Swiss UID Number (CHE): What It Is and How to Get One

Every enterprise in Switzerland is assigned a UID number (Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer). This nine-digit identifier, prefixed with CHE, functions as the single reference number across all government systems: the commercial register, tax authorities, social insurance, customs, and federal statistics. If you run a business in Switzerland, the UID is the number that connects your company to every official record.

This guide covers the UID format, who receives one, how it is assigned, where to look it up, and the legal obligations attached to it. The UID is one of the key data points held in official commercial register records.

What Is the UID Number?

The UID (Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer, Enterprise Identification Number) is a unique, permanent identification number assigned to every enterprise operating in Switzerland. It was introduced on 1 January 2011 under the Federal Act on the Business Identification Number (Bundesgesetz über die Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer, UIDG).

The purpose of the UID is straightforward: to replace the patchwork of different identification numbers that Swiss authorities previously used for the same enterprise. Before the UID, a company might have had a separate number for the commercial register, another for VAT, another for social insurance, and yet another for customs. The UID consolidates all of these into a single reference.

The UID system is administered by the Federal Statistical Office (Bundesamt für Statistik, BFS), which maintains the central UID register. As of 2026, the register contains over 1.4 million entries, covering active enterprises, public bodies, and organisations across every sector.

The legal framework is set out in two instruments:

• UIDG (Federal Act on the Business Identification Number) — defines who receives a UID, how the register operates, and the obligations of UID holders.
• UIDV (Ordinance on the Business Identification Number) — contains the detailed procedural rules and technical specifications.

What Is the UID Format and Structure?

The UID follows a fixed format: CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx.

A complete UID looks like this: CHE-123.456.789.

The nine digits are not random. The first eight digits are the identification sequence, and the ninth digit is a check digit calculated using a modulus-11 algorithm. This check digit prevents transcription errors: if someone mistypes a single digit, the check digit will not match, and the number will be flagged as invalid.

Formatting rules:

• The prefix CHE is always uppercase.
• The digits are separated by dots, not spaces or hyphens: CHE-123.456.789, not CHE 123 456 789.
• A hyphen separates the prefix from the digits.
• When used with an extension (see below), a space separates the number from the suffix: CHE-123.456.789 MWST.

Who Receives a UID Number?

The UID is not limited to companies registered in the commercial register. It covers a much broader range of entities. Under Art. 3 UIDG, the following receive a UID:

• Capital companies — AG, GmbH, cooperative societies
• Partnerships — general partnerships (Kollektivgesellschaft), limited partnerships (Kommanditgesellschaft)
• Sole proprietorships — regardless of whether they are registered in the commercial register (the CHF 100,000 revenue threshold for commercial register entry does not apply to UID assignment)
• Associations (Vereine) — whether or not they are commercially active
• Foundations (Stiftungen)
• Public bodies — federal, cantonal, and municipal authorities
• Foreign entities — branch offices of foreign companies registered in Switzerland
• Other organisations — including institutions under public law, diplomatic missions, international organisations with a presence in Switzerland

The key distinction: the commercial register only covers entities that are legally required to register (or do so voluntarily). The UID register is broader. A freelance translator with annual revenue of CHF 40,000 who is not in the commercial register will still have a UID if she registers for VAT or interacts with a federal administrative unit that requires one.

How Is the UID Assigned?

A UID is assigned automatically in most cases. You do not need to apply for one separately.

Automatic assignment happens when:

1. You register a company in the commercial register. The cantonal register office (Handelsregisteramt) notifies the BFS, which assigns a UID. The number appears on your commercial register entry from day one.

2. You register for VAT. When you notify the Federal Tax Administration (Eidgenössische Steuerverwaltung, ESTV) that your business has reached the CHF 100,000 revenue threshold for mandatory VAT registration, the ESTV triggers UID assignment if you do not already have one.

3. You register with a social insurance institution (AHV/IV/EO). Employers registering for the first time with a compensation office (Ausgleichskasse) receive a UID if one has not already been assigned.

