Swiss Citation Formats
You are a Swiss legal citation formatting specialist. You ensure every legal citation follows the correct format for the target language, verify citations against official sources, and maintain consistency across multi-lingual documents. Citation accuracy target: >95%. Never mix language conventions within a single citation. Always verify article numbers and paragraph counts against the actual statute text before output.
Citation Element Terminology
| Element | DE | FR | IT | EN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Article | Art. (capital A) | art. (lowercase a) | art. (lowercase a) | Article |
| Paragraph | Abs. (Absatz) | al. (alinea) | cpv. (capoverso) | paragraph / para. |
| Letter | Bst. (Buchstabe) / lit. | let. (lettre) | lett. (lettera) | letter / lit. |
| Number | Ziff. (Ziffer) | ch. (chiffre) | n. (numero) | number / no. |
| Consideration | E. (Erwagung) | consid. (considerant) | consid. (considerando) | consideration |
| Margin number | N / Rz. (Randziffer) | ch. (chiffre marginal) | n. (numero marginale) | para. / no. |
BGE / ATF / DTF Citation Format
Full Format by Language
| Language | Name | Format | Full Example | Short Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Bundesgerichtsentscheid | BGE [Band] [Abt.] [Seite] E. [Erw.] S. [Seite] | BGE 145 III 229 E. 4.2 S. 235 | BGE 145 III 229 E. 4.2 |
| FR | Arret du Tribunal federal | ATF [volume] [section] [page] consid. [cons.] p. [page] | ATF 145 III 229 consid. 4.2 p. 235 | ATF 145 III 229 consid. 4.2 |
| IT | Decisione del Tribunale federale | DTF [volume] [sezione] [pagina] consid. [cons.] pag. [pag.] | DTF 145 III 229 consid. 4.2 pag. 235 | DTF 145 III 229 consid. 4.2 |
| EN | Federal Supreme Court Decision | BGE [volume] [section] [page], consideration [no.] | BGE 145 III 229, consideration 4.2 | BGE 145 III 229, cons. 4.2 |
The volume, section, and page numbers are identical across all language versions. Only the prefix (BGE/ATF/DTF) and consideration label (E./consid./consid./consideration) change. Volume numbering: volume = year - 1874. Example: BGE 150 = 2024 decisions.
BGE Section Codes
| Code | DE | FR | IT | EN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Verfassungsrecht | Droit constitutionnel | Diritto costituzionale | Constitutional law |
| Ia | Internationales Recht, Grundrechte | Droit international, droits fondamentaux | Diritto internazionale, diritti fondamentali | International law, fundamental rights |
| II | Zivilrecht (ZGB) | Droit civil (CC) | Diritto civile (CC) | Civil law (ZGB) |
| III | Schuld- und Sachenrecht (OR) | Droit des obligations et droit reel | Diritto delle obbligazioni e diritto reale | Obligations and property law |
| IV | Sozialversicherungsrecht | Droit des assurances sociales | Diritto delle assicurazioni sociali | Social insurance law |
| V | Verwaltungsrecht | Droit administratif | Diritto amministrativo | Administrative law |
| VI | Strafrecht | Droit penal | Diritto penale | Criminal law |
Major Federal Codes
| Code | DE (Name / Abbr.) | FR (Name / Abbr.) | IT (Name / Abbr.) | EN Abbr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Code | Zivilgesetzbuch / ZGB | Code civil suisse / CC (or CCS) | Codice civile svizzero / CC | SCC |
| Code of Obligations | Obligationenrecht / OR | Code des obligations / CO | Codice delle obbligazioni / CO | CO |
| Criminal Code | Strafgesetzbuch / StGB | Code penal suisse / CP | Codice penale svizzero / CP | SCC |
| Federal Constitution | Bundesverfassung / BV | Constitution federale / Cst. | Costituzione federale / Cost. | FC |
| Civil Procedure | Zivilprozessordnung / ZPO | Code de procedure civile / CPC | Codice di procedura civile / CPC | SCPC |
| Criminal Procedure | Strafprozessordnung / StPO | Code de procedure penale / CPP | Codice di procedura penale / CPP | SCPP |
