Swiss commercial register search (free UID lookup)
Search a Swiss company by legal name or UID number and instantly see its registered seat, legal form and status in the commercial register. Data comes from Zefix, the official central business name index.
What this lookup shows
The UID number uniquely identifies every Swiss company and is the fastest way to check that a business contact really exists.
Each result shows the registered legal name, seat (municipality/canton), legal form and registration status, with a link to the official cantonal excerpt.
The lookup is free and needs no account: it is meant for checking one company at a time.
How to read a Swiss commercial register excerpt
1. Legal name and legal form
The registered legal name is the binding one: use it in contracts and invoices, even when the company trades under a brand. The legal form (AG/SA, GmbH/Sàrl, sole proprietorship, association) shows who is liable for debts.
2. UID number
Format CHE-123.456.789. It links the commercial register, VAT and social insurance records. If a supplier will not give it, or it does not match the name, verify before proceeding.
3. Registered seat
The seat municipality determines the competent canton and place of jurisdiction. It does not always match the operating address listed on local.ch or Google Maps.
4. Registration status
"Active" or "deleted": a company in liquidation stays registered with a specific note. Check the status before granting payment terms.
5. Cantonal excerpt
The link next to each result opens the excerpt from the seat canton, with officers, signing rights, capital and the history of mutations.
Frequently asked questions
- Where does the data come from?
- From Zefix, the central business name index of the Swiss Federal Commercial Registry Office, queried in real time.
- What is the UID number?
- The unique Swiss business identification number in the format CHE-123.456.789, also used for VAT and dealings with authorities.
- Can I download a list of companies?
- This page checks one company at a time. For full company lists by industry, canton or radius — including phone and email — use the Swiss Lead Pro lead search.
- How do I check whether a company is still active?
- The registration status tells you: "active" means registered and trading, "deleted" means struck from the register. A deleted company can no longer enter into obligations — check the status and the last mutation in the cantonal excerpt before signing or invoicing.
- What is the difference between Zefix and an official excerpt?
- Zefix is the central index and shows the key data free and in real time. The cantonal register excerpt is the evidential document with officers, signing rights and mutations; you order it from the canton of the registered seat, plain or certified.
- Is the UID the same as the VAT number?
- It is the same number with a suffix: CHE-123.456.789 is the UID, while CHE-123.456.789 MWST/VAT means the company is entered in the VAT register. A company can hold a UID without being VAT liable.
- Can I search by partial name?
- Yes, from three characters: the search returns legal names containing the text you typed. For common names, add a distinctive word or search directly by UID.
Need a list instead of a single company?
Swiss Lead Pro finds companies by industry, canton or radius on local.ch, search.ch and Google Maps, adds phone, website and email, validates against Zefix and exports to CSV.
Source: Zefix — Swiss commercial register. Public data, no guarantee of accuracy.