📄 Certificate of residence

Apostille for a Swiss certificate of residence

Foreign employers, universities and registries routinely ask for an apostilled certificate of residence. Here is exactly how it works for this document — and how we take the whole errand off your hands.

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Where this document comes from — and which chancellery

A residence certificate is issued by the residents’ registration office of your commune, and apostilled by the chancellery of that commune’s canton. It is the most local of the documents we handle: the authority is your own town hall, not a cantonal or federal office, which is why the canton follows automatically from your address.

Original or certified copy?

Neither leaves your hands: a notary establishes a certified true copy from your uploaded PDF or photo, and the apostille is affixed to that copy — included in the price. If a destination exceptionally insists on the apostilled original, tell us and we organise it by registered mail.

Translation often required

An apostille authenticates, it does not translate. If the receiving authority also wants a certified translation of your certificate of residence, mention it in the order notes — our partner network delivers both together.

The mistake that gets files refused

Using one that has been sitting in a drawer. Residence certificates state a situation on a given day, and most destinations treat anything older than three months as meaningless. Order the certificate and the apostille in the same movement rather than apostilling an old one.

Frequently asked questions

I have moved cantons recently. Which canton applies?
The one where the commune that issues the certificate lies — that is, where you are registered now. If you need proof of a former address, the old commune issues it and its own canton apostilles it.
Which countries accept an apostilled certificate of residence?
All 130 Hague Convention Contracting Parties — from Germany to Brazil to China. For non-members (UAE, Qatar, Egypt…), the consular chain replaces the apostille; order normally and we quote the embassy stage first.
How long for a certificate of residence?
Standard 1–2 business days from receipt, mostly the chancellery’s own turnaround. Same-day express doubles the service price and jumps every queue.
CHF 140 — Apostille — 1st document · CHF 120 — Apostille — from 2 documents · Prices →

Apostille for other documents

DiplomaBirth certificateMarriage certificateCriminal record extractCommercial register extractPower of attorneyDivorce judgmentCertificate of civil statusNotarised documentSworn translation

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