Federal Council sets Nov. 1 start date for Swiss air-passenger data law
Published · Updated
What happened
The Federal Council announced that the legal basis for collecting and processing air-passenger data will enter into force on 1 November 2026, with operational use planned from February 2027.
Why it matters
The decision fixes a government timetable for deploying a new investigative dataset that can support terrorism and serious-crime cases, and it starts the operational and compliance work needed before the system goes live.
The Federal Council decided on 18 September 2026 to bring Switzerland's new air-passenger data law into force on 1 November 2026. The government said Swiss authorities should be able to start using the data from February 2027 for terrorism and serious-crime investigations. The step turns a previously adopted legal framework into an implementation timetable, creating near-term tasks for police, intelligence, border and data-protection authorities.
Watch for
Federal Office of Police publication after 2026-09-20 of implementation guidance naming the PNR data controller, access rules or carrier obligations Federal Council or Fedlex release after 2026-09-20 of the ordinance text or entry-into-force package for the passenger-data law Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner statement after 2026-09-20 on safeguards, retention or oversight for passenger-data processing Swiss Federal Customs and Border Security notice after 2026-09-20 on technical or procedural integration with air-passenger data systems at Swiss airports
Sources
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