.swiss FAQ

To register and renew a .swiss domain name, you must fulfill all the following requirements:

• a. You must be a legal entity (i.e. not an individual) with sufficient link to Switzerland. This occurs if you are:
• A public body or another public organization under Swiss public law;
• A legal entity registered in the Swiss Commercial Register having its seat in Switzerland and an effective site of administration in Switzerland; or
• An association or foundation not registered in the Swiss Commercial Register having its seat and an effective site of administration in Switzerland.
• b. At the time of the application, the requested name belongs to a category of names available for allocation.
• c. The intended use is legal under Swiss law. Be aware that if the domain name is used to provide products or services or to advertise them, a seat and an effective place of administration are required.
• d. The name applied for can legitimately be considered as objectively linked to the applicant or the intended use of the domain name. This occurs in particular if the domain name satisfies one of the following conditions:
• it contains a name for which the applicant holds a trademark right;
• it refers to a name objectively linked to the State or its activities that is required by the respective public body or the public law organization concerned;
• it contains a geographical designation, or a clear variation or abbreviation of a name, to which the applicant has a legitimate right or interest, to which it has a legitimate right or interest in the public mind, or it is authorized to use by the public body or bodies or other organizations concerned;
• it reflects a name in which the applicant has a legitimate interest or which is associated with the applicant in the public mind; and
• e. The requested name is not a “Designation with a Generic Character”, without prejudice to be eligible under the Registry’s naming mandate program as set forth in Section 6 of this Registration Policy. Names that are designated with a Generic Character will be premium priced for both registration and renewal.

Allocation Process

Publication Period - Once Your .swiss domain name application is submitted, the Registry will examine it and, unless the name is unavailable or the application manifestly does not meet the Syntax Rules and the General Eligibility Requirements set forth in Section 3 of the Registration Policy, it will publish it for twenty (20) days (“Publication Period” of the application). During this twenty (20) day Publication Period other applicants may submit a registration application for this same domain name. Registration fees are non-refundable if published.

More information, including Contention Resolution and requirements for the use of a .swiss domain name can be found in the Registration Policy and Launch Policy.

Some domain names may be permanently or temporarily reserved or restricted for registry operations, as premium domain names or to comply with ICANN requirements.

To comply with ICANN requirements, all two-character domains shall be initially reserved, however may be released in the future. In addition reserved names for a) International Olympic Committee, b) International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and c) Intergovernmental Organizations, for new gTLDs., are not available in accordance with ICANN. The list of these names can be found here.

Use by the Swiss community