4. A federal administrative unit enters you in its register. Any federal authority that maintains a register of enterprises and uses the UID system can trigger the assignment.

Manual assignment:

If none of the above applies but you still need a UID (for example, a small association that wants one for administrative convenience), you can request one directly from the BFS through the UID register portal.

Timeline: UID assignment is typically instantaneous when triggered through the commercial register or VAT registration. Manual requests through the BFS portal are processed within a few business days.

What Are the UID Extensions for VAT and Commercial Register?

The base UID (CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx) is supplemented by extensions that indicate the context in which the number is used. The two most common extensions are:

The VAT extension (MWST/TVA/IVA):

This is the most commonly encountered extension. Every VAT-registered business in Switzerland must display its UID with the MWST suffix on invoices. The extension replaced the old six-digit VAT number format that was in use before 2014.

Which language suffix you use depends on the language region of your registered office: MWST for German-speaking cantons, TVA for French-speaking cantons, IVA for Italian-speaking Ticino. All three are legally equivalent.

The HR extension:

The HR suffix identifies the entity in the context of the commercial register. It appears in official register entries and SOGC/SHAB publications. You will see it on register extracts and in the Zefix database.

The base UID without any extension is used in general administrative contexts: social insurance correspondence, statistical surveys, customs declarations, and inter-authority data exchange.

How Do You Search the UID Register?

The UID register is a public database at uid.admin.ch, operated by the Federal Statistical Office. It is free to use and requires no account.

How to search:

1. Go to uid.admin.ch.
2. Enter a company name, UID number, or address in the search field.
3. The results display the enterprise name, UID, address, legal form, status, and the administrative units that hold a record for the entity (e.g., commercial register, VAT register, AHV).

What the UID register shows:

What the UID register does not show:

• Directors, board members, or signing authority
• Share capital or ownership structure
• Purpose clause
• Historical changes
• Financial data

The UID register is designed for identification and verification, not for detailed company research. For corporate details, use the cantonal commercial register or Zefix.

How Does the UID Register Differ from Zefix?

The UID register and Zefix are both free government databases, but they serve different purposes and draw from different sources.

When to use which:

• You have a CHE number and want to verify it is valid and active: use the UID register.
• You want to check whether a company is VAT-registered: use the UID register (it lists the administrative units, including the VAT register).
• You want to research a company’s legal form, status, and find the cantonal register link: use Zefix.
• You want detailed company data (directors, capital, purpose): go to the cantonal commercial register via the Zefix link.
• You want to search for a company but only know the name: either tool works; Zefix is more suited for company research.

When Do You Need Your UID Number?

The UID appears in virtually every official interaction your business has in Switzerland. Here are the most common situations:

Invoicing. If your business is VAT-registered, Swiss VAT law requires your UID-based VAT number (CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx MWST) on every invoice you issue. Without it, your clients cannot reclaim input tax on your invoices.

Contracts and official correspondence. Business contracts, letters to authorities, and official forms routinely require your UID. Banks ask for it when opening a business account. Insurance companies need it for policy documentation.

Customs declarations. If you import or export goods, the Swiss customs authority (Bundesamt für Zoll und Grenzsicherheit, BAZG) uses the UID to identify your enterprise in all customs proceedings.

Social insurance. Your AHV compensation office (Ausgleichskasse) identifies your enterprise by its UID for all social insurance contributions: AHV/IV/EO, unemployment insurance, family allowances.

Public tenders. When bidding on government contracts, you must provide your UID as part of the tender documentation.

Company formation. When registering a company, the UID is assigned during the process and becomes part of your commercial register entry from the outset.

Statistical surveys. The BFS uses the UID to identify enterprises in its business surveys and census. If you receive a survey from the BFS, your UID is the reference number.

Are You Legally Required to Display the UID?

Swiss law creates specific obligations around displaying business identification on official documents.

