Free Swiss SECO Sanctions Check

Switzerland is not in the European Union and is not bound by EU regulations. It does, however, maintain its own sanctions regime administered by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), operating under the Federal Act on the Implementation of International Sanctions (the Embargoes Act of 2002). In practice, Switzerland adopts most UN sanctions automatically and most EU sanctions selectively.

The SECO list is published as the SESAM database, accessible via the SECO website. It covers individuals and entities designated under every active Swiss sanctions ordinance — Russia, Belarus, Iran, Syria, DPRK, Libya, and the other UN-derived regimes — together with the underlying ordinance and date of designation.

The default Swiss approach since 2022 has been to track EU sanctions packages on Russia. Each package is reviewed by the Federal Council and adopted into Swiss law via amendment to the Russia ordinance, usually within days or weeks of the EU adoption. The Federal Council retains discretion over which measures to adopt and how, which is why the Swiss list does not always match the EU list line-for-line.

Where Switzerland differs most visibly is in the implementation of sectoral measures. Some EU restrictions on services and exports have been adopted in narrower form in Switzerland, particularly where they touch traditional Swiss sectors like commodity trading and asset management.

Any natural or legal person in Switzerland is subject to Swiss sanctions law. The territorial principle applies: actions carried out in Swiss territory, by Swiss nationals abroad in some cases, and transactions involving Swiss banks or settled in Swiss francs all trigger the obligations. Branches of foreign banks operating in Switzerland sit squarely inside the regime.

Violations are criminal offences under the Embargoes Act, with penalties of up to five years' imprisonment for intentional breaches. Civil enforcement against legal persons can include substantial monetary penalties. SECO also operates a sanctions advisory function — businesses can request guidance on specific transactions in advance.

Updates follow the Federal Council's adoption of new ordinance amendments. In practice this means the SESAM list refreshes after each new EU package, after each UN designation, and whenever Switzerland makes its own modifications. Cadence is irregular but the SESAM database is the canonical source. SanctScan refreshes daily.

Confirm the identifiers, then freeze the assets and refuse to make funds or economic resources available to the listed party. The reporting obligation runs to SECO and, where the matter intersects with money laundering, to MROS (the Swiss Financial Intelligence Unit).

Where you have a legitimate basis for engaging with a listed party — humanitarian work, settling pre-existing contracts, legal representation — SECO can issue an authorisation. Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and require a clear factual record.

Switzerland's reputation as a neutral jurisdiction makes the SESAM database commercially relevant well beyond its size. Counterparty banks in the EU, UK, and US frequently expect Swiss-resident businesses and Swiss-domiciled funds to demonstrate active SECO-list screening as part of standard onboarding. Documenting that screening — with timestamps and evidence of refresh cadence — is the operational expectation, not just the legal minimum.