Ordering a debt-collection extract: cost, timing, pitfalls
No document holds up more applications than this one, usually because it was ordered too late or from the wrong office. The extract costs CHF 17, arrives within days and can be ordered online.
- Cost
- CHF 17 per extract (SchKG fee ordinance)
- Issued by
- The debt-collection office where you live now
- Turnaround
- Usually 2–5 working days by post
- Period covered
- The last five years
- Accepted by agencies
- As a rule up to three months old
The commonest mistake: the wrong office
The office that matters is the one where you live now. If you have moved in the last five years, many agencies will also want an extract from your former commune, because an extract lists only the proceedings from its own district. After a change of canton, order both at once.
If the extract shows entries
An entry does not rule you out, but it does call for an explanation. Attach a brief note: what it was about, whether the debt has been settled, and the receipt. A paid, contested or withdrawn proceeding stays visible in the register and does not clear itself. On request, though, it is no longer disclosed to third parties where the creditor did not pursue it (Art. 8a para. 3 lit. d SchKG).
Order the extract before you start looking, not after your first viewing. Three months of validity covers a whole search.
These articles set out Swiss law in general terms and are not a substitute for legal advice on an individual case. Cantonal rules differ. In a dispute, contact the rent conciliation authority or a lawyer.