Glossary
Debt enforcement office (Betreibungsamt)
Office des poursuites (FR) · Betreibungsamt (DE) · Ufficio esecuzioni (IT)
Updated on 28 July 2026
Definition
The debt enforcement office is the cantonal authority that runs the procedure: it serves payment orders, carries out attachments, keeps the debt enforcement register and issues extracts.
The competent office is in principle the one where you live. That is where the entry concerning you is held, and therefore where you apply for an extract or file a non-disclosure request.
One important point if you have moved: an extract only covers the district of the office issuing it. Someone who has lived in several cantons may need to order several extracts to give a complete picture.
The office is a neutral executor. It does not judge whether a debt is justified, takes no side, and cannot delete an entry on its own initiative: it applies the law and the decisions put before it.
Key points
- Jurisdiction in principle at the debtor's place of residence.
- An extract only covers the relevant district.
- The office cannot erase an entry spontaneously.
Legal basis : Art. 2 and 8a DEBA/SchKG