Company Liquidation in Liechtenstein: Winding Up an Entity

No clean exit follows. Where public charges stay unpaid despite repeated demands, the Tax Administration can apply for dissolution by office, and the Amt für Justiz sets a period of at least two months. It can delete by office where no realisable assets are left (PGR Art. 971(2)) or, once dissolved, no liquidators or board members remain (Art. 971(3)).

Liquidators are normally the managing and representing members, but at least one of them must meet the PGR Art. 180a conditions or be a legal person holding a TrHG Art. 13 licence. If you meet neither, a licensed trustee fills that role. We are not that person and are never the sole liquidator.

PGR Art. 132(1a) requires at least one liquidator who meets Art. 180a or is a licensed legal person under TrHG Art. 13. A trust company needs an FMA licence before it starts business, and taking on board mandates under Art. 180a is a trustee activity. That is why the licensed partner acts.

Yes, within limits. Persons charged with administration and liquidation are jointly liable for the tax debt up to net assets or the liquidation result, and the liability lapses on proof of due care. For VAT it runs up to the liquidation result, for claims arising or falling due during their management. This states the law, not advice.

As a rule, a legal person is deleted from the commercial register only after the Tax Administration has told the Amt für Justiz that all taxes owed are paid, and that the VAT owed is paid or secured. Exceptions exist, including deletion by office, so the clearance is the normal gate, not the only path.

If the assets do not cover the liabilities to third parties, the liquidators stop their work and apply for insolvency proceedings over the entity's assets. Legal advice on insolvency is reserved to lawyers (RAG Art. 8(1)(a)), subject to trustees' statutory powers (Art. 8(3)), so this page covers the solvent case only.

No fixed timeline can be stated. The law sets a half-year block on distribution that the Amt für Justiz can relax, deletion may come before the block ends, and no official processing time is published for the register steps. That is why we give no number of months.

Distribution may not take place before half a year has passed from publication of the dissolution with the call to register claims. The Amt für Justiz may permit earlier distribution where any danger to creditors is entirely excluded, and deletion may take place before the block ends.

As a rule, known creditors receive a special notice and unknown creditors are called by the Amt für Justiz through publication in the official gazette, unless it permits another form of call or all creditors agree to one. The liquidators then settle the debts in the ranking order of insolvency law, as far as the entity's assets allow.

The liquidators settle the debts in the ranking order of insolvency law, as far as the assets allow. This page does not set out the ranking itself. If the assets fall short of the liabilities to third parties, the liquidators stop and the insolvency route applies instead.

Where an entity has no realisable assets left, the Amt für Justiz may order deletion by office. It asks the board by registered letter to state its reasoned interest in keeping the entry within 30 days, and calls third parties once by publication. That is a different path, and we do not offer to make a company disappear.

The general liquidation rules (PGR Art. 130 ff.) apply unless a special provision exists for the form (Art. 130(3)). The Anstalt (Art. 550) and the foundation (Art. 552 § 39) have such provisions, which this page does not set out. The licensed trustee reads the statutes or deed before anything is drafted. Our Anstalt and foundation pages explain each form.

Yes. If further assets subject to distribution appear after the deletion has been entered, members or creditors can request a supplementary liquidation. A legal claim against an entity already deleted from the commercial register is met by a representative (Beistand) appointed by the court on application, who represents the entity in the proceedings (PGR Art. 141(1)).

The entity keeps its legal personality and adds "in Liquidation", "in Liq." or "i.L." to its name until the liquidation is carried out towards third parties and any members (PGR Art. 131(1)). Letterhead, order forms and websites of an AG, KGaA or GmbH must also state, where applicable, that the company is in liquidation (PGR Art. 120a(1)).