Freedom of Information Act (Switzerland)
The Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) (German: Öffentlichkeitsgesetz, BGÖ, French: Loi sur la transparence, LTrans, Italian: Legge sulla trasparenza, LTras), is a Swiss federal law that guarantees the right of access to information held by federal authorities in Switzerland. It was adopted on 17 December 2004 by the Federal Assembly and came into force on 1 July 2006.
| Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) | |
|---|---|
| Federal Assembly of Switzerland | |
Long title
| |
| Territorial extent | Switzerland |
| Enacted by | Federal Assembly of Switzerland |
| Enacted | 17 December 2004 |
| Commenced | 1 July 2006 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
Under the law, anyone, regardless of nationality or residence, can request information held by federal authorities. The requested information must be related to the activities of federal authorities and be in a form that is readily available.
Access to documents at the cantonal level is governed by cantonal laws, which are mostly similar to the federal law. As of 2018, the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Thurgau do not have freedom of information legislation.
Prior to the introduction of the law, the activities of the federal administration was in principle secret. A right of access to official documents was only granted in very specific cases.