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Liechtenstein trust questions, answered
Plain answers to common Liechtenstein trust questions: the roles, the set-up, running it and reporting. If your question is missing, ask us and we will reply with what we can do and what your lawyer checks. Each answer points to the page with the detail.
Reviewed by a senior trust administrator, updated
Top questions
Jump to an answer below.
Key facts
- Trust structure
- Trust (Treuhänderschaft) under the PGR; deed names the trustee and beneficiaries[1]
- Governing law
- Persons and Companies Act (PGR); trusts have their own title[1]
- Legal basis
- Trust (Treuhänderschaft) provisions start at Art. 897 of the PGR[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Basics
A trust in the principality works like a trust elsewhere in the civil-law and common-law worlds. Under the PGR, a settlor transfers assets, a trustee holds them and beneficiaries benefit as the deed sets out.
What sets this place apart is the statute the trust sits under. The rules are in the Persons and Companies Act, and the law page sets out their sources.
What does a trustee do in Liechtenstein?
As legal owner of the assets, the trustee runs the trust under the deed: accounts, records, meetings, resolutions and distribution decisions are its work. It keeps the assets apart from its own property and reports to the beneficiaries as the deed requires. The deed also says what the settlor or a protector keeps, such as a right to consent to key decisions.
How is this trust different from a will?
A will begins to operate when you die. A trust may begin earlier, as soon as assets are transferred to the trustee. Neither replaces the other, and your lawyer advises which of your assets belong in the trust and which in the will.
Who is involved in a trust in Liechtenstein?
Who does what: the settlor funds the trust, the trustee holds the assets, beneficiaries may receive distributions, and an optional protector can consent to important decisions. The deed is drafted by a law firm and then reviewed by your own lawyer.
Does the trust own the assets?
In the usual model, the trustee holds legal title and the beneficiaries have the benefit under the deed. The trustee keeps the assets apart from its own property. Your lawyer confirms how the Act treats the trust as a legal arrangement for your facts.
Why do families look at Liechtenstein for a trust?
Some want a European trustee, some want one trustee for assets in several countries, and some are planning succession. Others are comparing places. Whether Liechtenstein fits depends on your home country, your assets and your goals. The trust rules sit in the PGR, so the deed is drafted against that text.
Setting up
Set-up under the PGR follows one order of steps for every client, and the papers set the pace. You pass the identity and source-of-funds checks, agree the structure with your lawyer, approve the deed and sign it.
Assets move only after the trustee has accepted office. Proof of where the money came from usually takes longest, and papers in German may need translating. The formation guide lists the papers in the order the trustee asks for them.
Who signs the deed, and in what order?
The settlor signs the deed and the trustee signs to accept office. Before drafting ends we settle the order of signing and any witnessing with your lawyer and the trustee, confirm it in writing, and start funding only after acceptance.
In which language is the deed written?
The PGR is published in German, and the language of a deed is agreed between the parties and the law firm that drafts it. We work from English summaries, and your lawyer reads the German original. Papers sent to a bank may need a certified translation.
Do I need to visit Liechtenstein to open a trust?
Whether personal attendance is required is a point your lawyer confirms for your case, as signing and witnessing rules may differ by document. We agree the method with your lawyer and the trustee before drafting ends and write it down for you in plain words.
Can a holding company sit under the trust?
Often, yes. A company under the trust has the trustee as shareholder and handles day-to-day dealings, at the price of formation and yearly charges. Your lawyer advises on whether it fits your assets and where to incorporate; the deed decides who controls it, and company law decides how it is formed.
Running the trust
After funding, the trustee runs the trust under the deed and the default rules of the PGR. We prepare the papers for each request, and the trustee takes the decision.
In practice a trust is only as strong as its records: follow the deed, write down each decision, and never use trust money as if it were personal money.
The yearly charges of a trust under the PGR are explained line by line in the cost guide. We publish the set-up fee for a standard trust or foundation; annual administration, event-based work and third-party charges are quoted after we review your case.
Can I be a beneficiary of my own trust?
That depends on the deed and on the Act, and on how your home country treats it. Keeping benefits and control can change the legal and tax result, so your lawyer and tax adviser confirm it before you sign. Raise it before signing, not after funding.
Can I change the beneficiaries later?
That depends on the power the deed grants, whether to the settlor, a protector or the trustee. The deed also fixes how changes are made and recorded. We draft the papers, the trustee decides, and the written change joins the trust records.
Does the trustee have to follow my letter of wishes?
No, it is guidance only. In a private note you tell the trustee how you would like discretion exercised, for instance for education or a family business. The trustee reads it without being bound, so review it regularly and keep it current.
How often is the trust reviewed?
Plan a review every year and after any life event, such as a birth, a marriage, relocating or selling a business. The trustee uses each review to confirm the assets it holds and to check that the deed is being followed.
Reporting and tax
Where you live decides how you are taxed, so your tax adviser at home answers that part. The trustee keeps the records and makes the filings that apply to it.
Banks typically request self-certification forms at the start, covering the trust itself and any company under it.
Does a Liechtenstein trust report under CRS?
Whether and how the Common Reporting Standard applies to your trust, its trustee or a bank is a point your lawyer confirms for your case. Your adviser confirms what applies to you. We collect the self-certification forms at the start so that deadlines can be planned. The answer can differ for the trustee, a bank and any company the trust owns.
Does my residency change the reporting?
Yes, possibly. How you are taxed as settlor or beneficiary, and what you file, is set by your home country. State where you live and pay tax in your first message, and we send your adviser the actual drafts, not a summary of them.
Who do I ask about my own tax on a trust?
Your own tax adviser at home. We do not give tax advice and we promise no tax outcome. We send the adviser the same drafts we send you, so the advice rests on the real documents. That adviser also tells you what to file at home each year.
Getting help
Tell us in plain words what you plan to move and where you live. Our reply lists what we can do and what your lawyer and tax adviser check.
The overview gives the big picture, so begin there if you prefer to see the whole first.
What should I send in a first message?
Four things: where you live and pay tax, what you expect to transfer, whether a company already holds those assets, and who you want to benefit. A short note is enough, and we reply with the papers to gather. Add anything that limits your travel, and the language you prefer for documents.
What should I tell my own lawyer first?
Bring the plan in plain words: what you hold, where it sits, who should benefit, and where you live and pay tax. Your lawyer checks it against your home law, and we then agree which of us prepares which paper.
Sources
- Liechtenstein Law Gazette: Persons and Companies Act (PGR), read 2026-11-05.