Liechtenstein Family Foundation for Private Wealth
A private-benefit foundation that keeps a family's assets together for the next generations. LFF Heritage Trusts prepares it; a licensed Liechtenstein trustee forms and files it.
- Minimum capital CHF 30,000
- Council of at least two members
- Written declaration, signatures certified
- Formation notice within 30 days
What a Liechtenstein family foundation is
We help families and their bankers, lawyers and tax advisers set up a Liechtenstein foundation prepared with a licensed trustee. A family foundation is a private-benefit foundation under Art. 552 PGR, and the statute names two family types, pure and mixed. Founders may be one or more natural or legal persons (PGR Art. 552 § 4(1)).
The work is divided. LFF Heritage Trusts collects the documents, takes your instructions and prepares the draft. A licensed Liechtenstein trustee or lawyer, named in your engagement letter, drafts the declaration, supplies the council and files the register entry or the formation notice.
Who sits where in a family foundation
Foundation
the founder dedicates assets, at least CHF 30,000
Founder
dedicates the assets
Foundation council
at least two members
Further organs
no power of representation
Beneficiaries
With a legal claim
Expectancy holders
Discretionary
Ultimate
Outside the foundation: LFF Heritage Trusts prepares and coordinates; the licensed trustee supplies the council and files with the Office of Justice (register entry or formation notice). No statutory protector.
What's included
Scoping and instructions
We collect the founder's identity, source of funds, purpose, beneficiary class and the initial assets, at least CHF 30,000 or the amount in euro or US dollars (PGR Art. 552 § 13(1)).
Succession review with a Liechtenstein lawyer
A Liechtenstein lawyer reviews the family's forced-share exposure before drafting. Legal advice stays with the lawyer (RAG Art. 8(1)(a)).
Declaration and by-laws
A licensed trustee or lawyer drafts the declaration and by-laws, with the revocation, amendment or supplementary-deed reservations the founder wants.
Council and the Art. 180a member
A licensed trustee supplies a council of at least two members and the qualified member PGR Art. 180a requires (TrHG Art. 2(b)).
Register entry, formation notice and UBO report
The licensed trustee files the register entry or the formation notice, then the beneficial-owner report.
Funding, administration and investment
You transfer the assets, the trustee administers, a licensed bank or asset manager invests. See how a family office in Liechtenstein divides the work between the trustee and the asset manager; for a company beneath it, the detailed ready-made companies page.
Who it is for
Families planning for the next generations
A pure family foundation applies its assets only to upbringing, education, endowment or support of family members (PGR Art. 552 § 2(4)).
Families with a charitable side
A mixed family foundation mainly serves the family and also charitable or other private-benefit purposes (PGR Art. 552 § 2(4)).
Entrepreneurs with a family business
Owners who want the business held as one block, for example through a Liechtenstein holding beneath a foundation.
How the process works
Eight steps to a family foundation
Scoping
Who acts: LFT collects, you supply
Succession review
Who acts: Liechtenstein lawyer
Drafting
Who acts: Licensed trustee or lawyer; LFT takes instructions
Council and qualified member
Who acts: Licensed trustee
Signing, signatures certified
Who acts: Founder
Register entry or formation notice
Who acts: Licensed trustee
Term: Formation notice: within 30 days of formation
Beneficial-owner report
Who acts: Licensed trustee or council
Term: Within 30 days of filing the notice
Funding, administration, tax status
Who acts: You, the trustee, a licensed bank
The only fixed periods are the two 30-day ones; beneficial-owner deadlines that cannot be met are suspended (status at 2026-10-31).
Scoping
We collect the founder's identity, source of funds, the purpose, the beneficiary class and the initial assets. You supply; LFT collects.
Succession review
A Liechtenstein lawyer checks the family's forced-share position before anything is drafted. Liechtenstein lawyer.
Drafting
The declaration and by-laws are drafted with the reservations the founder wants: revocation, amendment, supplementary deed, supervision. Licensed trustee or lawyer; LFT takes the instructions.
Council
A council of at least two members is formed, with the Art. 180a member where it applies (PGR Art. 552 § 24(2)). Licensed trustee supplies; LFT arranges.
Signing
The founder signs the declaration in written form, and the signatures are certified; no public deed is needed (PGR Art. 552 § 14(1)). Founder.
Entry or notice
The foundation is entered in the commercial register, or a formation notice is deposited with the Office of Justice within 30 days of formation (PGR Art. 552 § 20(1)). Licensed trustee files.
Beneficial-owner report
A foundation not entered in the register reports its beneficial owners within 30 days of filing the notice (VwbPG Art. 4(4)(b)), subject to the suspension in the requirements table. Licensed trustee or council.
