The new domain ending, .swiss, was launched last fall to represent Switzerland as a global brand even more concisely than .ch. Until now, only registered brands and companies, municipalities and other public institutions could apply for a .swiss domain with their names.
And many have already done so. According to the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), which is responsible for the domain, 9,738 requests for .swiss domain names have been submitted, of which 7,071 applications were approved by OFCOM.
It’s getting easier… sort of
From January 11, 2016 (almost) all names and terms can apply for a .swiss domain, although OFCOM stipulates that the name must be related to the applicant (products, slogans, etc.). The range of potential applicants has also been expanded to include legal bodies such as associations and foundations that are not registered with the Swiss Commercial Register. At OFCOM’s request, individuals will continue to be excluded from applying for a .swiss domain.
The Federal Office checks all incoming applications and publishes each of them once a week for 20 days on its website. If no competing applications or objections arise during this period, OFCOM allocates the domain to the applicant.
hotel.swiss, auto.swiss – exceptions remain
Generic names are the exception. According to OFCOM, these are designations that refer to or describe in a general manner a category or class of goods, services, persons or groups, organizations, objects, sectors or activities. For example, names such as hotel.swiss, auto.swiss or watch.swiss come under this rule and are awarded solely in the context of a name allocation agreement. OFCOM has compiled an FAQ about generic names.
If not now, when?
We are now accepting applications for .swiss domain names with immediate effect. For every successfully registered domain, Hostpoint offers exclusive complimentary DNS hosting and many valuable functions to go with it.
