Guide
Who Can Register a .swiss Domain — The Requirements in Brief
The .swiss top-level domain (TLD) is reserved for the Swiss community and managed by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). Unlike most domains, it cannot simply be bought by anyone — applicants must meet defined eligibility conditions. The essentials are set out below.
Who is eligible
A .swiss TLD can be allocated to:
- Swiss public-law bodies (Confederation, cantons, communes) and organizations governed by public law;
- entities entered in the Swiss commercial register with both their seat and a physical administrative seat in Switzerland;
- associations and foundations with their seat and administrative seat in Switzerland, even without a commercial-register entry; and
- natural persons resident in Switzerland or holding Swiss nationality.
Branches of foreign companies are not eligible. Swiss nationals living abroad may use a .swiss name only for private, charitable or association purposes, not for commercial activity from abroad.
A genuine connection to the name is required
The applicant must have an objective link to the requested name. For organisations, this is typically established through a trademark, a company name, or another distinctive-sign or geographic right. For individuals, the name must contain their own surname, first name, artist name, or a sign they are entitled to (such as a registered trademark); purely generic terms are not allocated to individuals on their own.
For further information, please consult the nic.swiss registration requirements.
Related resources
Swiss domain availability checker
Check .swiss and .ch availability together with trademark and company-name risk.
Why trademark protection matters
A registered trademark often supports the name connection required for .swiss.
.brand TLDs explained
How closed brand TLDs differ from .swiss and open gTLDs.