Help Center | Address Verification

ONBOARDING HELP

Address Verification for Your Card Acceptance Agreement

In addition to your ID and an extract from the commercial register, we need a current proof of address for your contract with TeleCash byFiserv. Here you can find out why this is required by law, which documents we accept, and what happens to your documents.

READ THIS FIRST

Three Factors That Determine Your Activation

One document is enough

You submit a single document issued in your name or in your company’s name. See below for a list of acceptable documents.

No older than three months

We cannot accept older documents because they do not prove that the address is still valid today. Be sure to check the date of issue before you scan anything.

No Proof, No Activation

The Money Laundering Act prohibits entering into a business relationship without full identification. Until we receive confirmation of your address, we cannot activate your contract.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Why German law applies to your Swiss business

If your contract is with TeleCash byFiserv, your card payments are processed from Bad Homburg, Germany. As a payment service provider, TeleCash is regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and, in accordance with the German Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG), must identify every contracting party before the business relationship begins. It doesn’t matter whether your business is based in Germany or Switzerland.

According to Section 11(4) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG), the address of the registered office or principal place of business must be collected for companies, and the residential address for individuals. This applies to both your business and the person signing the contract. Section 12 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG) specifies which documents may be used to verify this information. Because the address cannot always be verified using standard Swiss documents, we require additional proof.

BACKGROUND

Why an ID and an extract from the commercial register aren’t enough

No address on the ID card

Swiss passports and ID cards do not include a residential address. Therefore, your address cannot be verified using these documents.

Legal domicile is not the same as location

The commercial register extract shows your company’s registered address. This is not necessarily the location where your terminal is in use.

Not every business is registered

Sole proprietorships with annual revenue of less than CHF 100,000 are often not listed in the commercial register. For these businesses, there is no extract available that could verify their address.

The address must be current

A recent document confirms that your address is still current. That is why we are asking for a current document, not just any document.

PREPARATION

What types of documentation do we accept?

Please send us one of the following documents. It must be in your name or your company’s name and must not be more than three months old.

  • Certificate of Residence from Your Municipality (Resident Registration Office)
  • Electricity, gas, phone, or Internet bill
  • Bank or PostFinance account statement showing your full address
  • For the business location: A lease agreement for the business premises or an invoice made out to your company and listing the location address
PRIVACY POLICY

What Happens to Your Documents

We use your documents exclusively for the identification purposes required by law and treat them confidentially. Pursuant to Section 8(4) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG), they will be retained for at least five years, calculated from the end of the calendar year in which the business relationship ends. You can find out how we handle your data in general in our Privacy Policy for Merchants.

Legal Basis

Not sure if your document is a good fit?

Here you’ll find all the information summarized in a handy reference sheet. If your document is more than three months old, is issued in a different name, or if you don’t have any of the required documents listed, please contact us before sending anything in. We’ll work with you to figure out what works best in your situation.

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Privacy Policy for Merchants

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The identification requirement is set forth in the German Money Laundering Act and applies to contracts processed through TeleCash byFiserv. SwiPay acts as an independent acquiring partner in facilitating the contract. This page is part of the SwiPay Help Center and is not a substitute for legal advice.