.CH domain registration for Switzerland

What is a .ch domain?

.ch is the country code domain of Switzerland. It is managed by Switch, the Swiss registry, on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). A .ch address tells visitors and search engines that your website is meant for Switzerland, whether your customers speak German, French, Italian or Romansh.

Why is Switzerland .ch?

The letters come from Confoederatio Helvetica, the Latin name of the Swiss Confederation. Latin is neutral between the country's four national languages, so the same abbreviation is used for the .ch domain, Swiss car plates and the CHF currency code.

Who can register a .ch domain?

Anyone. Switch states that you can register a .ch domain without being Swiss, without living in Switzerland and without having a business there. You only need correct registrant details.

How to buy and register a .ch domain

1. Check that the name is free with the search form on this page.
2. Add it to the cart and fill in the registrant's details (a person or a company).
3. Pay online; the domain is registered automatically and you receive a confirmation e-mail.
4. Manage DNS, contacts and renewal from your client area.

.ch domain registration requirements

• Name: 3 to 63 characters: letters, digits and hyphens.
• Accented letters: names with umlauts and accents, such as ä, ö, ü, é or è, are accepted.
• Contact details: the registrant's name or company name, postal address, e-mail address and phone number, kept correct and up to date.
• Period: 1 or 2 years at a time at IPHOST.

Transferring a .ch domain to IPHOST

If your .ch domain is registered elsewhere, ask your current registrar for the transfer code (Auth-Code) and place a transfer order on our domain transfer page. Keep the same DNS settings during the transfer and your website and e-mail keep working.

What happens when a .ch domain is deleted?

Renew it before the expiry date from your client area; we send renewal reminders by e-mail. Once a .ch domain is deleted, it enters a 40-day transition period during which it cannot be registered again; after that, anyone can register it.

Is a .ch domain good for trust and SEO?

For a website aimed at Switzerland, yes. Swiss visitors recognise .ch as a local address, and a country code domain is one of the clearest signals Google uses to show a site to users in that country. Note that Switzerland is not in the EU, so a .ch site is not a substitute for .eu if you target the European Union.

Why register your .ch domain with IPHOST

• Registration runs automatically as soon as the order is paid.
• A clear price for both registration and renewal, shown before you pay.
• DNS management included free of charge, even if your hosting is elsewhere.
• One client area for domains, hosting, VPS and SSL certificates.
• Support in English, Romanian and Russian.

Your .ch domain works with any hosting. If you need a place for your website, see our web hosting plans. After registration, read how to connect a domain to hosting.

Terms and conditions

• Domains are registered for a minimum period of 1 year and cannot be cancelled after registration.
• .ch domains can be registered and renewed for 1 or 2 years at a time.
• After a .ch domain is deleted, it enters a 40-day transition period at Switch during which it cannot be registered again.
• Spelling mistakes in a domain name cannot be corrected. Once a domain name has been registered or renewed, the fees paid for it are not refunded.
• The customer is responsible for all data related to the registered domain name, including keeping the contact details current, complete and correct for the whole registration period. Only the data provided by the customer is considered valid; the provider is not required to act on anything other than the data given by the customer, nor to check its accuracy.