Nominee Director in Liechtenstein and Board Mandates

No. A nominee is not the beneficial owner, who is the natural person that ultimately owns or controls the entity (VwbPG Art. 2(1)(a)). The licensed trustee must establish that person's identity (SPG Art. 7(1)). Register extracts have no public faith (VwbPG Art. 8(3)), but the owner is recorded. Treat this as the opposite of secrecy.

The person must be licensed. A board mandate for third parties is a trustee activity (TrHG Art. 2(b)), and exercising it without authority is a criminal offence (TrHG Art. 80(1)). The qualified board member holds a Trustee Act licence or an equal 180a licence (PGR Art. 180a(1) and (2)). ABB arranges the mandate and is never the director itself.

It names one product where the law has three roles. The qualified board member sits under PGR Art. 180a(1). The resident representative is a separate duty under PGR Art. 239(1). A nominal shareholder is a service-provider function under SPG Art. 3(1)(k) no. 5. This page uses the searcher's term once, then speaks of a board mandate.

The board member is an organ, not a name on a form. Management belongs to all board members unless the statutes or an organ resolution say otherwise (PGR Art. 181(1)), and organs are liable to the entity for damage they cause intentionally or negligently (PGR Art. 218(1)). Legal advice on a case is reserved to lawyers (RAG Art. 8).

The licence is personal (180a Supervision Act Art. 3(2)) and needs full-time employment with an authorised trustee (Art. 4(1)(d)). Without a new employment it rests and lapses after six months; the FMA may extend that in a justified case (Art. 13(2)). If the Art. 180a condition fails, dissolution ex officio is a ground (PGR Art. 971(1) no. 3).

These are separate questions. The Repräsentant is a distinct duty of a permanently resident EEA national who represents the entity towards the authorities (PGR Art. 239(1)); the registered office page covers it. ABB found no source saying that an address plus a nominal board member gives or lacks substance, so it promises no substance, bank account or tax result.

No. The owner is the natural person who ultimately owns or controls the entity; a nominee is not that person (VwbPG Art. 2(1)(a)). Changes are notified within 30 days of the entity learning of them (Art. 4(5)), with deadlines suspended while register access is limited after the 30 July 2026 cyberattack. Failure is fined up to CHF 200,000 (Art. 31(2)).

The licensed trustee holds the shares in trust, a service the due-diligence law lists (SPG Art. 3(1)(k) no. 5). ABB found no source naming the type of agreement, so this page names none; the engagement letter and the agreement with the trustee state the terms. For a GmbH, assigning shares needs a public deed (PGR Art. 403(4)).

At least one board member with power to manage and represent must be an EEA national, a treaty-equal person or a legal person and hold a Trustee Act licence or an equal 180a licence (PGR Art. 180a(1), (2)). Entities with a Trade Act managing director or authority supervision are exempt (Art. 180a(3)); foundations under Art. 552 § 29 are not.

Not if convicted of wilful offences Art. 180b lists: the bar runs five years from the final judgment, and a comparable ground in another EEA state also excludes. Each representing natural-person board member declares at filing that no ground exists, and must step down if one arises later. The Office of Justice may ask for a criminal record extract.

They are two duties under two articles. The board member belongs to the company's management (PGR Art. 180a(1)); the Repräsentant is a permanently resident EEA national who represents the entity towards the authorities (PGR Art. 239(1)). One company can have to meet both. The registered office page covers the address and the Repräsentant.

ABB found no statute on nominee holding of trademarks. Two trademark law rules touch a representative: a mark filed by the proprietor's agent without consent can be refused (MSchG Art. 3(1)(d)), and an owner with no domicile, seat or establishment in Liechtenstein, another EEA state or Switzerland needs a Liechtenstein lawyer or patent attorney (MSchG Art. 39(1)).

ABB collects identification documents, prepares the engagement and register papers, and coordinates. The licensed Liechtenstein trustee, named in the engagement letter, takes the board mandate, holds the shares in trust, verifies identities and files. ABB is not a trustee, gives no legal advice and acts as neither director nor shareholder.