Switzerland Data Removal Guide (2026)
Swiss residents enjoy world-class privacy protections under the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (revDSG / nLPD), granting enforceable rights to access, correct, block, and delete personal records from commercial registries and data brokers.
Research status: published guide pending fresh official-source re-verification.
This page is educational orientation, not legal advice. The legal fields below are a research snapshot; eligibility, exemptions, deadlines, penalty rules and broker routes can change. Verify the current statute and regulator guidance before relying on a right or filing a complaint.
At a glance
- Governing law
- revDSG
- Response deadline
- 30 calendar days
- Regulator
- Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC / EDÖB / PFPDT)
- Private right of action
- Yes: civil action in Swiss courts under Article 32 revDSG and Swiss Civil Code Article 28
Federal Act on Data Protection (revised FADP / revDSG / nLPD)
Entering into force on September 1, 2023, Switzerland's revised FADP (revDSG) aligns Swiss data protection closely with European standards while maintaining Swiss legal traditions. Supervised by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC / EDÖB), the law imposes personal criminal liability for deliberate violations.
What rights do Switzerland residents have?
- →Right of access to all retained personal data (Article 25 revDSG)
- →Right to data portability in a machine-readable format (Article 28 revDSG)
- →Right to rectification of incorrect personal information (Article 32 revDSG)
- →Right to erasure / deletion of personal data (Article 32 revDSG)
- →Right to prohibit disclosure to third parties (Article 32 revDSG)
- →Right to lodge a report with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC)
Who holds your data in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, commercial data aggregators (Moneyhouse, Teledata, Help.ch, CRIF AG, Dun & Bradstreet Switzerland) aggregate information from the Central Business Name Index (Zefix), Cantonal Commercial Registers (Handelsregister), telephone directories, and debt enforcement registers (Betreibungsauszug).
Public-record sources brokers scrape
- Cantonal Commercial Registers and the Swiss Central Business Name Index (Zefix)
- Cantonal population and residents' registration offices (Einwohnerkontrolle)
- Swiss telephone and address directories (local.ch / search.ch)
- Commercial credit bureaus (CRIF, Intrum, Creditreform Switzerland)
How to remove your data in Switzerland
- 1Submit Article 32 deletion and disclosure-prohibition requests to Swiss commercial directories (Moneyhouse, Help.ch, local.ch).
- 2Place a star mark ("Sternchenvermerk" / *) next to your phone directory entry to legally prohibit commercial advertising calls under the Unfair Competition Act (UWG Art. 3 Abs. 1 Bst. u).
- 3Send formal revDSG access and erasure notices to credit rating and risk assessment agencies.
- 4Report non-compliant data controllers to the FDPIC / EDÖB in Bern.
Ready to remove
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Much of Switzerland residents' data is held by US-based people-search brokers. OfflistMe drafts a legally structured deletion email for each one, sent from your own inbox, no account, no ID upload. Pair it with the Switzerland-specific steps above.
Request Removal NowWhat if a company ignores your request?
File a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC / EDÖB / PFPDT). The maximum penalty in Switzerland is Criminal fines up to CHF 250,000 against responsible natural persons, and you may have a private right of action (Yes: civil action in Swiss courts under Article 32 revDSG and Swiss Civil Code Article 28).
File a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC / EDÖB / PFPDT) ↗FAQ: Switzerland data removal
What is the "Sternchenvermerk" in Switzerland?+
Under Article 3(1)(u) of the Swiss Federal Act Against Unfair Competition (UWG), placing an asterisk (*) next to your name in telephone directories makes it a criminal offense for telemarketers to contact you without prior permission.
What penalties exist for data privacy violations under Swiss law?+
Unlike GDPR fines against corporate entities, the Swiss revDSG focuses on personal accountability: responsible individuals (directors, managers, DPOs) face criminal fines of up to CHF 250,000 for intentional violations of disclosure and data transfer obligations.