On 7 November 2025 the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) announced that Switzerland’s sanctions database (SESAM) had been synchronised with the latest UN Security Council additions to the ISIL/Da’esh and Al-Qaida sanctions regime. Because Switzerland adopted an automatic-updating ordinance in 2016, the new names and entities took legal effect nationally the same day—without additional Federal Council action.
For global mobility practitioners, the change has two immediate implications. First, financial-sanctions screening of employees and business partners must include the refreshed SESAM list to avoid accidental facilitation of designated persons. Second, any individual appearing on the list is automatically barred from entering or transiting Switzerland, and airlines are obliged to deny boarding under Advance Passenger Information (API) checks.
![Switzerland Automatically Implements Updated UN Sanctions Lists for ISIL and Al-Qaida]()
Swiss banks and corporate mobility teams must therefore rerun sanctions screening on expatriates receiving Swiss payroll or holding Swiss bank accounts. Failure to freeze assets or report a match can trigger criminal penalties under the Embargo Act.
While the updated list primarily targets conflict zones, Swiss authorities stress that globalised travel patterns mean sanctioned individuals may attempt to transit Schengen airports. SECO recommends that companies with operations in the Middle East or Africa brief travel coordinators and update compliance software within 24 hours of each UN amendment.
For global mobility practitioners, the change has two immediate implications. First, financial-sanctions screening of employees and business partners must include the refreshed SESAM list to avoid accidental facilitation of designated persons. Second, any individual appearing on the list is automatically barred from entering or transiting Switzerland, and airlines are obliged to deny boarding under Advance Passenger Information (API) checks.
Swiss banks and corporate mobility teams must therefore rerun sanctions screening on expatriates receiving Swiss payroll or holding Swiss bank accounts. Failure to freeze assets or report a match can trigger criminal penalties under the Embargo Act.
While the updated list primarily targets conflict zones, Swiss authorities stress that globalised travel patterns mean sanctioned individuals may attempt to transit Schengen airports. SECO recommends that companies with operations in the Middle East or Africa brief travel coordinators and update compliance software within 24 hours of each UN amendment.