Funding and tax status
You transfer the assets; the trustee administers and applies for private asset structure status where the conditions are met. You; licensed trustee; a licensed bank invests.
Ready to scope the foundation?
Tell us the family's purpose and the assets in view. We send back a foundation plan with the steps and who performs each.
Documents and information you will need
- Founder's identification and the source of funds
- The purpose of the foundation
- The beneficiaries, or the beneficiary class
- Initial assets: at least CHF 30,000, or in euro or US dollars
- Reservations wanted: revocation, amendment, supplementary deed
- Whether the deed should provide for supervision
- The proposed council members, if you have any in mind
- Register entry or formation notice: your preference
- Family details for the lawyer's succession review
Liechtenstein requirements
Every rule below comes from the statute; the last column says who acts.
Requirements for a Liechtenstein family foundation
| Requirement | Rule | Statute | Who acts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum capital | CHF 30,000, also payable in euro or US dollars | PGR Art. 552 § 13(1) | The founder funds |
| Foundation council | At least two members; legal persons may be members | PGR Art. 552 § 24(2) | A licensed trustee supplies; LFT arranges |
| The declaration | Written form, founder signatures certified, not a public deed | PGR Art. 552 § 14(1) | The founder signs |
| Beneficiaries | Named, described by objective features, or a class | PGR Art. 552 § 16(1) no. 4 | Drafted by a licensed trustee or lawyer |
| Reserved rights | Revocation and amendment; not assignable or heritable; not open to a legal-person founder | PGR Art. 552 § 30(1), (2) | Drafted by a licensed trustee or lawyer |
| Supplementary deed | Allowed where the founder reserved it | PGR Art. 552 § 17 | Drafted by a licensed trustee or lawyer |
| Art. 180a member | Supervised foundations are not exempt; the mandate is a trustee activity | PGR Art. 180a(3); TrHG Art. 2(b) | A licensed trustee |
| Formation notice | Deposited at the Office of Justice within 30 days of formation | PGR Art. 552 § 20(1) | The licensed trustee files |
| Register entry | Compulsory for charitable foundations and for private-benefit foundations that run a commercially organised business on a special-statute basis; other private-benefit foundations may be entered but need not be | PGR Art. 552 § 14(4), (5) | The licensed trustee files |
| Official charges | CHF 700 entry; CHF 300 deposit; formation levy 2 per mille of capital, at least CHF 200 | GbHr-GebV Annex 2 B.1(h), E.2(a); SteG Art. 66(3) | You pay; fee ordinance version of 1 August 2024 |
| Beneficial-owner report | Within 30 days of filing the notice; fine up to CHF 200,000; deadlines that cannot be met suspended since the cyberattack of 30 July 2026 (status at 2026-10-31) | VwbPG Art. 4(4)(b), Art. 31(2) | The licensed trustee or the council |
| Tax status | Minimum income tax only, if no economic activity; a revocable foundation is attributed to the founder | SteG Art. 64(1)(a), 64(8), Art. 9(4) | Tax advice by a licensed trustee, TrHG Art. 2(d) |
Source: PGR Art. 552 and Art. 180a; GbHr-GebV Annex 2; SteG; VwbPG; Office of Justice newsletter 06/2026.
Register entry or formation notice
Register entry and formation notice side by side
| Aspect | Register entry | Formation notice |
|---|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Compulsory for charitable foundations and for private-benefit foundations that run a commercially organised business on a special-statute basis; optional for other private-benefit foundations | Private-benefit foundations not entered |
| Filing and period | Entry in the commercial register; legal personality by the entry where it is compulsory | Deposited with the Office of Justice within 30 days of formation |
| Official charge | CHF 700 | CHF 300 |
| Who can see it | Register entries are public; the applications and supporting documents can be inspected by anyone who makes a legitimate interest credible (CHF 50 per file) | Only the depositor and the authorised person; name, seat and council may be confirmed to third parties |
Source: PGR Art. 552 § 14(4), (5), § 20(1); HRV Art. 18(1); GbHr-GebV Annex 2 A.5, B.1(h), E.2(a) (version of 1 August 2024); Office of Justice, public access to the register.
Problems we solve
Heirs and the forced share
Heirs or creditors may challenge the transfer like a gift. Under the ABGB, dedication counts as a gift for the forced share, and, at a forced heir's request, gifts of the last two years to people outside the forced-heir circle are added back. A Liechtenstein lawyer reviews it.
No statutory protector
The statute has no protector. The founder can set up further organs without power of representation, and arrange through the deed a foundation council and a protector appointed from Vaduz.
Who sees what
The commercial register is public. A deposited foundation's filings are open only to the depositor and the authorised person; name, seat and council may be confirmed to third parties.
