New passenger-data and Schengen rules take effect in Switzerland

Three areas of Swiss rules change on November 1: airlines will transmit passenger data to a national authority, police cooperation under Schengen will follow a new ordinance, and identity-document rules will be updated. The measures place new procedures around travel information and the documents Swiss citizens use to cross borders.

The passenger-data regulation implements the Air Passenger Data Act passed by Parliament. It sets the format and timing for airline submissions to the Passenger Information Unit, or PIU, and requires passengers to be told about data collection before booking. The government says the system is intended to help combat terrorism and serious crime while meeting data-protection requirements.

A separate ordinance details how Swiss authorities handle and exchange personal data through the Schengen Information System. The package also updates rules for passports and identity cards, including chip options and biometric data. Together, the changes bring aviation security, international police cooperation and identity documents under revised procedures from the same date.

Airlines will have to send detailed passenger information to Switzerland’s Passenger Information Unit (PIU) from November 1. The new regulation lays out the formats and timelines for those submissions, creating a formal process for transferring air-travel data to a national authority.

The measure implements the Air Passenger Data Act passed by Parliament. Its stated purpose is to make it easier to combat terrorism and serious crime. Passengers must be informed about the collection of their data before they make a booking, bringing notice of the process into the reservation stage.

The rules also call for compliance with data-protection requirements. That places passenger information within a defined framework for collection and handling, alongside the security objective. For airlines, the change means following the prescribed submission procedures. For travellers, the new notice will explain that data is collected before they complete a booking. The provisions take effect on the same day as the revised Schengen and identity-document rules.

A new ordinance sets out how Swiss authorities will manage personal data within the Schengen Information System (SIS). It defines the system’s national component and the duties of the SIRENE Bureau, Switzerland’s reference and coordination centre for SIS matters at the Federal Office of Police, known as Fedpol.

The ordinance establishes procedures for Swiss authorities to manage and exchange personal data as part of international police cooperation. Switzerland says the changes implement its Schengen obligations and are intended to strengthen internal security and make border controls more effective through standardised data processing.

The SIRENE Bureau’s coordination role connects Swiss handling of SIS information with cooperation among Schengen states. The revised procedures take effect on November 1. They form part of a wider set of changes affecting passenger information and identity documents, but focus specifically on the way authorities process and exchange data for police cooperation. Switzerland has also reported separately on plans to collect data from visitors arriving from outside the Schengen area.