In spring 2024, there will be an exciting change in Switzerland when it comes to domains: from 24 April 2024, all natural persons residing in Switzerland will be able to purchase a .swiss domain. Of course, this is not only interesting for us at FireStorm as a web host and Domain registrar, , but also for you as a current or future FireStorm customer who is looking for the a perfect domain. In this short article, we will therefore not only explain what a .swiss domain is, but also what this change means and what advantages a .swiss domain offers. – Accordingly, we hope you enjoy reading this article!

At FireStorm you will soon be able to register .swiss domains in addition to the classic .ch domains or .com domains. You can find out everything you need to know about this change to .swiss domains in this article.

What is the current status of the .swiss domain and what does the change mean?

The “.swiss” top-level domain has been in existence since 11 January 2016. Since then, any legal entity that can prove a clear connection to Switzerland has been able to apply for it. “Legal entities” are generally companies and institutions, but not “normal” Swiss nationals, residents of Switzerland or sole proprietorships without an entry in the commercial register. These fall under the designation of “natural persons”.

However, this will change from 24 April 2024: from this date (at 14:00 CEST), all natural persons residing in Switzerland or Swiss nationals can also apply for such a domain ending in “.swiss”. This was decided by the Federal Council in the revision of the Ordinance on Internet Domains (OID) adopted on 2 June 2023.

As part of this decision, the Federal Office of Communications, or OFCOM for short, which has also decided on the allocation of .swiss domains since 2016, was tasked with preparing this opening. This was announced by the Swiss Federal Council in its press release of 28 June 2023.

Legal entities in Switzerland have been able to register a .swiss domain since 2016 – this will also be possible for natural persons from the end of April 2024 if they fulfil the conditions for the .swiss domain.

What are the terms and conditions for .swiss domains?

We already mentioned the first requirement for the .swiss domain in the last section: This is because the applicant, as a natural person, must have a residence in Switzerland or be a Swiss citizen. The following Registration requirements for a .swiss domain: “Natural persons can only register domain names ending in . swiss that contain at least one of the following designations: their own official surname or another surname registered with the civil registry office, first name, alliance name, joint name in the case of a registered partnership, the name acquired in connection with a religious order, the artist’s name under which they have become known, or a reference to which they have a claim under trademark law (e.g. a registered trademark). These mandatory elements can be combined with freely selectable designations.”

In addition, domain names with a generic character may not be assigned to natural persons. Examples include “Barbieri”, “Merchand” or “Metzger”. These names may only be assigned if they are supplemented by a further designation, such as a first name, a hobby or an imaginary term. Furthermore, Swiss nationals domiciled abroad may only use .swiss domains for private or charitable purposes and for the purposes of associations. Commercial activities from abroad are therefore prohibited for natural persons. Last but not least, the registration application for the .swiss domain must always include the applicant’s AHV number and address.

You can find more detailed information about the registration requirements and the registration process for .swiss domains here.

Although there are some conditions attached to the registration of a .swiss domain, a .swiss domain also offers some advantages, which we have briefly described below.

What are the advantages of a .swiss domain?

The allocation of a .swiss domain offers a number of advantages for the Swiss community. By using a .swiss domain, individuals residing in Switzerland or Swiss nationals can strengthen their national identity online and emphasise their connection to Switzerland. These .swiss domains serve as a trustworthy and authentic identifier for Swiss companies and organisations, and in the future also for individuals, as they are exclusively allocated to authorised persons. In addition, the use of a .swiss domain enables a clear positioning on the international market and offers an excellent opportunity to present Swiss values, products and services.

Where can I register a .swiss domain?

If you want to register a .swiss domain now as a legal entity or from 24 April 2024 as a natural person, FireStorm is the right place for you. As a registrar, we offer the most secure domain registration for our customers. Accordingly, at FireStorm you benefit not only from fair prices and a large selection of domains, but also from maximum security (more on this in the news article on DNSSEC). – So click in and register your domain with FireStorm now!