🇨🇭 .ch — Switzerland
The .ch is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) operated by Switch. This article documents the technical, operational, and contractual requirements for the TLD, along with special considerations for registry, registrar, and domain management.
General Information
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| TLD Type | ccTLD |
| Registry | Switch |
| Registry Country | Switzerland |
| Registry Website | www.switch.ch/de |
| Provisioning Protocol | EPP |
| Second-Level Registration | ✅ Yes |
| Accreditation Required | ✅ Yes |
Domain Lifecycle
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Registration Period | 1–10 years |
| Renewal Period | 1–10 years |
| Transfer Renewal Period | 1 year |
| Deletion Policy | Immediate, At expiration |
| Auto-Renew Enabled | ✅ Yes |
| Auto-Renewal Before Expiry | 7 days before expiration |
| Sync After Operations | registration, renewal, transfer |
Grace periods
| Period | Duration |
|---|---|
| Add Grace Period | 0 days |
| Standard Grace Period | 0 days |
| Redemption Period | 40 days |
| Pending Restore | 7 days |
| Pending Delete | 0 days |
Launch Phases & Availability
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| General Availability | ✅ TLD is live |
| TMCH / Trademark Claims | ❌ No |
Domain Characteristics
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Domain Length | 3–63 characters |
| IDN Support | ✅ Yes (1 tables) |
| Premium Domains | ❌ No |
| Reserved Domains | ❌ No |
| Registry Lock | ✅ Yes |
Contacts & Roles
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Required Contacts | Domain Owner |
| Supported Roles | Domain Owner, Technical Contact |
| Thick WHOIS | ✅ Yes |
| Privacy Proxy Allowed | ❌ No |
| Contacts Transferable | ❌ No |
| Allowed Postal Types | Local |
| AuthInfo Required | ✅ Yes (6–60 characters) |
Nameservers & DNS
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Nameserver Count | 0–13 |
| Host Objects Allowed | ✅ Yes |
| Registry Nameserver Check | ❌ No |
| DNSSEC Allowed | ✅ Yes |
| DNSSEC Required | ❌ No |
| DNSSEC Mode | DS |
| CZDS (Zone Download) | ❌ No |
Transfer Policy
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Transfer Lock Enabled | ❌ No |
| Transfer Duration | 0 days |
| Transfer Extends Domain | ❌ No |
| Transfer via AuthInfo | ✅ Yes |
| Confirmation Required | ❌ No |
WHOIS & RDAP
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| WHOIS Server | whois.nic.ch |
| RDAP Server | rdap.nic.ch |
Dispute Resolution
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Dispute Resolution Available | ✅ Yes |
| Procedure | Dispute Resolution Proceedings |
| Reference | www.nic.ch/terms/disputes/proceedings |
| UDRP Support | ❌ No |
| URS Support | ❌ No |
Implementation Notes
- Ensure complete TLS/SSL configuration for every registry environment.
- Enable DNSSEC wherever the registry supports it.
- Make sure AuthInfo/transfer secrets meet the registry's length and format requirements.
- Review the registry's supported domain statuses and dispute-resolution policies before launch.
