Liechtenstein rewrites its trust law. Existing structures have eighteen months to adapt.
A new Liechtenstein trust statute takes effect on 1 July 2026, requiring every private trust to appoint an information rights holder. Existing trusts must comply by 31 December 2027.
Liechtenstein’s new trust law reform, adopted in 2025, takes effect on 1 July 2026. The deadline for bringing existing structures into compliance is 31 December 2027. For charitable trusts, the registration deadline is earlier: 31 December 2026.
The central change is the mandatory appointment of an “information rights holder” for every private-benefit trust.
What the reform requires
Under the new Article 928d of the PGR (the Liechtenstein civil code), every private trust must designate at least one information rights holder and one successor to that role. The information rights holder has broad inspection and disclosure rights, and the trustee has a corresponding duty to report.
Trusts that have existed for more than twelve months must register within thirty days of their establishment (for new trusts) or within the transition period (for existing trusts). The registration must confirm that an information rights holder and successor have been designated.
There is also an annual review obligation. Unless the settlor or all beneficiaries hold the information rights position themselves, the trustee must conduct a yearly check.
Penalties
Non-compliance carries fines of up to CHF 50,000 for intentional breaches and CHF 20,000 for negligent ones. Those are not large numbers in the context of the assets typically held through Liechtenstein trusts, but they signal that the obligation is not optional.
How existing trusts adapt
The law sets out a four-step cascade:
First, if the settlor is alive and capable, they can amend the trust documents to designate the information rights holder themselves.
Second, if the settlor cannot or will not act, the trustee can make the amendment in line with the settlor’s ascertainable intention.
Third, if neither of those routes works, the current beneficiaries can be appointed as information rights holders.
Fourth, if all else fails, a court can appoint an audit firm to fill the role.
Why it matters
Liechtenstein trusts are widely used by European families for asset protection and succession planning. Many of these structures were set up decades ago, with minimal governance provisions. The new law forces a degree of transparency that some settlors and beneficiaries may not have anticipated.
The timing is also relevant. The Solorz case in December 2025, in which a Liechtenstein court enforced a succession transfer against the founder’s wishes, has already raised questions about how well the system protects all parties. This reform adds a transparency mechanism on top of an enforcement regime that has shown it has teeth.
For trustees and family offices managing Liechtenstein structures, the eighteen-month adaptation window is not as generous as it sounds. Identifying the right information rights holder, amending trust deeds, and filing the registration takes time. Any trust that has not started the process by early 2027 risks running up against the deadline.
