Betreibungsauszug: the document every Swiss landlord asks for

If you are apartment-hunting in Switzerland, one document comes up in every single application: the Betreibungsauszug — in French extrait du registre des poursuites, in English the extract from the debt enforcement register. Agencies treat it as the standard solvency check, and an application without it usually goes to the bottom of the pile.

The good news: it costs CHF 17–18, takes minutes to order online in most cantons, and this page gives you the official ordering link for yours.

What the Betreibungsauszug actually is

Every Swiss resident is covered by a local debt enforcement office (Betreibungsamt / office des poursuites). When a creditor starts formal collection proceedings against someone — an unpaid bill that escalated, a disputed invoice, a real debt — it is recorded in that office’s register.

The extract is a one-page official summary of your record. It shows whether any debt enforcement proceedings were opened against you in the last five years in that district, along with their status. For most people it is simply an empty page with a stamp — and that empty page is exactly what landlords want to see.

Three things follow from how the register works:

• It is kept per district, not nationally. The extract covers the district where you are registered as living. If you moved across districts within the last five years, a thorough agency may ask for extracts from previous districts too.
• Anyone can order their own extract without conditions. Ordering someone else’s requires a legitimate interest or a power of attorney — which is why you attach it to the application instead of the landlord requesting it.
• You need a registered Swiss address. Just arrived and not registered yet? You cannot get one — see the newcomer section below before you panic.

Why agencies insist on it

A Swiss landlord’s biggest risk is a tenant who stops paying: eviction takes time, and the deposit covers at most three months. The debt register extract is the cheapest, most standardised signal that you pay your bills. It answers one question — has anyone had to chase this person for money in the last five years? — with an official stamp.

That is why it sits at the top of every agency checklist, next to salary confirmation. The two together cover the only things a landlord really screens for: ability to pay and willingness to pay. The rest of the dossier builds around them.

How to order it in your canton

The fee is federal — CHF 17, usually CHF 18 with postal or electronic delivery — so nobody can charge you more for the official document. What differs by canton is who issues it and how you order:

Canton	Cost	How to order	Issuing office
Zurich (ZH)	CHF 17 CHF 17 plus postage (A-Mail)	online form, by mail or at the counter Official order page ↗	Stadtammann- und Betreibungsamt of your city district (City of Zurich); communal offices elsewhere in the canton
Geneva (GE)	CHF 17 CHF 17 at the counter; CHF 18 with payment by bank transfer (proof of payment required)	online (e-démarches), by mail or at the counter by appointment Official order page ↗	Office cantonal des poursuites (cantonal office)
Basel-Stadt (BS)	CHF 17 CHF 17 in person; CHF 18 including delivery by mail or electronically	online form (processed within 48h on weekdays) or in person Official order page ↗	Betreibungs- und Konkursamt Basel-Stadt (Aeschenvorstadt 56)
Zug (ZG)	CHF 17 CHF 17 at the counter; CHF 18 prepaid via the eZug app/portal	digital via eZug or at your commune's Betreibungsamt Official order page ↗	Communal Betreibungsämter (e.g. Betreibungsamt Zug, Gubelstrasse 22, for the city of Zug)
Vaud (VD)	CHF 18 CHF 18 for the official online order (signed extract, verifiable online)	online via portail.vd.ch (sent same day if ordered before 2 p.m.) or in writing to the district office Official order page ↗	Office des poursuites of your district (e.g. Office des poursuites du district de Lausanne)

A few practical notes that apply everywhere:

• Have your ID ready. Online forms ask for a scan or photo of an ID card, passport or residence permit.
• Order it to yourself, not the agency. You receive the extract and attach it to each application — one extract serves every application while it stays fresh.
• Skip paid intermediary sites. Search results are full of services reselling the same extract with a markup. The official channels in the table above are the cheapest and the fastest.

The three-month freshness rule

Legally the extract never expires. Practically, agencies expect one no older than three months — many application forms state it outright. An older extract suggests either an outdated dossier or something to hide, and both impressions cost you the apartment.

The economics are simple: at CHF 17–18, re-ordering every three months during an active search is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your application. If your search drags into a new quarter, order a fresh one before the next viewing rather than after an agency asks.

Empty extract vs. extract with entries

An empty extract is the goal, but a non-empty one is not automatically fatal:

• Old, settled proceedings — paid and closed years ago — rarely sink an otherwise strong file. Attach one calm sentence of context to your application letter rather than hoping nobody reads the document.
• Open or recent proceedings are a serious problem in the competitive cities. Be ready to explain, strengthen everything else in the dossier, and consider offering a guarantor.
• Disputed entries you believe are wrong can be addressed at the issuing office — sort that out before applying, not during.

Honesty beats concealment here: agencies read these documents every day, and an unexplained entry they discover themselves weighs heavier than one you addressed upfront.

Newcomers: what to do before your first extract exists

The register only knows you once you are registered at a Swiss address — so fresh arrivals cannot produce a Betreibungsauszug, and Swiss agencies know it. The accepted workaround is a substitute package: employer confirmation, a credit report from your previous country and one explanation sentence. The full playbook, including wording, is in the dedicated guide on applying without a Betreibungsauszug.

Once you are registered, order the extract immediately — even before you need it. From that point on, your file competes as a complete Swiss dossier. Run it through the dossier check to see where you stand overall.