Goods Control Ordinance (GCO)
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Section 1 Import
Art. 19 Requirements and documents for import licences and import certificates
1 Import licences and import certificates are only issued to natural persons or legal entities that are domiciled or have their registered office or permanent establishment on Swiss customs territory or in a Swiss customs-free zone. 2 SECO may request the following documents in particular: a. company profiles; b. order confirmations, contracts of sale or invoices; c. end use certificates from the end recipient.
Art. 20 Term of validity
Import licences and import certificates are valid for two years.
Art. 21 Import licences
1 Any person who wishes to import goods listed in Annex 2 Part 2 category 9 and are intended for systems with a load capacity of at least 500 kg and range of at least 300 km requires a licence from SECO. 2 Import licences may be made dependent on end use certificates. 3 The importer must on request be able to provide proof of import in due form or of end use.
Art. 22 Import certificate
1 Any person who wishes to import goods for which the supplying country expressly requires an import certificate may request SECO to issue an import certificate. 2 SECO may make the issue of import certificates conditional on the submission of proof of the intended import and the end use of the goods.
Art. 23 Special import conditions
1 Any person who wishes to import goods in accordance with Annex 2 Part 1 must provide the SFOE with written confirmation that they are aware that the goods are subject to international obligations. 2 The SFOE may request proof of import in due form or of end use from the importer and end recipient. 3 It may verify the end use of the goods in on-site inspections.
Para. 1 — The correction of 23 Aug. 2016 relates to the Italian text only (AS 2016 2969).
Section 2 Transit
Art. 24
1 SECO shall refuse to allow transit where there are grounds for refusal in accordance with Article 6 GCA. 2 It shall also refuse to allow the transit of goods in accordance with Annexes 2–5 if no licence for export from the country of origin or the supplying state to the final destination state is produced. 3 Proof that the goods have been supplied legally must be provided on the entry of the goods into Swiss customs territory. 4 Paragraphs 2 and 3 do not apply to: a. goods intended for a state that is listed in Annex 7; b. state-employed security agents on pre-arranged official transit journeys, provided their firearms with the ammunition pertaining thereto are carried though in transit; c. air passengers who stopover in Switzerland and who carry with them in their baggage weapons for personal use in accordance with Article 4 WA, their parts and components and accessories, or ammunition and munitions parts and components, provided these goods do not leave the transit area of the airp
Section 3 Brokerage
Art. 25
1 Any person who wishes to broker goods that they know or have reason to believe are intended for the development, manufacture, use, passing on or deployment of NBC weapons must request SECO for a licence. 2 SECO shall refuse to allow the brokerage if there is reason to believe that the goods to be brokered are intended for the development, manufacture, use, passing on or deployment of NBC weapons.