Workflow checklist
- Identify the registry. www.zefix.ch
- Check access requirements. Account required: No. Local ID required: No.
- Plan budget. Price range: USD 0.00. Payment methods: Not published; confirm at source.
- Anticipate friction. Captcha / 2FA: Unknown. English UI: Partial.
- Plan turnaround. Expected: Unknown (Zefix needs JavaScript).
- Verify recency. Last verified: 4 Sept 2026. Confirm current pricing at the official registry before submitting.
TL;DR. Switzerland’s federal company index is Zefix at https://www.zefix.ch. The page returns only a JavaScript is required frame, and the same frame is served at
/en/search/entity/welcomeand/de/search/entity/welcome. Search fields, download times, Handelsregisterauszug fees of CHF 17 to 35, payment options and any public REST API could not be confirmed from it, so fees here read unknown rather than free; confirm at source.
What is the official Switzerland business registry?
Switzerland uses 26 cantonal Handelsregister plus a federal index Zefix (Zentraler Firmenindex) operated by the Federal Office of Justice under the Swiss Code of Obligations (SR 220).
https://www.zefix.ch is the published index. It renders only through JavaScript, so no name or UID search form can be confirmed from the page itself.
Related hosts:
- https://www.uid.admin.ch is online, and its search page also says Javascript required, so no UID lookup form can be confirmed.
- https://www.shab.ch is online as eSHAB and also renders only through JavaScript.
- https://hra.zh.ch redirects to https://www.zh.ch/de/wirtschaft-arbeit/handelsregister.html, the Handelsregister | Kanton Zurich page. It is a German cantonal hub covering register entries, ordering extracts and searching firms, not the federal index.
What can you search?
Not confirmed on Zefix. The page carries no search form without JavaScript. UID, company name, and SOGC/SHAB field lists appear in older accounts; confirm at source.
The Zurich cantonal hub names firm search and extract orders. The search itself is not covered here.
How much does it cost?
No fees are published on Zefix. Cantonal extract figures of CHF 17 and CHF 35 appear in older accounts; confirm at source.
Do you need a local account or ID?
Not published on Zefix. The UID search page shows a login control in its JavaScript-required frame; what that gates is not confirmed here.
Is the website in English?
The Zefix page carries its “JavaScript is required” message in English, German, French, and Italian. The language of company records is not confirmed here. The Zurich hub is in German.
What’s the turnaround time?
Unknown.
Is there an API?
No. No public REST API is published on Zefix.
What you legally cannot do
Zefix and cantonal Handelsregister data is public by design. There is no public Swiss beneficial ownership register: Switzerland’s internal beneficial-ownership duty is not a public Zefix field.
FATF member status is not covered here. Check fatf-gafi.org.
Practical tips for foreign users
- Zefix needs JavaScript before its search form appears.
- The UID in CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx format remains the cross-system identifier. The UID host also requires JavaScript.
- Zurich HTML at zh.ch is a cantonal hub, not a substitute federal index.
- Moneyhouse / Creditreform packaged reports are commercial layers, not the Handelsregisterauszug.
Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly
- Cantonal hubs, such as the Zurich page above, for how to order extracts.
- SHAB at shab.ch also renders only through JavaScript.
- Local suppliers below for packaged English reports.
Local data suppliers
- Moneyhouse (moneyhouse.ch)
- CRIF AG (crif.ch)
- Creditreform Schweiz (creditreform.ch)
- Teledata (teledata.ch), operated by CRIF AG
Moneyhouse pricing of CHF 79 a month appears in older accounts and is not published now; confirm at source.
FAQ
Can a foreign company search the Swiss commercial register without a local account?
Zefix is reachable but needs JavaScript, so a no-account search is not confirmed here. The UID and SHAB hosts also require JavaScript.
What is the UID number?
Nine-digit CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx identifier from the Federal Statistical Office. The UID host did not render a search form without JavaScript.
Does Switzerland have a public beneficial ownership register?
No public beneficial ownership register is published.
Is Switzerland on the FATF grey list?
Not covered here. Verify at fatf-gafi.org.
Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: zefix.ch, which renders only through JavaScript; uid.admin.ch, which also requires JavaScript; shab.ch; hra.zh.ch, which redirects to the Kanton Zurich Handelsregister page. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.