Use your own domain
With a custom domain, your QR codes use your own domain name (for example qr.your-company.ch/r/…) instead of qrsuisse.ch/r/…. Once the domain is active, the addresses and images of all the account's QR codes that we offer you use it automatically, with no further setup.
This feature is included in the Pro and Entreprise plans, with only one domain per account. It is managed on the Custom domain screen, accessible from the card of the same name on the Subscription screen (Configure a domain or Manage buttons). The screen is reserved for members who have the Manager of the subscription permission (or Administrator).
Read this before printing. QR codes printed with your custom domain only work as long as this domain is active. They stop working, with no grace period and with no exception for your 3 oldest QR codes:
- when your Pro or Entreprise subscription ends;
- if you remove the domain;
- if our verifications find that your DNS configuration no longer points to QR Suisse or can no longer be verified, in particular if your domain name is not renewed.
Like all your QR codes, they also stop working during a service interruption, and if your account is suspended or deleted.
Do not count on any delay: the cut-off may be immediate, without notice. In particular, if your DNS configuration no longer points to QR Suisse, scans no longer reach us at all, even before our check. QR Suisse cannot redirect these QR codes to the QR Suisse address: the printed address contains your domain name, which we do not control. Before printing durable materials or large quantities, make sure you can maintain your subscription and your DNS configuration for as long as these materials will be in use. The full rules are set out in §9.4 of the terms and conditions.
Before adding a domain
Choose a subdomain
Use a subdomain of a domain name you control, for example qr.your-company.ch or links.your-company.ch. Your domain name on its own (your-company.ch) is not accepted.
You remain solely responsible for your domain name, for its renewal with your registrar and for your DNS configuration.
The domain's name becomes public, permanently
Once the domain is verified, a security certificate (HTTPS) is obtained for it from the Let's Encrypt certificate authority (United States), the first time your domain is accessed. Its name is then permanently recorded in public logs that anyone can consult (Certificate Transparency). It stays there even if you remove this domain or delete your account: neither we nor Let's Encrypt can remove it. So avoid a name that reveals confidential information, for example a project not yet announced. The privacy policy describes this processing in detail (§2.7).
Set up your domain
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On the Custom domain screen, enter your subdomain in the Subdomain field, then click Save this domain.
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The screen shows “… — DNS configuration pending” and the two DNS records to create with your DNS provider. Both are mandatory:
Type Name / Host Value / Target CNAME your subdomain (for example qr.your-company.ch)the target shown on screen TXT _qrsuisse-verify.followed by your subdomainthe verification value shown on screen Each value has its own Copy button. Depending on your DNS provider, the “Name” field expects either the full name displayed, or only the part before your domain.
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Wait for propagation, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24-48 hours depending on your provider. We check automatically every day. You can also click Verify now (with a wait of at least 30 seconds between two checks).
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As soon as the check succeeds, the screen shows “… — active” and the date it went live.
What changes once the domain is active
- The QR code addresses and images that QR Suisse offers you use your domain, for all the QR codes of the account, existing and future: in the dashboard, in exports (ZIP, CSV) and in API responses. An image downloaded after activation therefore does not encode the same address as an image downloaded before.
- The QR Suisse address remains valid. Each QR code keeps its
qrsuisse.ch/r/…address, even though the dashboard, exports and API no longer offer it while your domain is active. Materials already printed with this address keep working, under the usual rules of your plan, including after a subscription ends. - Only your QR codes respond on your domain. On your domain, QR Suisse only serves your account's QR codes: other accounts' QR codes are never accessible there.
While your account is on a paid plan, we regularly re-check your DNS configuration. A single failure is not enough to deactivate your domain: it is only deactivated after two consecutive failed automatic checks. A failure that is too old is no longer taken into account: the next failed check is then treated as a first failure. A check that we cannot carry out because of an incident on our side is not counted as a failure. The Verify now button never deactivates an active domain.
This mechanism is there to avoid a cut-off caused by a temporary incident. It is not a grace period: if your DNS configuration no longer points to QR Suisse, your QR codes printed with your domain stop working at once, whatever the result of our checks.
