Switzerland
Switzerland has unusually broad freedom of panorama: you can sell images of public buildings and even murals, but not interiors.
Guidance, not legal advice
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Local authority or site owner for commercial shoots; no permit for personal street photography
Cost: No permit for personal photography; commercial crews, tripods, and managed sites need permission
Street photography in public needs no permit. Commercial or professional shoots on public land and at museums, churches, and private estates need permission.
Drone / airspace
Governed by EASA rules via FOCA (BAZL); camera drones from 250g need free operator registration
Aerial images of identifiable people engage Swiss data-protection law. For depth, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes to photograph, but publishing a recognizable person generally needs consent under the personality right (Civil Code Art. 28)
No consent needed when a person is incidental or part of a crowd; someone who clearly stands out does need consent.
Freedom of panorama
Full
Article 27 of the Copyright Act lets you photograph, sell, and publish images of works permanently in public places, including murals and graffiti. It covers exteriors only, not building interiors or museum rooms, and you cannot reproduce a work in its own medium.
Practical notes
- Selling a photo of any Swiss landmark exterior is fine; shooting inside a museum or church interior falls outside panorama freedom.
- A street portrait where one person is clearly the subject needs their consent before you publish it; a wide crowd scene does not.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: