1 La caution qui paie la dette en tout ou en partie doit en informer le débiteur.
2 Elle perd son droit de recours si elle omet de faire cette communication et que le débiteur ait payé une seconde fois parce qu’il ignorait et pouvait ignorer le paiement.
3 Est réservée l’action résultant de l’enrichissement illégitime du créancier.
1 The surety is released as soon as the principal obligation is extinguished for whatever reason.
2 Where the same person is both principal debtor and surety, the creditor retains the special privileges conferred by the contract of surety.
3 Any surety given by a natural person is extinguished once twenty years have elapsed from the date on which the contract was entered into. This does not apply to contracts of surety in favour of the Confederation or its public institutions or in favour of a canton for the performance of public law obligations such as customs duties, taxes and the like, and for freight charges, or to contracts of surety for the performance of official and civil service obligations and for periodic, recurrent obligations.
4 During the final year of this period, the creditor may resort to the surety even where a longer duration was agreed for the contract of surety, unless the surety has previously extended the contract or replaced it with a new one.
5 The contract of surety may be extended by means of a written declaration by the surety for an additional period of no more than ten years. However, the written declaration is valid only if done no earlier than one year before the contract expires.
6 Where the principal obligation becomes payable less than two years before the contract of surety expires and the creditor was unable to give notice to terminate it sooner, under a contract of surety of any type the creditor is entitled to resort to the surety without prior recourse to the principal debtor or the pledges. However, the surety has a right of recourse against the principal debtor even before the principal obligation becomes payable.
Ceci n’est pas une publication officielle. Seule la publication opérée par la Chancellerie fédérale fait foi. Ordonnance sur les publications officielles, OPubl.
This document is not an official publication. Only the publication of the Federal Chancellery is legally binding.