Your domain's statuses
| Status displayed | What it means | Your QR codes printed with your domain |
|---|---|---|
| DNS configuration pending | The records have not been verified yet | None can use it yet: your QR codes use qrsuisse.ch |
| active | The check succeeded and your subscription is current | They work |
| incorrect configuration | A check failed during setup or, for a domain that was already active, our automatic checks failed twice in a row (record missing or changed, domain name expired) | They no longer work until a new check succeeds |
| inactive without a paid subscription | Your account no longer has a Pro or Entreprise subscription | They no longer lead to their destination |
If the configuration becomes incorrect
After a first failure, your domain remains active and the screen shows a warning with the reason. After two consecutive failed automatic checks, the domain is deactivated. The screen gives the reason, for example “No CNAME record was found for this name.” or “The verification TXT record does not contain the expected value.”. The addresses offered switch back to qrsuisse.ch, and a warning appears in the dashboard (“… is no longer used — back to qrsuisse.ch.”). Fix your records with your DNS provider, then click Verify now. The domain becomes active again as soon as a check succeeds.
When your domain stops working following the end of your Pro or Entreprise subscription, a DNS configuration found to be incorrect (after two consecutive failed automatic checks for an active domain), the suspension of the account or its move to the “pending permanent deletion” state, the account's administrators are in principle informed by email, during the daily check that follows the cut-off. No email is sent if you remove the domain yourself. No email is sent after a first failure: only the Custom domain screen shows it. This email is not advance notice: it arrives after the cut-off, with no guaranteed timing, and does not replace monitoring your DNS configuration and your subscription.
Note: if your DNS configuration no longer points to QR Suisse, scans no longer reach us at all, even before our check. Your QR codes printed with your domain then stop working immediately.
End of subscription, change of plan
- Switching from Pro to Entreprise, or from Entreprise to Pro, does not change your domain.
- When a Pro or Entreprise subscription ends, the domain stops being provided, with no grace period. Your configuration is kept unless you remove the domain: the screen shows “… — inactive without a paid subscription”.
- If you take out a Pro or Entreprise subscription again, the domain becomes active again with no new setup, provided your DNS records are still in place. If it had been deactivated by a failed check, a new check must succeed first.
Remove your domain
You can remove your domain at any time, whatever your plan, with the Remove this domain link. A confirmation screen first reminds you of the consequences:
- if the domain is active, QR codes already printed or distributed with this domain stop working as soon as it is removed. The dashboard, exports and API offer you the
qrsuisse.ch/r/…addresses again, which never stopped being valid; - if the domain already no longer works (Free plan, incorrect configuration), keeping it allows these QR codes to work again later, with a Pro or Entreprise subscription and a correct DNS configuration, with no new setup; removing it means redoing everything.
Removal deletes your configuration. To use this domain again, it must be added and verified again, with a new verification record, which requires a Pro or Entreprise subscription. Once removed, the domain can be added by another QR Suisse account, provided that account in turn proves it controls this name, with its own verification record. If you no longer use this subdomain, also delete its records with your DNS provider.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my domain name directly, without a subdomain?
No. Only a subdomain is accepted, for example qr.your-company.ch, and not your-company.ch.
How many custom domains can I have?
1 per account, on the Pro and Entreprise plans.
Do my QR codes already printed with qrsuisse.ch keep working?
Yes. The qrsuisse.ch/r/… address of each QR code remains valid. It follows the usual rules of your plan, including after a subscription ends.
What happens to my QR codes printed with my domain if I cancel?
They stop working at the end of the subscription, with no grace period and with no exception for your 3 oldest QR codes. They can work again if you take out a Pro or Entreprise subscription again and your DNS records are still in place.
Can QR Suisse redirect my QR codes printed with my domain to qrsuisse.ch?
No. The printed address contains your domain name, which QR Suisse does not control.
How long does it take for my domain to become active?
DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24-48 hours depending on your provider. We check automatically every day; the Verify now button runs an immediate check.
Why does my domain show “incorrect configuration”?
Because a check failed during setup or, if the domain was already active, because our automatic checks failed twice in a row: one of the two DNS records (CNAME or TXT) is missing or has been changed, for example because your domain name has expired. The screen gives the reason. Fix the record, then click Verify now.
Is my domain's name public?
Yes. Once your domain is verified, it is permanently recorded in public certificate logs (Certificate Transparency), even if you later remove it or delete your account. It is also already visible in the public DNS as soon as you create your records. Choose a name that reveals nothing confidential.
The message “This domain name is already in use” appears: what should I do?
This domain is already registered on another QR Suisse account. A name can only be attached to one account. First check that it is not used elsewhere in your organisation. Otherwise, write to contact@qrsuisse.ch: we will look into the situation, without being able to give you any information about the account concerned.
My account is returning to the Free plan: do I have to remove my domain?
No, it is not mandatory. The domain remains registered on your account without working; if you take out a Pro or Entreprise subscription again, it works again with no new setup, provided your DNS records are still in place. You can also remove it, for example so that another QR Suisse account can use it.