- Go through an online broker, not your usual bank: fees are often ten times lower.
- One ETF on a global index gives you thousands of companies in a single purchase.
- Before the stock market: an emergency fund of 3 months of expenses, and your 3a.
Before you start
Only invest money you will not need for 5 to 10 years. The market can fall for months: if you have to sell at that moment, the loss becomes real. So first keep an emergency fund in a savings account, and fill your 3a, which gives you back part of every contribution in tax: see the pillar 3a limit.
If you might leave Switzerland in a few years, that is no reason to wait: your securities belong to you wherever you live. Just check, before choosing a broker, whether it keeps clients who move abroad.
1. Open an account with an online broker
This is the choice that weighs most on your fees: a traditional bank often costs ten times more for small regular purchases. Opening is done online, with your passport or ID card, your residence permit and proof of address. Allow 3 to 5 days for the check.
On 300 francs a month over 20 years, the gap with a traditional bank runs into tens of thousands of francs. The figures are in Swissquote, Interactive Brokers or your bank.
The main platforms, and what they cost
| Platform | Fee for a small purchase | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | CHF 5 per order (“fixed” tariff) | In English, no custody fees, no Swiss stamp duty |
| Swissquote | CHF 3 to 10 up to CHF 2'000 (+ CHF 0.85) | Swiss bank, interface in English, custody fees |
| Apps (Yuh, Neon) | Low on small amounts | Simple, fractional shares, narrower choice |
| Traditional bank | Often CHF 30 to 80 | Plus annual custody fees |
2. Transfer the money
A simple transfer from your bank to the IBAN of your brokerage account. It arrives in one or two days. Transfer francs, and preferably buy ETFs listed in francs: you avoid currency exchange fees. Your salary is in francs: there is no need to convert it first.
3. Choose an ETF
Three criteria are enough: a broad, diversified index, less than 0.20% in fees a year, and a purchase through your online broker. An ETF on a global index follows the market without trying to beat it: that is why its fees are so low. Domicile, accumulating or distributing, replication: the criteria to decide between two ETFs are in our ETF guide.
4. Place the order
Buy, choose the number of units, check, confirm: a few minutes are enough. The Swiss exchange and the main European exchanges are open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 17:30; outside those hours, your order waits for the opening.
Check the ETF's full name and ISIN, the quantity and the fees shown. An executed order cannot be cancelled.
5. Declare your securities
Every year, you declare the value of your securities and your dividends; your capital gains are not taxed. Careful: even an accumulating ETF, which reinvests its dividends, must be declared as if it paid them out. Your broker sends you a statement early in the year. The full tax framework is in investing in Switzerland. Step by step: declaring your securities for tax.
Taxed at source? Withholding on your salary does not cover your investments. Depending on the amounts and your canton, they may oblige you to file a full tax return: ask your cantonal tax office, and see the B permit guide.
Then: regularity
A fixed amount every month, and you do not check your portfolio every day. Over 20 years, regularity is what makes the difference, not when you start. Many brokers offer an automatic savings plan: you set it up once, and it buys for you.
Going further
All at once or in several steps? If you already have a sum to invest, putting it in straight away has done better most of the time in the past, because the market rises more often than it falls. Spreading it over a few months costs a little return, but helps you hold on if the market drops right after you buy. The numbers and a calculator: lump sum or monthly instalments.
Prefer a limit order. Set just above the displayed price, it almost always goes through and protects you from an abnormal price, especially when the exchange opens.
Declare every account, even small ones, including abroad. An account with a foreign broker, or one left in your home country, is declared like the others. It is also the condition for recovering the withholding tax on your Swiss dividends.
And your pillar 3a?An immediate tax saving, before the first return.
Work out my savingYour next step
To do, at your own pace:
Path “Start investing” · step 7 of 8
Frequently asked questions
How much do I need to start investing?
A few dozen francs are enough with the apps, and most online brokers have no strict minimum. The starting amount matters less than regularity: CHF 200 a month for 20 years often does better than a single payment.
What is an ETF?
A basket of securities listed on the stock exchange that tracks an index. In a single purchase, you own a small share of hundreds or thousands of companies. Its annual fees are low, often 0.07 to 0.20%.
Can I open a brokerage account with a B permit?
Yes. Swiss brokers and banks accept residents with a B or C permit: you need your passport or ID card, your residence permit and proof of address in Switzerland. Verification usually takes a few days.
Can I lose everything?
In theory, only if every company in the world went bankrupt. In practice, a global ETF can lose a third of its value in a crisis, and even more than half at the worst point, as between late 2007 and early 2009. The real risk is selling during the fall.
Market order or limit order?
A market order is executed immediately at the current price. A limit order is only executed at your price or better: set just above the displayed price, it almost always goes through and protects you from a bad price.
What do I have to declare for tax?
The value of your securities on 31 December (wealth tax) and your dividends, including those an accumulating ETF reinvests. Capital gains are not taxed. Your broker sends an annual statement. If you are taxed at source, ask your canton whether your investments require a full tax return.
Sources: DBG / LIFD art. 16 para. 3 (private capital gains exempt) ; DBG / LIFD art. 89 (taxation at source and ordinary assessment) ; FTA, securities list and price list ; FINMA ; broker fee schedules checked in September 2026 ; SIX Swiss Exchange.