About TLD .swiss

Country: Switzerland

Region: Europe

Type: Generic

Status: Taking registrations for GA

Eligibility Requirements

To register and renew a .swiss domain name the registrant must fulfill all the following requirements:

1. Must be a legal entity (i.e. not an individual) with sufficient link to Switzerland. This includes: A public body or another public organization under Swiss public law; a legal entity registered in the Swiss Commercial Register having its seat in Switzerland and an effective site of administration in Switzerland; or an association or foundation not registered in the Swiss Commercial Register having its seat and an effective site of administration in Switzerland.
2. At the time of the application, the requested name belongs to a category of names available for allocation.
3. The intended use is legal under Swiss law. Be aware that if the domain name is used to provide products or services or to advertise them, a seat and an effective place of administration are required.
4. The name applied for can legitimately be considered as objectively linked to the applicant or the intended use of the domain name. This occurs in particular if the domain name satisfies one of the following conditions: it contains a name for which the applicant holds a trademark right; it refers to a name objectively linked to the State or its activities that is required by the respective public body or the public law organization concerned; it contains a geographical designation, or a clear variation or abbreviation of a name, to which the applicant has a legitimate right or interest, to which it has a legitimate right or interest in the public mind, or it is authorized to use by the public body or b odies or other organizations concerned; it reflects a name in which the applicant has a legitimate interest or which is ass ociated with the applicant in the public mind; and The requested name is not a “Designation with a Generic Character”, without prejudice to be eligible under the Registry’s naming mandate program.
5. See additional eligibility restrictions in the General Remarks section.
6. Natural persons domiciled in Switzerland and Swiss nationals will be able to apply for the registration of a .swiss domain name.

General remarks

Specific Eligibility Requirements for Certain Designations

Specific Eligibility Requirements for certain designations or categories of designations The following designations or categories of designations (in the swiss national languages and in English) may only be allocated as domain names to following persons:

1. Designations of (i) federal institutions and units of the federal administration, (ii) names of federal councillors and of chancellors of the Confederation, (iii) designations of official buildings and other designations associated with the State, which appear in the central list of designations deemed worthy of protection as domain names may only be registered in favor of the swiss public authority with competences over them.
2. Names of the Swiss cantons and political municipalities and, subject to ICANN’s approval, abbreviations consisting of two characters which designate Swiss cantons may only be registered in favor of Swiss public authority with competences over them. In the absence of agreement, homonymous canton and municipality designations are assigned to the political municipality concerned.
3. Names and abbreviations of the international organizations protected by Swiss legislation may only be registered in favor of those organizations.

Naming Mandates

Any candidate for a domain which is to be allocated under a naming mandate must:

1. demonstrate that it complies with the Syntax Rules and General Eligibility Requirements (except that of the name not being generic);
2. demonstrate that it represents all or an important part of the community concerned with the requested designation or that its candidature benefits from the support of all or an important part of this community;
3. indicate the possible related domain names in German, French, Italian or English which it wishes to integrate into the naming mandate;
4. demonstrate that the envisaged use of the domain name and the performances or services offered in connection with this name benefit the whole of the community concerned;
5. demonstrate the manner in which it will ensure that the requirements provided for under heading 2 of the Swiss Trademark Protection Act of 28 August 1992 (TmPA, CC 232.11) are complied with by all the products offered using a domain name the designation of which refers to a product, to its characteristics or to a category of products;
6. demonstrate the extent to which its project provides added value for the community concerned and for the Swiss community;
7. demonstrate that it meets the conditions prescribed by the Registry according to the qualities expected of the domain name or of the desired project;