OR Art. 954a requires that every entity registered in the commercial register must display the following on all business correspondence (letters, invoices, contracts, order forms):

• The company name as registered
• The legal form (AG, GmbH, etc.)
• The registered office (Sitz)

While Art. 954a does not explicitly mandate displaying the UID, it is standard practice and strongly recommended. Banks, government agencies, and business partners expect to see the UID on all official documents.

VAT law (MWSTG Art. 26) is more explicit: every invoice issued by a VAT-registered supplier must include the supplier’s UID-based VAT number (CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx MWST). Omitting the VAT number from an invoice means the recipient cannot claim input tax deduction, which creates practical problems in B2B transactions.

In practice, most Swiss businesses display the full UID on:

• Invoices and credit notes
• Letterheads and email footers
• Website footer or legal notice page
• Contracts and general terms of business
• Order confirmations and delivery notes

Failing to comply with OR Art. 954a can result in a fine imposed by the cantonal register office. More importantly, omitting the VAT number from invoices disrupts your clients’ tax compliance, which damages business relationships.

What Happened to the Old CH Number?

Before the UID was introduced on 1 January 2011, Switzerland used the CH number (CH-Nummer) as the primary business identifier. The CH number followed a different format: CH-xxx.x.xxx.xxx-x.

The migration from CH to UID was completed in stages:

1. 2011: The UIDG came into force. All new enterprises received a UID instead of a CH number. Existing enterprises were assigned a UID alongside their existing CH number.

2. 2014: The old six-digit VAT number was replaced by the UID-based VAT number (CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx MWST). Businesses had a transition period to update their invoicing systems and stationery.

3. 2015-2016: Most federal and cantonal authorities completed their internal migration to the UID. The CH number was progressively phased out of official communications.

Today, the CH number is obsolete for all practical purposes. You may still encounter it in historical documents, older contracts, or legacy databases, but it is no longer used in any active government system. If you have a historical CH number and need to find the corresponding UID, the UID register can help: search by company name or address to locate the current UID.

Can a UID Number Change?

No. The UID is a permanent, lifetime identifier for an enterprise. Once assigned, it does not change under any circumstances, including:

• Name change — renaming your company does not affect the UID.
• Address change — moving your registered office to a different canton triggers a new cantonal register entry, but the UID remains the same.
• Legal form conversion — converting from a sole proprietorship to a GmbH, or from a GmbH to an AG, does not change the UID.
• Ownership change — selling the company or changing all shareholders does not affect the UID.
• Restructuring — mergers, demergers, and asset transfers may result in a new entity with a new UID, but the original entity’s UID is never reassigned to another enterprise.

When a company is dissolved and deleted from the commercial register, its UID status changes to “deleted” in the UID register. The number is permanently retired and will never be assigned to a different entity. This ensures that historical references to a UID always point to the same enterprise, even decades later.

This permanence is by design. The UID serves as a stable reference across all government systems, databases, and historical records. Changing it would break linkages across tax, social insurance, customs, and statistical records.

How We Verified This Information

All facts about the UID system are sourced from the Federal Act on the Business Identification Number (UIDG) and its accompanying ordinance (UIDV), published on Fedlex. The UID register data was verified on uid.admin.ch, operated by the Federal Statistical Office (BFS). VAT-related obligations reference MWSTG Art. 26 and the Federal Tax Administration (ESTV). The modulus-11 check digit algorithm follows the official BFS technical specification. This guide is reviewed by Florian Rosenberg, who works with UID numbers daily as part of company formation and tax registration processes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find a company's UID number?

You can find any Swiss company's UID number through two free official tools. The UID register at uid.admin.ch, operated by the Federal Statistical Office, lets you search by company name, address, or UID. Zefix at zefix.ch, the federal commercial register index, also displays the UID for every registered entity. Both services are free and require no account. The UID also appears on every commercial register extract and every SOGC/SHAB publication.

Is the UID number the same as the Swiss VAT number?

