Erotic Night Club in Lucerne, Switzerland

Selling and buying sex between adults are legal in Switzerland, and since a 2021 Federal Supreme Court ruling the agreed payment enjoys criminal-law protection. Brothels and other venues are legal under cantonal rules, which in cantons such as Geneva and Ticino include registration of sex workers and a declaration or permit for venues. Procuring is a crime only where it exploits a person (Art. 195 StGB). There is no federal ban on advertising; cantonal rules vary. The National Council rejected a ban on buying sex in 2022, and in 2025 parliament asked the Federal Council to update its 2015 report on prostitution and human trafficking. Source: Prostitution Laws (prostitutionlaws.org), https://prostitutionlaws.org/countries/switzerland/, reviewed 2026-11-03, CC BY 4.0.