Arrest · attachment
An attachment freezes assets located in Switzerland before the claim has even been established. The German word Arrest does not mean the arrest of a person: it is a dangerous false friend in international cases. Sequestration and freezing order are no better, as they carry other meanings in common-law systems.
Request a demoThe term in four languages
- German
- Arrest
- French
- séquestre
- Italian
- sequestro
- English
- attachment
Definition
Attachment is a protective measure that allows the creditor of a debt that is due and not secured by a pledge to have the debtor's assets in Switzerland attached. The court authorises it in the cases provided for by law. These include cases where the debtor has no fixed domicile, seeks to evade their obligations or does not reside in Switzerland. The creditor must then validate the attachment by debt enforcement proceedings or a court action.
Swiss federal acts are published in German, French and Italian, and all three versions are equally authoritative. The English term shown here comes from the Federal Administration's English translation, published on Fedlex for information only. Where there is no translation, it follows common usage.
Full glossaryThe term in an official text
powered by Neur.onDer Gläubiger kann für eine fällige Forderung, soweit diese nicht durch ein Pfand gedeckt ist, Vermögensstücke des Schuldners, die sich in der Schweiz befinden, mit Arrest belegen lassen: 1. wenn der Schuldner keinen festen Wohnsitz hat; 2. wenn der Schuldner in der Absicht, sich der Erfüllung seiner Verbindlichkeiten zu entziehen, Vermögensgegenstände beiseite schafft, sich flüchtig macht oder Anstalten zur Flucht trifft; 3. wenn der Schuldner auf der Durchreise begriffen ist oder zu den Personen gehört, welche Messen und Märkte besuchen, für Forderungen, die ihrer Natur nach sofort zu erfüllen sind; 4. wenn der Schuldner nicht in der Schweiz wohnt, kein anderer Arrestgrund gegeben ist, die Forderung aber einen genügenden Bezug zur Schweiz aufweist oder auf einer Schuldanerkennung im Sinne von Artikel 82 Absatz 1 beruht; 5. wenn der Gläubiger gegen den Schuldner einen provisorischen oder einen definitiven Verlustschein besitzt; 6. wenn der Gläubiger gegen den Schuldner einen definitiven Rechtsöffnungstitel besitzt.
The creditor may request that assets of a debtor that are located in Switzerland be attached for a debt that is due and not secured by a pledge: 1. if the debtor has no fixed domicile; 2. if the debtor, with the intention of evading the fulfilment of his obligations, removes assets, absconds or makes preparations to abscond; 3. if the debtor is travelling through or is a person who visits fairs and markets, for claims which by their nature must be settled immediately; 4. if the debtor does not reside in Switzerland, no other grounds for attachment exist, but the claim has a sufficient connection to Switzerland or is based on an acknowledgement of debt within the meaning of Article 82 paragraph 1; 5. if the creditor holds a provisional or definitive unpaid debt certificate against the debtor; 6. if the creditor has a court judgment or equivalent pursuant to Article 80.
Source: Fedlex, Federal Act on Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy. In Corrext, this segment and the ones around it appear in Fast lookup CHnell, each with its reference.