Identity verification in Switzerland
Switzerland is the beating heart of European private banking and, since 2018, the undisputed capital of regulated crypto. Onboarding a Swiss customer is not a screen capture — it is an act governed by the Geldwäschereigesetz (GwG/AMLA), supervised by FINMA, operationalised through FINMA Circular 2016/7 on Video and Online Identification, policed on the suspicious-activity side by MROS at fedpol, a
Documents supported
(Government IDs from 220+ countries)
Average verification time
Countries covered
(Government-issued IDs validated)
Market overview
Switzerland has a population of roughly 9 million, a GDP per capita above USD 95,000, and a financial sector that punches far above its demographic weight. For an identity-verification vendor, four clusters matter: - Zurich and Geneva private banking. The two cantons still host the densest concentration of wealth managers in Europe. UBS (post–Credit Suisse), Julius Baer, Pictet, Lombard Odier, Vontobel, EFG International, and Mirabaud collectively manage several trillion francs in client assets. Private banking onboarding is the toughest identity use case in the country: ultra-high-net-worth clients, multi-jurisdictional structures, and enhanced due diligence on every wirtschaftlich Berechtigter (beneficial owner). - Swiss fintech and neobanks. Yuh (the joint venture between Swissquote and
Supported documents
Didit templates cover national IDs, passports, residence permits and regional documents — plus 14,000+ documents globally for cross-border flows.
Regulators
Art
Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter
Federal Office of Justice / Cantonal civil status offices
regulated
Centralized electronic civil register operational since 2004-2005. All civil status events recorded. Access governed by Art. 43a of the Civil Code. All Swiss civil status offices connected. Not public
Zentrale Ausgleichsstelle (ZAS)
regulated
13-digit social security number (format: 756.XXXX.XXXX.XX). Anonymous — no embedded personal data. EAN-13 check-digit validation. Assigned at birth since 2008. Used across social security, tax, health
Cantonal/municipal authorities (26 cantons)
regulated
Decentralized resident registration databases recording residency, address, tax domicile. Mandatory registration within 14 days of moving. Each canton maintains own system. Data shared with federal au
Federal Office of Justice (in development)
regulated
State-issued electronic identity. E-ID Act passed 2023 after 2021 referendum rejected private-sector model. Government-issued E-ID in development.
Federal Office of Justice
open
Central business name index. Free online search and API. UID (Unternehmens-Identifikationsnummer) assigned to all legal entities.
Government & regulated databases
Compliance framework
AML framework
Supervised by Extraterritorial reach
The Bundesgesetz über die Bekämpfung der Geldwäscherei und der Terrorismusfinanzierung (AMLA / GwG), in force since 1 April 1998 and amended multiple times, is the backbone of Swiss KYC. Key articles for any onboarding flow:
Data protection
Supervised by National DPA
Under the revised FADP: - Personal data may be processed outside Switzerland only where the destination jurisdiction has an FDPIC adequacy decision (EU/EEA, UK, Canada, Israel, Argentina, Uruguay, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, and — since 15 July 2024 — the United States under the Swiss–US DPF) o
Penalties for non-compliance
The common thread: FINMA does not publish fines proportional to turnover the way BaFin or the FCA do, but it disgorges profits, replaces senior management, bans individuals from regulated roles, and — in the severest cases — withdraws banking licences. For a compliance officer building a KYC program
Use cases
Neobanks, EMIs, payment institutions, lenders, brokerages.
A compliant fintech onboarding flow in Switzerland under AMLO-FINMA Art. 3 et seq. and Circular 2016/7 typically looks like this:
Exchanges, custodians, wallets, on/off-ramps.
Swiss VASPs operate under one of three regimes: (i) direct FINMA licensing as a bank, securities firm, fintech institution, or DLT trading facility; (ii) affiliation with a self-regulatory organisation such as VQF, ARIF, PolyReg, OAD-FCT, or SO-FIT (eleven recognised SROs as of early 2025); or (iii)
Sports betting, online casinos, age-gated platforms.
Online money-games may only be offered by operators affiliated with a Swiss land-based casino concession (currently: Swiss Casinos, Grand Casino Baden, Casino Davos, Casino Interlaken, Casino Pfäffikon, Grand Casino Luzern, and the French- and Italian-speaking operators). Identification is bound by
Gig platforms, delivery, creator economy, e-commerce.
Marketplaces sit outside AMLA unless they handle client money. The operative rules are: - FADP for personal-data processing and biometric consent. - Federal Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) on transparent identity representations between traders. - Revised Art. 178 Swiss Code of Obligations for
Biometric liveness
Circular 2016/7 does not name a specific PAD standard, but FINMA's inspection practice and the Swiss market have standardised on ISO/IEC 30107-3 Presentation Attack Detection, Level 2 as the minimum bar. For fully automated flows the Circular explicitly requires the system to detect replay, mask, and deepfake attacks, and to produce an auditable log of the liveness challenge. In practice, audits focus on three properties: algorithmic explainability of the liveness score, cryptographic binding of
CERTIFICATIONS
Our platform meets the highest international standards for information security, data privacy, and biometric accuracy.
Full EU data protection compliance
Information security management
PAD (liveness + face match)
TRUSTED WORLDWIDE
Join thousands of companies that trust Didit for their verification needs
Didit’s NFC + active biometrics technology blocks the most advanced fraud scenarios, offering a level of security equivalent to or superior to in-person verification.
Spanish Financial Sandbox
CNMV, SEPBLAC & Spanish Treasury — Conclusions Report
Didit is an exceptionally valuable partner, delivering a stable and highly adaptable solution”.
Vuk Adžić
Head of the E-Business Department at Crnogorski Telekom
Didit offered us a robust technology with a simple implementation and adaptability to different markets”.
Fernando Pinto
CEO & CoFounder at TucanPay
Thanks to Didit we have been able to reduce manual processes and improve data extraction accuracy”.
Diana Garcia
Trust & Safety Executive at Shiply
Didit’s integration slashed verification times and costs, freeing resources for other projects”.
Guillem Medina
COO at GBTC Finance
Didit removed KYC costs, enabling faster scaling with high verification standards and less fraud.”
Paul Martin
VP Marketing & Growth at Bondex
Didit’s secure, user-friendly verification boosts customer trust and optimizes our process.”
Cristofer Montenegro
Executive assistant to the CEO at Adelantos
Didit ensures a precise, secure digital onboarding without slowing negotiations or client time.”
Ernesto Betancourth
Gerente de riesgos at CrediDemo
FAQ
Yes. Switzerland permits remote KYC onboarding under its national AML framework, including document verification, biometric liveness and video identification where required by regulation.
Didit verifies all major national IDs, passports and residence permits issued in Switzerland, plus 14,000+ document types globally for cross-border flows.
Didit charges $0.30 per verification with 500 free checks per month. No contracts, no minimums. Competitors typically charge $1.00–$2.50+ per verification.
Yes. Didit screens against 1,000+ global watchlists including PEP databases, sanctions lists (EU, UN, OFAC, OFSI), and adverse media — covering all AML obligations in Switzerland.
Most regulated sectors in Switzerland require or strongly recommend biometric liveness detection for remote onboarding. Didit provides ISO 30107-3 PAD Level 2 certified liveness.
Yes. Didit supports document verification, liveness, AML screening and ongoing monitoring aligned with Switzerland’s crypto regulatory framework, including EU Travel Rule compliance where applicable.
Yes. Didit provides document-based age verification and identity confirmation suitable for Switzerland’s iGaming regulatory requirements.
500 free verifications per month. No contracts, no minimums. $0.30 per verification after the free tier.