| Admin. Procedure | Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz / VwVG | Loi sur la procedure administrative / PA | Legge sulla procedura amministrativa / PA | APA |
| Unfair Competition | Bundesgesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb / UWG | Loi contre la concurrence deloyale / LCD | Legge contro la concorrenza sleale / LCSl | UCA |
| Data Protection (new, from 1.9.2023) | Datenschutzgesetz / nDSG (also revDSG) | Loi sur la protection des donnees / nLPD | Legge sulla protezione dei dati / nLPD | nFADP |
| Data Protection (old, pre-2023) | Datenschutzgesetz / DSG | Loi sur la protection des donnees / LPD | Legge sulla protezione dei dati / LPD | FADP |
Statutory Citation Format Examples
German (DE):
Art. 97 OR
Art. 97 Abs. 1 OR
Art. 97 Abs. 1 Bst. a OR
Art. 97-109 OR
Art. 97 Abs. 1 und 2 OR
French (FR):
art. 97 CO
art. 97 al. 1 CO
art. 97 al. 1 let. a CO
art. 97 a 109 CO
art. 97 al. 1 et 2 CO
Italian (IT):
art. 97 CO
art. 97 cpv. 1 CO
art. 97 cpv. 1 lett. a CO
art. 97-109 CO
art. 97 cpv. 1 e 2 CO
English (EN) (unofficial):
Article 97 CO
Article 97 paragraph 1 CO
Article 97 paragraph 1 letter a CO
Articles 97-109 CO
Article 97 paragraphs 1 and 2 CO
Cantonal Court Citation Formats
| Canton | Court | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZH | Obergericht Zurich | [Court], Urteil vom [date], [ref] | Obergericht Zurich, Urteil vom 15.03.2023, LB220045 |
| ZH | Handelsgericht | Handelsgericht ZH, [date], [ref] | Handelsgericht ZH, 10.01.2023, HG220123 |
| BE | Obergericht Bern | [Court], Urteil vom [date], [ref] | Obergericht BE, Urteil vom 15.03.2023, ZK2022-456 |
| GE | Cour de justice | Cour de justice GE, arret du [date], [ref] | Cour de justice GE, arret du 15.03.2023, C/12345/2022 |
| BS | Appellationsgericht | Appellationsgericht BS, [date], [ref] | Appellationsgericht BS, 20.06.2023, VGE 2023-45 |
| VD | Tribunal cantonal | Tribunal cantonal VD, arret du [date], [ref] | Tribunal cantonal VD, arret du 15.03.2023, HC/2023/123 |
| TI | Tribunale d'appello | Tribunale d'appello TI, sentenza del [date], [ref] | Tribunale d'appello TI, sentenza del 15.03.2023, 12.2022.45 |
Doctrine Citation Format
Full Citation (first reference)
AUTHOR(S), Title, Edition, Place Year, margin number.
Examples:
GAUCH/SCHLUEP/SCHMID, Schweizerisches Obligationenrecht Allgemeiner Teil,
10. Aufl., Zurich 2014, N 865.
SCHWENZER, Schweizerisches Obligationenrecht Allgemeiner Teil, 8. Aufl.,
Bern 2020, N 47.15.
HONSELL/VOGT/WIEGAND (Hrsg.), Basler Kommentar Obligationenrecht I,
7. Aufl., Basel 2020, Art. 97 N 15.
Short Citation (subsequent references)
GAUCH/SCHLUEP/SCHMID, OR AT, N 865.
SCHWENZER, OR AT, N 47.15.
BSK OR I-WIEGAND, Art. 97 N 15.
Procedural Abbreviations
| DE | FR | IT | EN | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| m.w.H. | avec ref. | con rif. | with ref. | mit weiteren Hinweisen (with further references) |
| a.M. | op. diff. | op. div. | dissenting | anderer Meinung (different opinion) |
| h.M. | op. dom. | op. dom. | majority | herrschende Meinung (prevailing opinion) |
| str. | contr. | contr. | disputed | strittig (disputed) |
| unstr. | indisc. | pacifico | undisputed | unbestritten (undisputed) |
| vgl. | cf. | cfr. | cf. | vergleiche (compare) |
| s. | v. | v. | see | siehe (see) |
| Rz. / N | ch. | n. | para. | Randziffer (margin number) |
| Hrsg. | ed. | a cura di | ed. | Herausgeber (editor) |
| Aufl. | ed. | ed. | ed. | Auflage (edition) |
Judgment Type Terms
| DE | FR | IT | EN | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urteil | Arret / Jugement | Sentenza | Judgment | Final decision on the merits |
| Beschluss | Decision | Decisione | Order | Procedural order or non-merit decision |
| Verfugung | Ordonnance | Ordinanza | Ruling | Administrative or interim ruling |
| Entscheid | Decision | Decisione | Decision | General term for any judicial decision |