Identity verification after buying a .ch domain: how do you respond?

Start outside the incoming message

Open your domain provider’s known website yourself, or type nic.ch if the message appears to come from the registry. Find contact details there. Ask whether a request with that reference really exists and which channel is intended for evidence. A correct domain, professional logo or familiar display name does not authenticate a message. Swiss police describe phishing using copied registrar websites to collect account and card details. Avoid signing in through a suspicious link. An identity check is also no reason to give the sender your password, sign-in link or transfer authorisation code.

Use the deadline for this particular request

Do not assume every .ch check gives you thirty days. Switch describes separate procedures: a request from a competent Swiss authority can require a holder without a valid Swiss correspondence address to provide one and identify themselves within thirty days. Its security process following misuse has different steps and deadlines. Record the verified deadline and ask which procedure applies if it is unclear. Waiting for a support reply does not confirm that your deadline has been extended.

Create a small case record, not a collection of passwords

Make a private record with five fields: exact domain, request reference, independently confirmed contact, deadline and required action. Then record who should be the registered holder: you as an individual or the company. Ask which documents are needed for that holder and how to provide them. Do not assume one document list applies to everyone. Supply the confirmed required material; first ask whether redaction or a purpose watermark on a copy is accepted. Keep sensitive files out of a widely shared domain spreadsheet. A payment receipt and proof of identity answer different questions.

Example: the agency receives the message, but the company is the holder

Suppose a design agency prepared a registration for a company and forwards a verification email. This is a worked scenario, not a customer account. The company should first confirm the exact domain and reference through its known contact point. Assign one authorised employee to respond, and have the agency gather only the necessary technical information. If the registered holder differs from the intended holder, discuss correction with the provider instead of submitting whichever passport is easiest to obtain. Track acknowledgement of the documents and completion of the check as two separate milestones.

Prepare your contact route before buying a .ch domain

Switch requires registration data to remain complete, accurate and current; report changes through your registrar. For a new purchase, use a contact mailbox that already works, even if you intend to use email on the new domain later. Assign someone to check that inbox and spam folder during launch. Before paying, compare the legal holder name and address with your own records. The current standard chname.ch price is €9.99 for a new .ch domain and €12.99 for annual renewal. Payment does not replace a possible data check. Use the .ch page to search for your name and read the related guides on registering from abroad and choosing the holder below to prepare the correct details.

A useful question

Is every request for an identity document phishing?

No. Verification can be required. Confirm the request independently before providing sensitive documents; a logo or sender name alone is insufficient.

Do I always have thirty days to respond?

Use the deadline in the authenticated request. The thirty-day authority-request procedure is not a universal deadline for every .ch check.

Does my domain invoice prove who the holder is?

Do not assume so. Confirm the evidence required for the recorded individual or company. An invoice may answer only a payment question.