Switzerland
How to use Kausate in Switzerland — what you can call, which identifiers it uses, and which documents you can order
New to the API? Start with the jurisdictions overview, which explains how ordering, identifiers and documents work everywhere.
Company data here comes directly from Handelsregister / Registre du commerce / Registro di commercio.
What you can call here
| Operation | Status |
|---|---|
| Autocomplete | Limited access |
| Company search | Live |
| Company report Includes: Registered details, Legal representatives and Shareholders. | Live |
| Shareholder graph | Live |
| List documents | Live |
| Retrieve a document | Live |
| Prefill | Live |
How to search
Use company search with jurisdictionCode: "ch". Pass a name as companyName or a registration number as companyNumber. companyNumber is read as ehraid.
Fields
An advancedQuery for Switzerland accepts these fields:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
name | Company name (Firma) to search for. |
uid | Swiss UID for direct lookup (e.g. CHE-104.030.420 or CHE104030420). |
ehraidinteger | EHRA ID for direct lookup (e.g. 1747803). |
chid | Swiss central index ID for direct lookup (e.g. CH02030571288). |
canton | Two-letter canton code (e.g. ZH, BE) used to scope the search to a single cantonal register. |
Examples
{ "jurisdictionCode": "ch", "advancedQuery": { "name": "Nestlé" }}Other accepted field combinations: uid, ehraid, chid and canton + name.
Company identifiers
A registration number sent as companyNumber is matched against the searchable schemes below; you do not name the scheme. All of them can appear in a company’s identifiers.
| Identifier | Type | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss UID Swiss Unique Identification Number (UID) in format CHExxxxxxxxx | ch_uid | ^CHE\d{9}$ |
| CH-ID | ch_chid | No fixed format |
| Commercial Register Reported Number | ch_commercial_register_reported_number | No fixed format |
Identifier notes
- Switzerland has three identifiers that are not interchangeable: the UID (CHE-XXX.XXX.XXX), the legal identifier printed on official documents; the EHRA ID (a plain number, e.g. 1747803), the internal federal register number; and the CHID (CH followed by 11 digits, e.g. CH02030571288), a separate central index ID. companyNumber accepts any of the three and looks the value up by its format.
Documents you can order
| Document | Order by | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss Cantonal Register Extract Internet-Auszug PDF from the cantonal commercial register, covering the company's current and historical entries and carrying the canton's header. A public extract, not certified by a notary. Covers all 26 cantons. | register_extractregister_extract_officialshareholders_list | Live |
| Swiss SOGC Publication Official Gazette of Commerce (SOGC/SHAB) publication document from Swiss commercial register | A document ID from the list operation | Live |
Order a document by its shortcut, for example register_extract. The other filings differ per company: call list documents first and order the ID it returns.
Local notes
Gotchas
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Private share registers | AG/SA companies can keep their share register private, so ordering the "shareholders_list" document fails and the ownership section of the company report or shareholder graph is empty. Ownership data is only available for GmbH/Sàrl companies. |
| SOGC publications are deltas | Each SOGC publication records one change (an appointment, resignation, or address update), not a full snapshot of officers. Use the aggregated company report or shareholder graph to see who currently holds a role. |
| 'No signing authority' is explicit | "No signing authority" means the person is validly registered but cannot sign for or bind the company alone. Missing data shows as an absent field. |
| Canton codes read as countries | Several canton abbreviations (e.g. FR, LU, NE, SH, SO, SZ, TG, GR, AR, AI, AG, BE) are also two-letter country codes, and the register resolves them as cantons. A director or shareholder domiciled abroad at "Paris (FR)" can therefore be recorded as Switzerland / canton Fribourg instead of France. This is rare; check the city name before using the country field for screening. |
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
SHAB / FOSC / FUSC | Switzerland's official gazette of commerce, which publishes company-change notices. One publication, cited as SHAB in German entries, FOSC in French and FUSC in Italian. |
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