Reading and Ordering a Land Register Extract
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The land register extract shows a property's legal situation — ownership, easements such as rights of way, mortgages, and annotations. This page explains what the extract contains, who may see what, and how to order it in your canton.
This page explains publicly accessible registers and does not constitute tax, legal, construction, or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional for legal or tax questions.
Why the land register extract matters when checking a property
The land register extract is the authoritative source for a parcel's private-law encumbrances — precisely what the PLR cadastre does not show. When checking a property, it shows who owns the property and which third-party rights burden it.
What the land register extract contains
The extract is organised into ownership (who owns the property and in what form), easements and land charges (rights of way, pipeline, or building rights), mortgages, and annotations and priority notices. Some of this data is public; for a full extract you must show a legitimate interest.
Source: Land register (Federal Office of Justice, bj.admin.ch) · Glossary: easement · Checklist step 1: read the land register extract · Guide: find the EGRID
The land register is kept by canton, not nationally
There is no Switzerland-wide land register. Each canton keeps its own — depending on the canton through regional registry districts, one central cantonal office, or state notariates. The responsible body is always the one for the property's location; the Federal Office of Justice's directory leads to every cantonal land registry.
Source: Find a land registry office in Switzerland (Federal Office of Justice, bj.admin.ch)
Who may see what
Ownership, the property description, and easements can be viewed without showing an interest; for anything beyond that — mortgages in particular — you must show a legitimate interest (Art. 970 CC). How strictly that is applied, and what evidence is required, is for the cantonal body to decide.
Source: CC, Art. 970 (Fedlex)
Ordering the extract in the right canton
The ordering route, the form, and the fee differ from canton to canton — some cantons publish a fixed tariff, others bill by effort. For these cantons, a dedicated page names the responsible body, the ordering route, and the costs.
Source: Find a land registry office in Switzerland (Federal Office of Justice, bj.admin.ch) · Land register extract Zurich · Land register extract Bern · Land register extract Aargau · Land register extract Solothurn · Land register extract Valais · Land register extract Vaud · Land register extract Fribourg
The four honesty states
Every fact in an alpflo register brief carries exactly one of these states.
Confirmed in an official Swiss register. Direct source.
Register queried; nothing on this parcel. The absence is documented.
Derived from a model or an API: real, but not directly from the register. Please verify.
Hit an edge case. Stated honestly at the boundary, never silently discarded.
Frequently asked questions about the land register extract
What is the difference between the land register and the PLR cadastre?
The land register records private-law relationships — ownership, easements, mortgages. The PLR cadastre shows public-law restrictions such as zones and building lines. For a complete picture you need both.
Can I view any land register extract?
Only partly. Base data — owner, area, parcel number — is public. For the full extract with all encumbrances, you must show a legitimate interest.
How much does a land register extract cost?
The fee is set by canton and depends on scope and certification. A simple extract usually costs a few to a few dozen francs; the exact amount is stated by the responsible land registry.
What is an easement in the extract?
An easement is a third-party right recorded in the land register over the property — such as a right of way, pipeline right, or building right. It can restrict your use of the property and survives a change of owner.
Read next
What the public registers hold for an address — the parcel, the PLR cadastre, building data — alpflo compiles on request into a register brief for a specific property, every fact with its official source. Invoiced. A brief is written in German or French, for a German- or French-speaking commune — there is no English edition.
On request · invoiced · every fact with its source.