From 1 January 2026, airlines operating any flight that lands in or departs from Switzerland must transmit complete Passenger Name Record (PNR) data to a newly-created Passenger Information Unit (PIU) in Bern. The obligation stems from the Federal Air Passenger Data Act, part of a wider legislative package that entered into force this week and was highlighted in a 5 January government round-up of new laws.
The Swiss scheme mirrors EU PNR rules but goes further by covering outbound as well as inbound services. Carriers—Swiss or foreign—must send two data uploads: 48–24 hours before scheduled departure and again immediately after the flight is closed out. Records include itinerary, ticket number, payment method, seat selection and any Advance Passenger Information (API) previously captured. Data will be stored for up to five years, with identities anonymised after six months unless the traveller is flagged for follow-up.
VisaHQ’s dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can lighten that burden. The platform not only tracks entry-visa requirements but also keeps corporate travel teams apprised of ancillary data mandates such as the new PNR uploads, offers automated checklist generation, and integrates with major booking tools so that passenger details are validated before tickets are issued—minimising the risk of last-minute compliance gaps or costly fines.
![New Swiss Air Passenger Data Law Takes Effect, Forcing Airlines to Share PNR on Every International Flight]()
For multinationals the change alters compliance workflows overnight. Corporate travel managers must ensure that booking tools and global distribution systems pass the new mandatory fields; failure can trigger fines of up to CHF 50 000 per flight and, ultimately, loss of landing rights. Travel-management companies report that several Asian carriers requested emergency IT support over the weekend to meet Switzerland’s secure-line requirements. HR teams are also warning expatriates that secondary security screening may become more common while algorithms are calibrated.
Authorities argue the law is essential to fight terrorism and serious crime and to keep Switzerland inside the US Visa Waiver Programme, which requires robust PNR exchange. Privacy advocates, however, criticise the breadth of data collected and the fact that profiles can be created on the basis of ‘travel patterns’ rather than hard intelligence. The Federal Office of Police says all searches will be audited and that travellers may request to see their stored data under the Federal Data Protection Act.
Practical takeaway for businesses: audit TMC data feeds immediately, update privacy notices, and brief travellers that additional questions at check-in are possible. Frequent-flyer numbers and corporate lodge cards should now be treated as personal data because they sit inside the PNR record.
The Swiss scheme mirrors EU PNR rules but goes further by covering outbound as well as inbound services. Carriers—Swiss or foreign—must send two data uploads: 48–24 hours before scheduled departure and again immediately after the flight is closed out. Records include itinerary, ticket number, payment method, seat selection and any Advance Passenger Information (API) previously captured. Data will be stored for up to five years, with identities anonymised after six months unless the traveller is flagged for follow-up.
VisaHQ’s dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can lighten that burden. The platform not only tracks entry-visa requirements but also keeps corporate travel teams apprised of ancillary data mandates such as the new PNR uploads, offers automated checklist generation, and integrates with major booking tools so that passenger details are validated before tickets are issued—minimising the risk of last-minute compliance gaps or costly fines.
For multinationals the change alters compliance workflows overnight. Corporate travel managers must ensure that booking tools and global distribution systems pass the new mandatory fields; failure can trigger fines of up to CHF 50 000 per flight and, ultimately, loss of landing rights. Travel-management companies report that several Asian carriers requested emergency IT support over the weekend to meet Switzerland’s secure-line requirements. HR teams are also warning expatriates that secondary security screening may become more common while algorithms are calibrated.
Authorities argue the law is essential to fight terrorism and serious crime and to keep Switzerland inside the US Visa Waiver Programme, which requires robust PNR exchange. Privacy advocates, however, criticise the breadth of data collected and the fact that profiles can be created on the basis of ‘travel patterns’ rather than hard intelligence. The Federal Office of Police says all searches will be audited and that travellers may request to see their stored data under the Federal Data Protection Act.
Practical takeaway for businesses: audit TMC data feeds immediately, update privacy notices, and brief travellers that additional questions at check-in are possible. Frequent-flyer numbers and corporate lodge cards should now be treated as personal data because they sit inside the PNR record.
