Factsheet
AGOV – Authentication Service of the Swiss Authorities
AGOV, definition
The Federal Act on the Use of Electronic Means to Carry Out Official Tasks (EMOTA German: EMBAG ) mandates the Swiss Federal Chancellery to provide an authentication service for all Swiss authorities (AGOV). AGOV can be used in all contexts: E-Government, Enterprise, i.e., X2G. For the E-Government of the central Federal Administration, AGOV is mandatory, while it is recommended for all other Swiss authorities; third-party systems can be connected to AGOV provided this is permitted by the EMBAG or special legislation. There are no restrictions on the end-user side: AGOV is available internationally to all people in all roles, in particular private individuals, business representatives, and other acting persons.
AGOV, objectives and impact
- Cost savings for authorities, as there is no need to maintain their own login systems (the operation of certain cantonal login systems has already been discontinued).
- Unified login process for* all digital administrative procedures in Switzerland.
- Promotion of digitalisation, particularly in the healthcare sector: AGOV is also intended to be used for the (new) electronic patient record.
- High cybersecurity for users and authorities, as only hardened authentication factors are used (no passwords and no SMS codes).
- AGOV will be the first major application area of the e-ID: where a securely verified identity is required (e.g. for the electronic patient record), users will be able to identify themselves online with the e-ID during their initial registration with AGOV. This additional option is planned with the introduction of the e-ID on 1 December 2026.
*mandatory for the central Federal Administration. Optional for all other Swiss authorities. Can be used sectorally beyond authority boundaries via specific legal regulations. Available to all people worldwide, acting for themselves or others, e.g., legal entities, with or without identity verification, and with or without the use of an e-ID.
AGOV in numbers
1.8 million Swiss residents have an AGOV account. In 2025, 8 million logins were carried out via AGOV – with a strongly increasing trend. The entire federal and army e-government as well as the e-government of 14 cantons are connected to AGOV. Additional cantons are planned. All 26 cantons have expressed interest.
→ Current status (monthly)
→ AGOV Statistics
Funding
The development and introduction of AGOV cost around CHF 16 million and are financed two-thirds by the “Agenda DPSS” (Digital Public Services Switzerland). The operating costs of AGOV amount to around CHF 5 million per year and are shared equally between the Confederation and the participating cantons. The allocation key among the individual cantons is based on population size.
Governance
AGOV is managed by the Federal Chancellery as a standard service. The departments are involved via the Standard Services Steering Committee, and the participating cantons via the AGOV Steering Committee.
Security and resilience
AGOV is continuously tested for vulnerabilities במסגרת a public bug bounty program and is regularly subjected to penetration testing by armasuisse. From 2027 onwards, its operation will be highly available and resilient, both in federal data centres and in privately operated Swiss data centres.
Legal basis
he central legal bases for AGOV are the EMBAG Act, the eIDA Act and the IAMV Ordinance; they define the scope of application of AGOV and authorise the corresponding data processing.