6 million accounts worldwide, has over 2,000 employees and enjoyed total sales of CHF 3.9 trillion in 2003!
Wish to find out more about this service?
 
Swiss Bank Secrecy . . . . .
Swiss bankers are under obligation to keep any information about you and your account strictly confidential. This bank secrecy is among the strictest in the world and stems from an age-old historical tradition. It is so important that it has been established in Swiss law and any banker who reveals information about you without your consent risks several months in prison.
The only exceptions to this rule concern serious crimes such as gun smuggling and drug trafficking. Bank secrecy is not, however, lifted for tax evasion because failure to report income or assets is not considered a crime in Switzerland. As such, neither the Swiss government, nor any other government, can obtain information about your bank account. They must first convince a Swiss judge that you have committed a serious crime punishable by the Swiss Penal Code.
If you have kept your banking information strictly confidential, bank secrecy will not be lifted for private matters such as inheritance or divorce. It is up to the plaintiffs to prove that the account exists if they wish the judge to pursue the case.
Identification required . . . . .
You’ll need a certified copy of your passport and that copy must have an Apostille certificate to confirm the authenticity of your passport. This is a requirement of the Swiss banking laws. There are agencies throughout every country in the world that can certify and attach an Apostille certificate to your passport or, alternatively, you can contact your appropriate government office.
UK passport holders may wish to dispense with the third party services of an Apostille agent, and of course their associated charges, and liaise direct with the Foreign and Commonwealth office. Apostille certificates/legalisations can be obtained in person or by post for UK passport holders at the price of £19. Please Click Here for more details.
Throughout the world banking specialists have been known to charge in excess of £1500 to set up a Swiss bank account. Not only this, but the client often has to attend the bank, which means plenty of extra costs to you.
Swiss bank secrecy and tax evasion . . . . .
Swiss bank secrecy is not lifted for tax evasion investigations, even upon the request of a foreign government.
The failure to report or underestimation of income or assets on a tax return are not considered a crime in Switzerland. The Swiss are unique in that they attach greater importance to the respect of private life than they do to taxation. Banks do not have the right to inform the Swiss tax authorities about tax evasion, and they have even less right to inform foreign tax authorities.
As Switzerland does not consider tax evasion to be a crime, it does not comply with any requests for judicial cooperation (also known as mutual assistance) from other governments.
A clear distinction must be made between tax evasion and tax fraud. Tax fraud (falsified documents, sharp practice) is considered a crime in Switzerland. In this case, a judge with jurisdiction can lift bank secrecy and judicial cooperation can be granted.
As with all European nations, the Swiss have signed the European Savings Tax directive so any interest on your account will be taxed.
Swiss bank secrecy is regulated by both civil law (including the banking act) and criminal law. Violation of the secrecy can thus be subject to double punishment: a fine and imprisonment for the banker pursuant to the banking act and the criminal code, and damages for the client pursuant to the duty of care.
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