Entry in the commercial register in Switzerland

The commercial register (Handelsregister) is Switzerland's public company record, kept by cantonal register offices under federal supervision. For capital companies the entry is constitutive: your GmbH or AG becomes a legal person at the moment of registration, not at the notary appointment. The register's data is open to everyone — free of charge through Zefix, the federal central business name index — which makes it both a compliance obligation and a practical research tool for checking counterparties, competitors and name availability.

How the register is organised

Switzerland runs one commercial register system with 26 cantonal register offices doing the operational work and the Federal Office of the Commercial Register (EHRA) supervising them. Every registered entity receives a UID number in the format CHE-123.456.789, which follows the company through VAT, customs and social insurance registrations. Entries and all subsequent changes are published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SOGC/SHAB), and third parties are deemed to know the register's content once published — the register's protective effect cuts both ways.

Zefix in practice

Zefix (zefix.ch) is the free federal search portal covering every registered company in Switzerland, and it answers most everyday questions in seconds — the full walkthrough with extract types and apostilles is in the Swiss company registry guide. What you can do with it, as of July 2026:

• Search by name or UID — partial names work; results show legal form, seat, status (active, in liquidation, deleted) and the cantonal register excerpt.
• Check name availability before founding: your intended company name must be clearly distinguishable from every name already registered in Switzerland. A Zefix search is the first filter; the register office decides conclusively.
• Pull the register data for any counterparty: signatories, capital, purpose and SOGC publication history — the fastest due-diligence check available.
• Use the API or mobile app: Zefix offers a public REST API, which is why register data appears in accounting tools and KYC systems.

The free Zefix view is an uncertified excerpt. Where a bank, court or foreign authority demands a certified extract, you order it from the cantonal register office for a small fee (around CHF 40, varying by canton).

What is public — and what is not

This split explains a classic legal-form decision: GmbH ownership is transparent to the public, AG ownership is not — one of the points compared in our guide on choosing between GmbH and AG.

Who must register

Registration duties depend on the legal form. Capital companies (GmbH, AG), cooperatives and foundations exist only through registration. Sole proprietorships must register once annual revenue reaches CHF 100,000; voluntary earlier registration is common because banks and suppliers read it as a signal of seriousness. General and limited partnerships register when they run a commercial business. Branch offices — Swiss and foreign — require their own entry at their location. Associations register only if they run a commercial enterprise or exceed audit thresholds.

Registration step by step

1. Prepare the file

   Articles of association, the notarised deed of incorporation, confirmation of the capital deposit from the bank, acceptance declarations of directors and auditors (or the opting-out declaration), and the Stampa and Lex-Friedrich declarations where applicable.

2. Confirm the registered office

   The application names the legal domicile; if the company sits at a third party's address (c/o), the domicile holder's consent is filed. A stable address solution such as a registered business address avoids later mutation fees.

3. File with the cantonal register office

   The signed application with enclosures goes to the office of the canton where the company has its seat — electronically or on paper. The office examines form and content.

4. Entry and SOGC publication

   Once approved, the entry takes legal effect and appears in the SOGC within days. The company receives its UID; banks then release the blocked capital to the operating account.

For a full formation timeline including notary and bank steps, see our Swiss company formation service page.

Official fees (as of July 2026)

Register fees were cut substantially in 2021 and are set by a uniform federal schedule; cantons may add only minor charges for extracts and certifications.

Budget separately for the notary (typically CHF 500–2,000 for a standard formation deed) and any advisory work. The register fee itself is the smallest item in a formation budget.

Duties after registration

Registration is the start of an ongoing relationship with the register, not the end of one. Every change to registered facts — address, purpose, capital, directors, signatories, auditors — must be filed without delay; acting through an unregistered managing director or from an unregistered address creates real legal risk, because third parties may rely on the published state. Alongside the register, a new company registers for VAT once turnover requires it (see our guide on how Swiss VAT works) and, as soon as it pays salaries, with the compensation office and an accident insurer — the employer duties are summarised in our social security guide. Bookkeeping obligations apply from day one regardless of size.

Practical takeaway: treat the register as your company's public CV. Keep it accurate, use Zefix before signing with any new counterparty, and file changes the week they happen — mutation fees are trivial, stale entries are not.