Three countries, three sets of rules — one overview.

SCHUFA, KSV1870, CRIF: who stores what, which rights apply and which deadlines run. Anyone who knows the differences gives away no claims.

The three systems

Germany: SCHUFA and the GDPR, settled entries three years or 18 months with the 100-day rule. Austria: KSV1870 with the banks' warning list and CRIF, usually three years after full payment. Switzerland: CRIF, Intrum and above all the debt enforcement register, enforcements visible for five years, blockable under Art. 8a SchKG.

The direct comparison

Free access under Art. 15 GDPR in Germany and Austria and Art. 25 DSG in Switzerland; after personal insolvency six months in Germany, deletion after the discharge procedure in Austria, loss certificates up to 20 years in Switzerland; supervision by the state data protection authorities, the Austrian DSB and the Swiss FDPIC.

Frequently asked questions

Which credit bureau is responsible for me?

The one of the country in which you enter into contracts: in Germany mainly SCHUFA (alongside Creditreform Boniversum and CRIF), in Austria KSV1870 and CRIF Austria, in Switzerland CRIF and Intrum. Anyone who moves or works across borders often has data in two countries — and should check both.

Do I get free access everywhere?

Yes. In Germany and Austria under Art. 15 GDPR, in Switzerland under Art. 25 of the revised Data Protection Act. The bureaus also sell paid products — for checking your own data the free data copy is always enough.

Is data exchanged between the countries?

Not automatically: a Swiss bank does not see SCHUFA entries, a KSV entry stays in Austria. But international groups such as CRIF are active in several countries, and with cross-border contracts (car leasing, say) providers sometimes enquire in the neighbouring country. One should not rely on the separation.

Do the deletion deadlines apply equally everywhere?

No — that is the most important difference: Germany deletes settled claims after three years (18 months with the 100-day rule), Austria knows for the “KSV entry” after full payment a deletion after three years from the warning list, Switzerland stores enforcements for five years in the debt enforcement register. Anyone who transfers deadlines from one country to another is calculating wrongly.

Does FIAON help in all three countries?

Yes — that is the core of the offer: obtaining, checking and enforcement at SCHUFA, KSV1870 and CRIF from one hand, with the respective national rules. The country pages for Austria and Switzerland explain the particularities.

Read on

Creditworthiness in Austria, in plain terms. – KSV1870 and CRIF explained, self-disclosure under Art. 15 GDPR, deletion deadlines, the banks' warning lists — and how FIAON prepares account and card.
Creditworthiness in Switzerland, in plain terms. – The debt enforcement register extract, CRIF and Intrum explained, access under Art. 25 DSG, blocking unjustified enforcements — and the path to a card.
Requesting your credit report — free or reviewed. – The free route under Art. 15 GDPR and the reviewed FIAON route for €74 compared: obtaining, plain-language explanation, a check of every entry.