The casier judiciaire is the Swiss federal register of criminal convictions. It is known by this French name throughout Switzerland, regardless of the region where you live, and when someone asks you for ‘l’extrait du casier judiciaire’, they are asking for a certificate confirming that you have no relevant convictions here. It is used by employers, local authorities during the naturalisation process, some landlords, and any organisation wishing to check your Swiss criminal record. It is not the equivalent of the criminal record certificate you request in Spain: that is a Spanish document and says nothing about any convictions you may have in Switzerland.
There are two types of extract. The "extrait ordinaire" lists the most serious convictions that have not yet been removed from the register. The "extrait spécial" is the one you need to request if you are going to work with children or vulnerable people, such as teachers, sports coaches or nursery staff: this includes all convictions relevant to that type of role, even if they are old. The difference matters because, for many jobs in the social or educational sector, only the special extract is accepted.
The process is carried out entirely online via casier-judiciaire.admin.ch. There is no need to visit any office or use intermediaries. You can log in using SwissID or your Swiss electronic identity, or follow the postal procedure if you do not have digital identification. The cost is CHF 17 for the standard version and the extract arrives within a few days. The validity of the document is not set by law, but in practice most employers and public authorities accept it for up to 3 or 6 months after the date of issue.
Something few people realise: if you need to submit this extract abroad, for example in Spain, you must have it apostilled. The apostille is issued by the Federal Department of Justice and costs an additional CHF 35. Without it, the document has no official validity outside Switzerland. And if you need a Spanish criminal record for a procedure in Switzerland, you must request this directly from the Spanish Ministry of Justice, which has its own online portal.