Control and revocation
Reserved revocation cannot be assigned or inherited. A revocable foundation's assets are attributed to the founder for tax, which matters for the wealth tax levied on Liechtenstein residents (SteG Art. 9(4)).
Tax status is not automatic
A private asset structure pays only the minimum income tax if it meets the SteG Art. 64 conditions and carries on no economic activity. A licensed trustee gives the tax advice.
Want the structure set out for your family?
We map the founder, council, beneficiaries and filings for your family, with the statute behind each step.
Why work with us
Annika Vetsch, Private wealth and foundations lead, prepares each foundation file. From our practice: we collect the documents, take the founder's instructions and prepare the draft; a licensed Liechtenstein trustee, named in your engagement letter, drafts, supplies the council and files.
Frequently asked questions
Can a family foundation protect assets from forced heirs?
Liechtenstein law gives no guarantee. Heirs or creditors may challenge the transfer of assets to a foundation like a gift. Dedicating assets and giving the beneficiary position count as gifts for the forced share; at a forced heir's request, gifts of the last two years to people outside the forced-heir circle are added back. A Liechtenstein lawyer reviews the exposure.
Can my children challenge a Liechtenstein family foundation after my death?
Forced heirs are the descendants and the spouse or registered partner, and the forced share is half of the statutory share. A benefit a person receives from the foundation is credited against the cash forced share, and a true discretionary position is not treated as a gift. How a court applies this is a question for a Liechtenstein lawyer.
Is a family foundation the same as a private-benefit foundation?
A family foundation is a kind of private-benefit foundation. A private-benefit foundation serves wholly or mostly private purposes under the foundation declaration, and within that group the statute names two family types, the pure and the mixed family foundation. Foundation law is Art. 552 of the Persons and Companies Act (PGR), which also allows charitable purposes.
What is the difference between a pure and a mixed family foundation?
A pure family foundation applies its assets only to the family purposes the statute lists, beginning with the costs of upbringing and education. A mixed family foundation mainly pursues those purposes and, in addition, serves charitable or other private-benefit purposes. The foundation declaration names the purposes and the beneficiaries or the class of beneficiaries.
Can I revoke the foundation or change the beneficiaries later?
Only if the foundation declaration reserves it. A founder may reserve revocation and amendment, but these rights cannot be assigned or inherited, and a legal-person founder cannot reserve them. A supplementary deed also needs its own reservation. For tax, the assets of a revocable foundation are attributed to the founder.
Who can see the deed, and what can beneficiaries demand?
A beneficiary may inspect the foundation declaration, the supplementary deed and any regulations, as far as their own rights are concerned. That right does not exist where the founder reserved revocation and is also the ultimate beneficiary. Where the declaration sets up a control body, the beneficiary may ask only about purpose, organisation and their own rights.
Is a family foundation public, and what appears in the register?
The commercial register is public. Charitable foundations and some others must be entered; other private-benefit foundations may be entered but need not be. A foundation that is not entered deposits a formation notice with the Office of Justice within 30 days, and only the depositor and the authorised person may inspect it.
Do I need a trustee or a local board member?
Forming a foundation for third parties and taking a mandate under Art. 180a PGR are trustee activities, so a licensed Liechtenstein trustee performs both, named in your engagement letter. The council has at least two members. LFT collects the documents, takes your instructions and coordinates; it does not act as foundation council.
Does the foundation pay tax, and does the founder?
The form alone does not decide it. A private asset structure that carries on no economic activity pays only the minimum income tax and is not assessed. A formation levy applies at 2 per mille of the capital, at least CHF 200. A revocable foundation's assets are attributed to the founder. Tax advice comes from a licensed trustee.
How much capital is needed?
The minimum capital is CHF 30,000, which may also be paid in euro or US dollars. Official charges are CHF 700 for the register entry, CHF 300 for depositing a formation notice, and a formation levy of 2 per mille of the capital, at least CHF 200. Our own fee is on request.
Can I be a beneficiary and keep control?
A founder may reserve revocation and amendment, and regulations issued by the founder prevail over those of the council. Further organs may be set up but have no power of representation, and the statute has no protector. If the founder holds revocation and is the ultimate beneficiary, the beneficiary's information rights do not exist.
What happens to the assets if all beneficiaries die?
The foundation declaration names the beneficiaries or the class of beneficiaries, and ultimate beneficiaries are one of the four beneficiary groups. If no ultimate beneficiary is named, the assets left after liquidation fall to the Land. Only the foundation's assets are liable for its debts; there is no duty of further contributions.
Plan your family's foundation with LFT
One plan for the founder, the council, the beneficiaries and the filings, prepared in Vaduz.