The .swiss domain to be available to private individuals

From 24 April 2024, private individuals will be able to acquire a .swiss domain name provided that they are Swiss nationals or live in Switzerland. .swiss internet addresses will then be available to the entire Swiss community.  

Logo .swiss

Until now, .swiss domain names have been reserved for public or private companies and organisations. This restriction will now be lifted. From 24 April 2024, sole proprietorships not entered in the commercial register, such as architects or trade workers, as well as private individuals, will be able to apply to register a .swiss domain name. 


To obtain such a domain name, applicants must contact an accredited registrar or reseller and meet certain conditions. First, the name being applied for should in principle contain one or more surnames or other names registered in the civil register. In addition, Swiss nationals living abroad will only be able to use their domain names for private, non-profit or charitable purposes. 


As manager of the register, OFCOM will be launching an information and marketing campaign to raise awareness of the .swiss domain among new target groups. It will be produced by Lausanne-based agency Trio, which was selected following a call for tenders. The cost of the campaign is capped at around CHF 210,000.


When the .swiss domain name was launched in 2016, it was reserved for allocation to registered companies with headquarters and an actual site of administration in Switzerland, public authorities and other organisations under public law, as well as Swiss associations and foundations. On 2 June 2023, the Federal Council decided to open the .swiss domain to Swiss nationals and residents of Switzerland, as well as to sole proprietorships not entered in the commercial register. To that end, it adopted a revision of the Ordinance on Internet Domains (OID), which came into force on 1 January 2024. 


Interested parties will find a wealth of information about the .swiss domain, in particular on the conditions and registration procedure, on the websites 

Specialist staff
Last modification 06.03.2024

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