Glossary
Attachment (Pfändung)
Saisie (FR) · Pfändung (DE) · Pignoramento (IT)
Updated on 28 July 2026
Definition
Attachment is the enforcement stage in which the office determines which assets or share of income can be used to satisfy the creditor. It only happens after an undisputed proceeding or once an objection has been set aside.
The office first establishes what you have, then draws up a record of attachment. In the vast majority of cases it is not furniture that gets seized but a share of wages, paid directly by the employer to the office.
That is precisely what makes wage attachment so feared: the employer is informed of the proceeding. Many people only discover the social reach of a debt enforcement entry at this moment.
Not everything can be seized. Items essential to daily life and to practising your profession are protected, and income can only be touched above the subsistence minimum calculated by the office. If attachment does not cover the debt, a certificate of loss is issued.
Key points
- Follows an undisputed proceeding or an objection set aside.
- Wage attachment is notified to the employer.
- Subsistence minimum and essential goods are protected.
Legal basis : Art. 89 ff. DEBA/SchKG