Imprint generator for Swiss websites
Enter your details and take the finished legal notice as text, HTML or PDF, checked against the UCA and Swiss company-name rules. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Your imprint, checked as you type
As you fill in the fields, the legal notice takes shape in the preview. The check tells you what is missing and which detail does not fit Swiss company law – before you copy anything.
Stays in your browser
No account and no storage: your details never reach a server and are not saved, not even in your browser – reload the page and every field is empty. When you copy or download the notice, we count the format only, never the content.
Preview
3 required details are still missing.
As soon as you enter your first details, your legal notice appears here.
The HTML starts with a top-level heading. If your page sets its own title, delete the first line.
Check
- Name missing: first and last name for a sole proprietorship, otherwise the company name (Art. 3 para. 1 lit. s no. 1 UCA).
- Address missing: street, postcode and town are part of the contact address (Art. 3 para. 1 lit. s no. 1 UCA).
- Email address missing. The UCA requires it explicitly; a contact form does not replace it.
- From CHF 100'000 revenue in the last financial year, a sole proprietorship must be registered (Art. 931 para. 1 CO). Members of the liberal professions and farmers are exempt, provided they do not run a commercially managed business.
Swiss framework conditions
What does a legal notice need to contain in Switzerland?
A Swiss legal notice states identity and contact address including an email address, clearly and completely – Art. 3 para. 1 lit. s UCA requires this of anyone offering goods, works or services in electronic commerce. There is no separate legal-notice act; how identity is stated correctly is governed by the company-name rules in the Code of Obligations.
| Criterion | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who needs a legal notice | Anyone offering goods, works or services online (Art. 3 para. 1 lit. s UCA). The law has no exemption for small businesses and does not presuppose a commercial-register entry. | Source: UCA, SR 241 – Art. 3, 9, 10, 23 |
| Mandatory details | Clear and complete details of identity and contact address, including the email address (lit. s no. 1). | Source: UCA, SR 241 – Art. 3, 9, 10, 23 |
| Online shop | Anyone concluding contracts online must also point out the technical steps to conclude the contract, let input errors be corrected before ordering, and confirm every order electronically without delay (lit. s nos. 2–4). | Source: UCA, SR 241 – Art. 3, 9, 10, 23 |
| Company name | Correspondence, order forms, invoices and public notices state the registered company name in full and unaltered (Art. 954a CO); the article does not mention websites, but the same form is advisable in the legal notice. Companies include their legal form in it (Art. 950 CO); a sole proprietorship includes the owner's family name (Art. 945 CO). | Source: CO, SR 220 – company and register law |
| Commercial register | Sole proprietorships with revenue of CHF 100'000 or more in the last financial year must register (Art. 931 para. 1 CO). Companies limited by shares, limited liability companies and cooperatives only come into being on registration (Art. 643, 779, 838 CO). | Source: CO, SR 220 – company and register law |
| UID and VAT number | Registered entities receive a UID (Art. 930 CO). The VAT number is the UID with the suffix MWST, TVA or IVA; “VAT” is not permitted. | Source: FTA – UID and VAT number |
| Consequences of a breach | Competitors, customers, associations and, to protect the public interest, the Confederation can bring an action (Art. 9 and 10 UCA). Intentional breaches are punishable on complaint by a custodial sentence of up to three years or a monetary penalty (Art. 23 UCA). | Source: UCA, SR 241 – Art. 3, 9, 10, 23 |
What is different in Switzerland
Commercial registers are kept by the cantons. A sole proprietorship is registered at its place of business (Art. 931 para. 1 CO) – if your legal notice names a canton, it is best to name the canton of the register, not the owner's home town. And because Switzerland has four national languages, the legal notice is best written in the language of the website: the law asks for “clear” details, and clear means the visitor can read them.
Primary sources
- UCA, SR 241 – Art. 3, 9, 10, 23 – Fedlex – Swiss federal law, as of
- CO, SR 220 – company and register law – Fedlex – Swiss federal law, as of
- FTA – UID and VAT number – Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA), as of
This overview describes the legal position in outline and does not replace an assessment of the individual case. It is not legal advice.
Sole proprietorship or company: what differs in the legal notice
A sole proprietorship is not a separate legal person – you are. A GmbH, AG or cooperative is. Almost everything that differs in the legal notice follows from that.
| What | Sole proprietorship | GmbH, AG, cooperative |
|---|---|---|
| Who is named | Sole proprietorship: The owner's first and last name. A trading name on its own names nobody. | GmbH, AG, cooperative: The company name as entered in the commercial register. |
| Company name | Sole proprietorship: If the business is registered, its name includes the owner's family name (Art. 945 CO). | GmbH, AG, cooperative: The name states the legal form (Art. 950 CO). Art. 954a CO requires it in full and unaltered in correspondence, invoices and public notices – we recommend the same for the legal notice. |
| Commercial register | Sole proprietorship: Mandatory from CHF 100'000 revenue in the last financial year (Art. 931 para. 1 CO), voluntary otherwise. | GmbH, AG, cooperative: Always – the company only comes into being on registration (Art. 643, 779, 838 CO). |
| UID | Sole proprietorship: Possible without registration too. If you have one, state it – you can look it up on uid.admin.ch. | GmbH, AG, cooperative: Always there, because registered entities receive a UID (Art. 930 CO). |
| Representation | Sole proprietorship: Not applicable – you represent your business yourself. | GmbH, AG, cooperative: Recommended: the people with signing authority in the commercial register. |
Six mistakes that leave a legal notice incomplete
- A contact form instead of an email addressThe UCA explicitly requires the contact address including email. A form is an extra channel, not a replacement.
- Only a trading name for a sole proprietorship“Sonnenberg Painting” does not say who is behind it. The legal person is the owner – their full name belongs in the notice.
- Company name shortened or rewrittenArt. 954a CO requires the registered company name in full and unaltered in correspondence, invoices and public notices; the legal notice is best handled the same way. A logo and short name may be added but do not replace it.
- Legal form missingFor a GmbH, “Muster Treuhand” is not the company name, “Muster Treuhand GmbH” is. The legal form belongs in the name (Art. 950 CO).
- Wrong UID or “VAT”A transposed digit in the UID shows up in the check digit. The VAT number carries the suffix MWST, TVA or IVA – “VAT” is not permitted.
- A shop without order confirmationAnyone selling online must explain the ordering steps, let input errors be corrected and confirm every order without delay (Art. 3 para. 1 lit. s nos. 2–4 UCA).
Questions about the legal notice in Switzerland
Not legal advice
The generator checks form and completeness against the wording of the UCA and the CO, as of 24 October 2026. It does not know your individual case: sector law, professional rules and contracts may require more. For a binding review, consult a lawyer. No liability is accepted for the accuracy and completeness of the generated text; otherwise the disclaimer in our legal notice applies.
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