How to obtain a debt-enforcement extract
Updated on 7 July 2026
In brief
You obtain your extract of the debt register from the debt enforcement office of your place of residence, for a fee set by federal law: 17 CHF (18 CHF by postal or electronic dispatch, 22 CHF by registered post). A "clean" extract assumes that no debt-enforcement proceeding appears on it: paying is not enough, because a paid debt-enforcement proceeding stays visible as long as the creditor has not withdrawn it. Depending on your case, withdrawal, non-disclosure or the running out of the five-year period lets you clean it up.
The extract of the debt register is often requested to rent a home or to apply for a job. Here is how to obtain it, at what price, and how to keep it clean.
Where and how to obtain it
You request your own extract from the debt enforcement office of your municipality or canton of residence, on presentation of an identity document. The request is made at the counter, by post or, in many offices, online. For a rental file, plan for a recent extract (often less than three months old).
How much it costs
The fee is set by federal law (Art. 12a GebV SchKG): 17 CHF for an extract, regardless of the number of pages. It rises to 18 CHF if the extract is sent to you by post, fax or e-mail, and to 22 CHF by registered post.
Obtaining a clean extract
An extract is "clean" when no debt-enforcement proceeding appears on it. Paying a debt is not enough: the debt-enforcement proceeding stays visible as "settled" as long as the creditor has not withdrawn it. Depending on your situation, several routes let you clean it up: withdrawal by the creditor (Art. 8a para. 3 let. c SchKG), non-disclosure if you had lodged an objection and the creditor did not pursue it (Art. 8a para. 3 let. d SchKG), or the running out of the five-year period (Art. 8a para. 4 SchKG). A certificate of loss (act of default of goods), however, may stay visible far longer.
How much does a debt-enforcement extract cost?
17 CHF at the counter, 18 CHF by postal or electronic dispatch, 22 CHF by registered post (Art. 12a GebV SchKG), regardless of the number of pages.
Does paying my debts make my extract clean?
No. A paid debt-enforcement proceeding stays visible as long as the creditor has not withdrawn it or five years have not passed. Payment alone does not open non-disclosure either.
Where do I request my extract?
From the debt enforcement office of your place of residence, with an identity document; many offices also offer the request online.