The starting point for genealogical research in Switzerland is the place of citizenship of a family, often referred to as the community of origin. The Swiss register of surnames is a good tool for determining the community of origin, the book records all families with place of citizenship in Switzerland as well as the current place of citizenship (data valid as of: 1962).

As soon as the place of citizenship is known, you can then turn to the archives to consult the civil register (office of birth, marriages and deaths) and church registries.

Additional information on family research

Swiss Genealogy on the Internet

Source: Grundlagen der Familienforschung in der Schweiz, published by the Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Familienforschung, 3rd ed., Zurich 1996

At the Swiss National Library, you may consult the following research tools or the research team at the SwissInfoDesk can do it for you:
- Register of Swiss surnames to determine the place of citizenship of a family.
- Mario von Moos, Bibliography of Swiss Genealogies for published works on a given family.
- Online catalogue and card catalogues at the NL for published works on a given family.

The research team can also find addresses of registry offices and archives.

The Swiss National Library is the depository library for the library of the Swiss Genealogical Society SGS. The SGS collection is recorded in the Helveticat online catalogue. These documents may be consulted in the reading room at the NL.

Some freely accessible search tools:

SIKART (Dictionary and database on art in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein) for biographical information on Swiss artists

Swiss contemporary writers can be found in the dictionary of the Swiss Authors Association

A database on Swiss music:

Various search tools are available at the Swiss National Library:

Biographic catalogue of articles in serial publications and newspapers in the information room (detailed information available on:

Various biographic indices in the reading room (among others the Historical-Biographic Dictionary of Switzerland at JA 949.4003 HLS)


If you are not able to consult the internal search tools, please contact: swissinfodesk(at)nb.admin.ch.

If you are looking for pictures, please contact the Print and Drawing Department at the Swiss National Library (Graphische-Sammlung(at)nb.admin.ch).

Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce
The Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SOGC) publishes legal proclamations as well as official information:
- Commercial register
- Calls to creditors
- Lost titles
- Public procurement
- Other legal publications (including marks)
- Company notices
Current SOGC notices are freely accessible on:

Data for the last 3 years are available, except for private insolvency data, which are only accessible for a period of one year for reasons of data protection.

The Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce can also be found in the collection of the National Library. To preorder as part of a consultation or to order copies, please directly contact: infopersonal(at)nb.admin.ch

Central Business Names Index
The Central Business Names Index (zefix) fully records all business names of corporate bodies and public law corporations registered in the Commercial Register. Active partnerships and sole proprietorships and those cancelled since January 1, 2000, are all registered.
The data and references are provided without warranty. Legally binding are solely the certified extracts issued by the commercial register office in charge and the published entry in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce.

Click the domicile shown to go to the contract page – via hyperlink - of the competent cantonal Commercial Register.

Moneyhouse allows a targeted search by company name, people, key terms and page numbers. All commercial register registrations since 1995 are available in full text.

Commercial register registrations in full text since January 1, 2002, are freely accessible at Easymonitoring.

At the National Library you have access to the database Factiva which contains legal publications of the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce as from August 1996. We may do the requested researches for you.

You can research trademarks, patents and designs at no charge:

Pending applications: New applications are generally available on Swissreg within 2 workdays of receipt.
Cancelled applications: Swissreg includes all applications which were cancelled after July 2006.
Active trademarks: All valid registered trademarks are included in Swissreg.
Cancelled trademarks: Swissreg includes all trademarks which were cancelled after July 2006.

International trademarks with effect to Switzerland, are registered at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). WIPO offers via "Madrid Express" its own free online register.

The Federal Institute of Intellectual Property offers more in-depth research into trademarks, patents and designs.