UID services (administration)

By UID services, we mean the administrative units of the Confederation, the cantons and communes, the establishments of public law as well as private institutions tasked with public law activities and which manage the data files concerning the enterprises (UID entities) with whom they are, consequently, in regular contact.

UID services hierarchy

The data files of the different UID services can vary greatly. In order to eliminate these differences and ensure that only authorised UID services can report UID entities, a hierarchy has been set up between the UID services (Art. 3 para. 1 UIDO). 1 UIDO).

In the UID system, a UID service is responsible for a UID entity. If several UID services are recorded for an entity, the service responsible is the one highest up in the hierarchy. The information reported by the service responsible are shown in the UID core properties.

UID services hierarchy

Commercial registry (A)

Cantonal commercial registers

Central register of the Federal Commercial Registry Office

Economic activity registers (B)

Cantonal agricultural registers

Data files from the cantonal veterinary services

Data files from the cantonal chemists or laboratories

Register of the Federal Office for Agriculture

Medical Professions Register

Cantonal lawyers' registers

Cantonal solicitors' registers

AHV/AVS compensation funds and tax registers (C)

AHV/AVS compensation fund registers

Cantonal tax registers

VAT register

Other registers (D)

FSO's Business and Enterprise Register

Data files from the Federal Customs Administration on enterprises registered in import/export

Central Migration Information System (ZEMIS)

Registers of the National accident insurance fund (SUVA) and insurance companies pursuant to Art. 68 of the HIA [5]

Other (E)

UID services with limited obligation

Rights and obligations of UID services

The UID services have the right to consult all core properties (name, address, etc.) of enterprises, regardless of whether they are public or non-public UID entities. Furthermore, they have access to additional properties used to describe the UID entities more precisely (e.g. economic activity).

A distinction is made between UID services with full obligation and UID services with limited obligation.

UID services with full obligation

UID services with full obligation have a duty towards the FSO with regard to use and communication of the UID. The obligations of use include the recognition of the UID as an identifier, management of the UID in the data files and its use in communication. UID services with full obligation are also responsible for passing on to the FSO information on all new UID entities, changes in UID data as well as the deletion of UID entities.

UID services with limited obligation

The sole duty of UID services with limited obligation is to recognise the UID as an identifier. This means that UID entities can be identified using the UID in their contacts with these services. UID services with limited obligation are not obliged to manage the UID and to use the UID, nor are they obliged to inform the FSO of new UID entities. They can, however, carry out these functions on a voluntary basis.

One UID service - two UID

We should point out that the system in place requires that all UID services have two UID:

• The UID services are also always UID entities and as such have their own UID which identifies them as a legal and organisational entity.
• To carry out its UID service tasks, each UID service is allocated another UID that identifies it as a technical entity and is used for the exchange of data with the UID register.