Switzerland maintains a notable level of fax usage, driven by the country's strong traditions of privacy, regulatory precision, and administrative formality. In a nation where banking confidentiality, data protection, and meticulous record-keeping are deeply embedded in professional culture, fax continues to serve as a trusted channel for secure document transmission across finance, healthcare, law, government, and cross-border trade.
The financial sector is a defining driver of fax usage in Switzerland. Banks, private wealth managers, insurance companies, and fiduciary firms use fax for account documents, transaction confirmations, compliance correspondence, and client communications. Switzerland's financial regulatory framework -- overseen by FINMA (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) -- requires robust controls over the transmission of sensitive client information, and fax provides a direct, point-to-point channel with built-in delivery confirmation. In an industry built on discretion and precision, fax remains a practical fit for communications where auditability and secure delivery are expected.
Government administration at the federal and cantonal levels sustains active fax usage. Federal offices, cantonal administrations (Kantonsverwaltungen), Gemeinden (municipalities), courts, and tax authorities maintain fax lines for receiving official submissions, applications, and correspondence. Switzerland's decentralised federal structure -- with 26 cantons operating substantial administrative autonomy -- means that fax infrastructure varies by region and office, but it remains widely available as a supported channel. The multilingual nature of Swiss administration (German, French, Italian, and Romansh) adds further complexity, and fax provides a language-neutral, format-neutral transmission method that works across all regions.
Healthcare is another area of sustained reliance. Hospitals, specialist clinics, Hausarztpraxen (GP practices), pharmacies, and Spitex (home care services) use fax for patient records, referrals, prescriptions, and insurance correspondence. Switzerland's revised Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP/nDSG), which came into effect in 2023, reinforces strict requirements for handling personal data including health information, and fax remains a familiar channel for transmitting sensitive documents within the health system. The country's pharmaceutical industry -- centred in the Basel region -- also uses fax for regulatory submissions, supply chain documentation, and correspondence with international partners.
The legal profession rounds out the picture. Swiss Anwälte (lawyers), Notare (notaries), and courts use fax for contracts, legal notices, court filings, and official correspondence. The transmission confirmation provides proof of delivery that carries weight in time-sensitive legal proceedings. For guidance on preparing legal documents for fax, see our guide on how to fax legal documents online.
For anyone sending a fax to Switzerland, the country code is +41, and the leading zero of the area code must be dropped when dialling internationally. For example, a Zurich number beginning with 044 becomes +41 44 followed by the local number. For detailed formatting instructions, see our guide on how to send an international fax online.
JustFax Online makes it straightforward to send a fax to Switzerland from anywhere in the world. Upload your document -- PDF, PNG, JPEG, or TIFF -- enter the Swiss fax number with the country code +41, and send. No account, no subscription, no app required. You pay a flat rate for the first four pages, with additional pages priced separately. If delivery fails after all retry attempts, you are not charged. To get started, see our step-by-step guide to sending a fax online.