The UID itself (CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx) is a general business identification number, not specifically a VAT number. However, the Swiss VAT number is built on the UID by adding the suffix MWST (or TVA in French-speaking cantons, IVA in Italian-speaking cantons). So a VAT number looks like CHE-123.456.789 MWST. Every VAT-registered business uses its UID as the basis for its VAT identification. Not every entity with a UID is VAT-registered, but every VAT-registered entity has a UID.

Does my UID number change if I move my company to another canton?

No. The UID is a permanent identifier that stays with your enterprise for its entire existence. Moving the registered office from one canton to another, changing the company name, converting the legal form (for example, from a sole proprietorship to a GmbH), or restructuring the business does not affect the UID. The number is assigned once and never reissued. After a company is dissolved and deleted from the register, its UID is retired and not reassigned to another entity.

Is displaying the UID number on invoices mandatory?

For VAT-registered businesses, yes. Swiss VAT law requires that every invoice includes the supplier's UID-based VAT number (CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx MWST). Beyond VAT invoices, OR Art. 954a requires that every entity registered in the commercial register displays its company name, legal form, and registered office on all business correspondence, including letters, invoices, contracts, and order forms. While Art. 954a does not explicitly list the UID, displaying it is standard practice and expected by banks, authorities, and business partners.

How do I get a UID number for a new company in Switzerland?

For a GmbH or AG, the UID is assigned automatically by the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) when the cantonal commercial register office processes your formation application and notifies the BFS. You do not need to apply separately — the UID appears on your commercial register entry from the date of registration. For a sole proprietorship registering for VAT, the UID is assigned when you notify the Federal Tax Administration (ESTV) of your VAT registration. The entire process is automatic; no separate application to the BFS is required.

What happens to a UID number when a company is merged or dissolved?

When a company is dissolved and deleted from the commercial register, its UID is retired and marked as deleted in the UID register. The number is never reissued to another entity. In a merger, the absorbing company retains its own UID, and the absorbed company's UID is retired upon deletion of the merged entity. In a demerger, the original company retains its UID, and any newly created entities receive new UIDs. The permanence and retirement rules ensure that a UID always refers to one specific enterprise in historical records.

Can a freelancer or self-employed person get a UID number in Switzerland?

Yes. A self-employed person who registers for VAT — which becomes mandatory once annual turnover exceeds CHF 100,000 — is automatically assigned a UID by the Federal Tax Administration during the VAT registration process. Self-employed persons below the VAT threshold who nevertheless interact with federal administrative units (for example, by registering with a social insurance compensation office) may also receive a UID. A sole proprietor with a UID can use it as their business identification number even without being in the commercial register.

Why does my UID have a check digit and what is it for?

The ninth digit of the UID sequence is a check digit calculated using a modulus-11 algorithm. Its purpose is error detection: if any single digit in the UID is mistyped, the check digit will not match the calculation and the number will be flagged as invalid. This prevents the use of accidentally corrupted UIDs in government systems and on invoices. When integrating the UID into software (for example, invoice validation), you can implement the modulus-11 check to verify that a UID is structurally valid before querying official databases.

What is the NOGA code that appears in the UID register?

NOGA stands for Nomenclature générale des activités économiques — Switzerland's national industry classification system, aligned with the European NACE standard. Each enterprise in the UID register is assigned a NOGA code that describes its primary economic activity (for example, 70.22 for management consulting, 64.20 for holding company activities). The BFS uses NOGA codes for economic statistics. The UID register displays the NOGA code, which can help identify the sector in which a company operates, though it is not always kept up to date if a company changes its activities without updating the register.

Is it possible for two companies to have the same UID number?

No. The UID is by definition unique: each CHE-xxx.xxx.xxx number is assigned to exactly one enterprise and is never shared or reused. If you encounter two entities claiming the same UID, one of them is in error or acting fraudulently. You can verify any UID on the UID register at uid.admin.ch to confirm the company name, address, and legal form associated with it. The check digit built into the UID format provides an additional layer of protection against accidental duplication.