The Swiss Federal Office for Communication, known by its German acronym BAKOM (Bundesamt für Kommunikation), launched a campaign in 2015 to draw the attention of Swiss companies and organizations to the new .swiss top-level domain . After a preliminary phase of three months, reserved mainly for institutions governed by public law, such as cities or communities, as well as companies, associations and foundations registered with the chamber of commerce, on January 11, 2016 the .swiss nominal space is released , allowing public registration . In this way, non-registered associations and foundations also have the opportunity to apply. Is .swiss then in competition with the geographical domain.ch used so far? What makes the new .swiss domain so special ?
Learn about the origin of the new .swiss domain
Since 2013, ICANN has been coordinating the allocation of new generic top-level domains or gTLDs . After a long and exhaustive preparatory phase, these new terminations, which were intended to promote competition and diversity in the Internet address system, were gradually transferred to registrars, such as BAKOM, and released. In addition to .swiss , thematic endings such as .hotel or .restaurant or geographical endings such as .madrid or .barcelona also belong to the group of generic top-level domains .
In 2015, ICANN released the .swiss domain , kicking off the aforementioned dissemination campaign. At the end of the introductory phase, 6,628 domain names had already been awarded, including 58% for public limited companies (AG) and 15% for limited companies (GmbH). After the official start, these were followed by more than 10,000 more applications and registrations.
If there is no competition dispute or any other kind of limitation that affects the registration of the requested address, the adjudication takes place within a period of twenty days.
What makes the new Swiss domain so special
The new ending is not intended to replace the well-known geographic ending .ch for Switzerland. This ending, with around two million registrations, is among the most used geographical endings in relation to the number of inhabitants , which is the reason for the scarcity of options when it comes to registering new addresses ending in .ch that are attractive. The new TLD .swiss opens up a range of possibilities for organizations and companies that want to link their website with an address that, while emphasizing its own characteristics, also indicates belonging to Switzerland. This not only promises a strengthening of the brandwithin the borders, but also abroad, also taking into account that the good reputation of the country at a global level also plays a decisive role.
To guarantee the quality of new generic TLDs in the long term, BAKOM relies on three basic pillars when awarding the new termination:
- Exclusivity : registering a .swiss address presupposes a well-founded link with the republic of the Alps in the form of a company located in the country, either at its headquarters or at one of its administrative offices. At the same time, any business activity must be registered with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce , which is not required for foundations and associations. This exclusive circle is completed by public law institutions, both at the state and regional levels. Natural persons are excluded from the registry.
- Prioritization of public institutions and owners of brand rights : in the preliminary phase, public bodies and owners of name or brand rights already received privileged treatment. BAKOM, as the adjudicating body of the domain after its release, maintains this condition and offers the option of accepting claims also during the 20-day period in which the request for the domain is examined. In the future, the registration of addresses that are not related to the applicant will not be possible.
- Special regulation for generic names : Generic domain names such as schokolade.swiss or sport.swiss are under special protection, i.e. they can only be used for general use and must represent the entire group concerned or its closest members. reputed. These generic addresses are awarded by court order. For a list with examples in English, as well as information on requesting an award mandate, click here .
So you can register a .swiss address
If your association or company meets the requirements to obtain a .swiss domain , there is nothing that prevents you from registering it. You just have to request it from one of the various registrars authorized by BAKOM. The price varies depending on the provider, but it ranges from 110 to 190 Swiss francs per year, which makes this domain one of the most expensive. This is, without a doubt, one of the aspects that contribute to its exclusivity and its level of quality . A list of BAKOM-accredited registrars and vendors offering a .swiss domain can be found on its official dot.swiss website .