NGO Registration Switzerland

The NGO Service records free of charge international NGOs having their headquarters or a representative office in the Canton of Geneva, and must, in principle, fulfill all the following cumulative conditions:

• It is non-profit.
• It has regular and concrete activities in the Canton of Geneva.
• It has a street address (a post office box alone is not enough) in canton of Geneva.
• It has activities in at least two countries.
• It does not undertake religious or political advocacy. 
• It operates in the fields of excellence of International Geneva, namely: humanitarian action, mediation, disarmament, human rights, the economy, education and training, the environment, peace and law, health, sciences, information technology, and labour
• It collaborates with an international organisation (consultative status or proven collaboration).

The association does not require ministerial visa or prefectural approval if it is in conformity with the law. No registration is required under Swiss law. 
It is not therefore necessary to register an NGO with the Chancellery, but if the dossier of the NGO is complete and up-to-date, doing so can contribute to better relations with the public authorities.
Registration procedure
Registration in the database of the NGO Service is free of charge. It requires an appointment with the NGO Service and transmission of the following documentation:

• Copy of the signed Statutes
• Signed Minutes of constituent General Assembly and/or last General Assembly
• List of members of the Committee (if not given in the minutes)
• last activity report (or, if the association has just been created, a detailed description of the association, its aims and projects)
• Last balance sheet and profit and loss account (or, if the association has just been created, a provisional budget).

After analysis of the documents that have been provided, the NGO Service issues a questionnaire for official registration.

In order to keep the registration valid (it is not permanent), an activities report and a financial report must be submitted annually.