Essentially, the design of the company name depends on which legal form you decide on. Take a look at the regulations and restrictions for the individual legal forms:
| AG: | Free design (fantasy name possible), addition of "AG" (or a translation of "AG") is essential |
| GmbH: | Free design (fantasy name possible), addition of "GmbH" (or a translation of "GmbH") is essential |
| General Partnership: | Min. 1 surname of a partner; addition, which refers to the legal form (e.g. "& Co.), real or fantasy names (addition) allowed |
| Sole Proprietorship: | Surname is main component, real or fantasy names (addition) allowed |
Additionally, the following generally applies:
Various Latin capital and small letters as well as Arabian numerals can be used freely in the company; excluding the use of symbols and special characters (such as i.e.: §, %, $, @). Only a space is permitted between the individual symbols (standard space between words). Unlike the case with brands, graphical characteristics in notation (Design, Logo, Symbols, Colour, Bold, etc.) can not be entered; if a brand is accepted into the company, the notation must be adjusted, if required.
The company must reflect the truth and may not cause any pretences (See Art. 944 Paragraph 1 OR). Company information must correspond with the object of the business (for legal entities with purpose clause of bylaws) and may not produce a pretence on the origin of products and services. Geographical terms may be used providing they apply matter-of-factly and do not conflict with public interest.
The use of terms with official character such as "confederation", "federal", "canton", "cantonal", "communal" is generally prohibited (see Article 6 Coat of Arms Protection Act SR 232.21). (Source: Federal Office for Justice)
Check availability
It is advisable to check your desired company name in advance to ensure its availability. A preliminary check can made online at ZEFIX. Since the search for similar sounding companies requires expertise, research (for a fee) at the official office of the commercial register is recommended. Such a request can be placed online at REGIX.
Domain
Parallel, we recommend a search for available domains. The official registry for .ch-domains is SWITCH.
