Buying a .ch domain with a municipality name: what is reserved?

Write down the complete label before .ch

First record the exact label you want to order. Is it the unmodified name of a municipality, an official locality, or a compound business name with a geographic reference? Those are different questions. OFCOM’s technical rules address canton, municipality and locality names using official directories. A geographic connection in your business identity does not by itself determine which rule applies to your exact string. Check the extension as well: do not copy rules for .swiss or a regional extension onto .ch. Keep your intended spelling separate from the official name and the source where you found it.

Compare the official spelling and its reserved variants

The technical spelling is not always a simple copy of a place name. Section 4.1 of OFCOM’s rules addresses matters including parenthetical additions, spaces, umlauts and accents. Its official example renders Wil (SG) as wil-sg. This is a spelling example from the rules, not a checked availability result or a recommendation to buy wil-sg.ch. The resulting list also includes forms retaining umlauts and accents. Do not assume that a hyphen or a spelling with ue bypasses a reservation. Record unclear variants for review instead of paying for them on speculation.

A reservation is a separate issue from an existing registration

Already registered and reserved for a particular category are not the same status. Neither a price display nor a missing website establishes your eligibility for allocation. Switch’s terms explicitly list reserved names as a possible reason to reject registration where the relevant category conditions are not met. Before ordering, clarify which conditions and supporting documents apply to the exact name, and who can apply. Paying more does not replace that review. After a municipality or locality changes its name, check the current position again; an old list does not let you calculate your own release date.

Planning example: a local business is not the municipality

A bicycle repair shop is planning a website and wants only the name of its location before .ch. This fictional example contains no checked domain offer. The team first collects the exact proposed domain, official place name, actual intended holder and planned use. Before ordering, it asks through Contact for a review of the possible reservation and the appropriate procedure. In parallel it develops an alternative using its own business name. That alternative is checked separately for availability and possible naming conflicts; adding a word does not itself grant clearance. The business uses its real identity in the holder details rather than presenting itself as the municipality.

Treat an alternative as an ordinary purchase only after checking it

For an ordinary eligible and available new .ch domain, chname.ch currently charges CHF 9.99 for the first year and CHF 12.99 per annual renewal. EUR remains selectable with the same numeric prices. These standard prices do not promise allocation, release or special handling of a reserved geographic name. For a special case, clarify the procedure, any costs and the completion evidence first. Do not use the transfer form as a substitute for an unresolved new allocation: moving registrars and checking eligibility are different processes. Wait for confirmed registration of the name you actually choose before printing materials or launching publicly.

A useful question

Is being based in the municipality enough?

Do not treat that as confirmed eligibility. Clarify the conditions for the exact reserved name and use your real holder details.

Can ue or a hyphen bypass the reservation?

Do not assume so. The official rules include transcribed forms and further spelling variants. Check the complete label you intend to use.

Is a name with an added business name automatically allowed?

It is a different complete label requiring its own availability and third-party-rights checks. The extra word alone does not provide clearance.