Swiss company registry — search Zefix and order extracts

Switzerland has no single national companies house: the commercial register is kept by the cantons, and the confederation runs Zefix, the Central Business Name Index that makes all of them searchable in one place — free, in English, and without registration. For most purposes — checking a supplier, verifying a counterparty's signatories, confirming a company exists before wiring money — the free Zefix lookup and PDF extract are all you need. A certified extract (CHF 50, as of July 2026) from the cantonal registry office becomes necessary only when a bank, court or foreign authority insists on a stamped document.

How to search the Swiss company registry

1. Open zefix.ch

   The federal index covers every legal entity in all 26 cantonal registers. Switch the interface to English in the header.

2. Search by name or UID

   Type the company name or its CHE number. For common names, filter by canton or legal form; include deleted entities if you are researching a company's history.

3. Read the entry

   The result shows legal name, UID, legal form, registered seat, status and all SOGC publications — every capital change, relocation and board mutation.

4. Download the extract

   The link to the cantonal register opens the current extract as a PDF, marked «without guarantee» but content-identical to the certified version.

What each field means — and how an entry is created in the first place — is covered in the guide to the commercial register entry in Switzerland.

What the registry shows — and what it hides

This split matters in due diligence: the registry proves who represents a company, never how solvent it is. Before taking over a company — for example a shelf company — the chronological extract, debt-enforcement extract and tax clearance certificates belong together in one file. Foreign companies operating in Switzerland appear in the registry through their branch office at the place of business.

Certified extracts and apostilles for use abroad

Certified extracts are issued exclusively by the registry office of the company's seat — over the counter immediately, or by post within one to three working days. For use outside Switzerland, most authorities additionally require an apostille from the state chancellery of the issuing canton (CHF 20–40, two to five working days, as of July 2026). Commercial data platforms such as Moneyhouse repackage the same registry data with paid extras; for anything official, order from the cantonal office — foreign recipients regularly reject third-party printouts.

When the registry lookup is not enough

• You need ownership of an AG. The register will not tell you — request the share register and beneficial-owner documentation from the seller or counterparty directly.
• You are assessing solvency. Order the debt enforcement register extract for the company's seat and ask for financial statements; the commercial register carries neither.
• The company claims a pending registration. New entries exist legally only once published; check the SOGC publication date in Zefix rather than accepting a notary confirmation at face value.
• You need the data in machine-readable form. Zefix offers a public REST API and open data sets — useful for KYC automation, but the legally authoritative version remains the cantonal extract.

If you are verifying a Swiss company before a purchase or partnership and want a second pair of eyes on the full dossier, describe the case through the contact form — initial assessment within one working day.