Domain extension .ch
Buy a .ch domain: price, renewal and rules
.ch is the extension customers in Switzerland expect most. Here you will find who may hold a .ch domain, what it costs over several years and how renewal and transfer work.
- Registration
- CHF 6.90
- in the first year · incl. VAT
- Renewal
- CHF 14.90
- per year · incl. VAT
- Transfer
- free of charge
Is your .ch domain still available?
Who may register a .ch domain?
Any natural or legal person anywhere in the world. According to the registry SWITCH, you need neither Swiss citizenship nor a residence or registered office in Switzerland. This applies to private individuals, sole proprietorships, GmbHs and AGs as well as associations and foundations. It also means that a .ch address alone does not prove there is a Swiss company behind it. For your customers, a complete legal notice on the website matters as well.
A few rules still apply. Names of municipalities can only be registered by the municipality concerned. SWITCH does not check whether a name infringes third-party trademark or name rights; you must clarify that yourself before ordering. And if a Swiss authority requests it, a holder without an address in Switzerland must provide a valid Swiss correspondence address. Keep your contact details complete and up to date: if they are wrong and the holder cannot be reached, the domain can be revoked.
Length, characters and umlauts
The name before .ch must be at least 3 and at most 63 characters long. Letters, digits and hyphens are allowed. Umlauts and accents are possible too, for example müller-treuhand.ch or café-zürich.ch. Such names are called IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) and are translated into a technical spelling in the background.
If you register a domain with an umlaut, it is usually worth securing the variant without it (mueller-treuhand.ch) and forwarding it. For e-mail addresses, the spelling without umlauts is the safe choice, because not every e-mail program handles umlauts in the address reliably.
Costs over several years
SWITCH does not sell domains to end customers; each registrar sets its own price. At HostOn, a .ch domain costs CHF 6.90 for the first year and CHF 14.90 per year after that. Over three years, that is CHF 6.90 plus twice CHF 14.90. Always compare offers this way: a low introductory price says little if the renewal is much more expensive. DNS management, web and e-mail forwarding and DNSSEC are included at HostOn.
Renewal, expiry and grace period
A .ch domain is renewed every year. HostOn reminds you by e-mail before it expires; with automatic renewal, it happens without any action on your part. If a .ch domain is not renewed and is deleted, it stays in a 40-day grace period. During this time nobody can register it again, and only the previous holder can have it restored through the registrar. After that, the name is free for anyone.
Transfer to HostOn
To switch, you need the auth code (transfer code) from your current provider. Every registrar is obliged to allow a transfer at any time. Transferring a .ch domain to HostOn is free, because no additional term is purchased: the expiry date stays the same. When new name servers are entered, SWITCH adds them to the zone within one hour at the latest. Until all networks see the new entries, it can take a few hours depending on caching.
What does Whois show?
Since 2021, the name and address of .ch domain holders are no longer shown publicly. The registrar, status and name servers remain visible. You can therefore always check which provider manages a domain without your address being published online.
Alternatives to .ch
- .li: same registry and practically the same rules, ideal as an addition or if you do business in Liechtenstein.
- .swiss: reserved for the Swiss community; every application is reviewed.
- .com: for international customers or as extra protection for your name.
- .gmbh or .ag: show the legal form directly in the address.
- .zuerich: for companies entered in the commercial register of the canton of Zurich.
Who is .ch a good fit for?
For practically everyone whose audience is in Switzerland: SMEs, freelancers, associations, medical practices, trades businesses and private projects. Foreign companies selling in Switzerland also often choose .ch because the extension feels familiar and is short. If you also operate internationally, you will usually add .com and forward one of the two addresses to the other.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about this service.
No. Any person or company worldwide may hold a .ch domain. If a Swiss authority requests it, however, a holder without a Swiss address must provide a correspondence address in Switzerland.
Yes. You can register the domain without name servers or with a forwarding and add hosting or e-mail later. Many people secure their name this way before the website is ready.
No. With .ch, a transfer only changes the registrar; the term stays the same. That is why the transfer is free at HostOn.
The domain is deleted and stays in a 40-day grace period. During this time only you, as the previous holder, can have it restored through the registrar; after that it is free for anyone.
Yes, umlauts and accents are allowed, for example müller-treuhand.ch. Ideally, also secure the spelling without umlauts and use it for your e-mail addresses.
