The Swiss Confederation shall protect the liberty and rights of the people and safeguard the independence and security of the country.
It shall promote the common welfare, sustainable development, internal cohesion and cultural diversity of the country.
It shall ensure the greatest possible equality of opportunity among its citizens.
It is committed to the long term preservation of natural resources and to a just and peaceful international order.
The Cantons are sovereign except to the extent that their sovereignty is limited by the Federal Constitution. They exercise all rights that are not vested in the Confederation.
The National Languages are German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
All activities of the state are based on and limited by law.
State activities must be conducted in the public interest and be proportionate to the ends sought.
State institutions and private persons shall act in good faith.
The Confederation and the Cantons shall respect international law.
The principle of subsidiarity must be observed in the allocation and performance of state tasks.
All individuals shall take responsibility for themselves and shall, according to their abilities, contribute to achieving the tasks of the state and society.
Human dignity must be respected and protected.
Every person is equal before the law.
No person may be discriminated against, in particular on grounds of origin, race, gender, age, language, social position, way of life, religious, ideological, or political convictions, or because of a physical, mental or psychological disability.
Men and women have equal rights. The law shall ensure their equality, both in law and in practice, most particularly in the family, in education, and in the workplace. Men and women have the right to equal pay for work of equal value.
The law shall provide for the elimination of inequalities that affect persons with disabilities.
Every person has the right to be treated by state authorities in good faith and in a non-arbitrary manner.
Every person has the right to life. The death penalty is prohibited.
Every person has the right to personal liberty and in particular to physical and mental integrity and to freedom of movement.
Torture and any other form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are prohibited.
No person may cover their face in public spaces or in places that are accessible to the public or where services are offered to anyone wishing to partake of them the ban does not apply to places of worship.
No person may force another person to cover their face on the grounds of their sex.
The law shall provide for exceptions. These may only be justified on the grounds of health, safety, weather conditions or local custom.
Children and young people have the right to the special protection of their integrity and to the encouragement of their development.
They may personally exercise their rights to the extent that their power of judgement allows.
Persons in need and unable to provide for themselves have the right to assistance and care, and to the financial means required for a decent standard of living.
Every person has the right to privacy in their private and family life and in their home, and in relation to their mail and telecommunications.
Every person has the right to be protected against the misuse of their personal data.
The right to marry and to have a family is guaranteed.
Freedom of religion and conscience is guaranteed.
Every person has the right to choose freely their religion or their philosophical convictions, and to profess them alone or in community with others.
Every person has the right to join or to belong to a religious community, and to follow religious teachings.
No person may be forced to join or belong to a religious community, to participate in a religious act, or to follow religious teachings.
Freedom of expression and of information is guaranteed.
Every person has the right freely to form, express, and impart their opinions.
Every person has the right freely to receive information to gather it from generally accessible sources and to disseminate it.
Freedom of the press, radio and television and of other forms of dissemination of features and information by means of public telecommunications is guaranteed.
Censorship is prohibited.
The protection of sources is guaranteed.
The freedom to use any language is guaranteed.
The right to an adequate and free basic education is guaranteed
Freedom of research and teaching is guaranteed.
Freedom of artistic expression is guaranteed.
Freedom of assembly is guaranteed.
Every person has the right to organise meetings and to participate or not to participate in meetings.
Freedom of association is guaranteed.
Every person has the right to form, join or belong to an association and to participate in the activities of an association.
No person may be compelled to join or to belong to an association.
Swiss citizens have the right to establish their domicile anywhere in the country.
They have the right to leave or to enter Switzerland.
Swiss citizens may not be expelled from Switzerland and may only be extradited to a foreign authority with their consent.
Refugees may not be deported or extradited to a state in which they will be persecuted.
No person may be deported to a state in which they face the threat of torture or any other form of cruel or inhumane treatment or punishment.
The right to own property is guaranteed.
The compulsory purchase of property and any restriction on ownership that is equivalent to compulsory purchase shall be compensated in full.
Economic freedom is guaranteed.
Economic freedom includes in particular the freedom to choose an occupation as well as the freedom to pursue a private economic activity.
Employees, employers and their organisations have the right to join together in order to protect their interests, to form associations and to join or not to join such associations.
Disputes must wherever possible be resolved through negotiation or mediation.
Strikes and lock outs are permitted if they relate to employment relations and if they do not contravene any requirements to preserve peaceful employment relations or to conduct conciliation proceedings.
The law may prohibit certain categories of person from taking strike action.
Every person has the right to equal and fair treatment in judicial and administrative proceedings and to have their case decided within a reasonable time.
Each party to a case has the right to be heard.
Any person who does not have sufficient means has the right to free legal advice and assistance unless their case appears to have no prospect of success. If it is necessary in order to safeguard their rights, they also have the right to free legal representation in court.
In a legal dispute, every person has the right to have their case determined by a judicial authority. The Confederation and the Cantons may by law preclude the determination by the courts of certain exceptional categories of case.
Any person whose case falls to be judicially decided has the right to have their case heard by a legally constituted, competent, independent and impartial court. Ad hoc courts are prohibited.
Unless otherwise provided by law, any person against whom civil proceedings have been raised has the right to have their case decided by a court within the jurisdiction in which they reside.
Unless the law provides otherwise, court hearings and the delivery of judgments shall be in public.
No person may be deprived of their liberty other than in the circumstances and in the manner provided for by the law.
Any person deprived of their liberty has the right to be notified without delay and in a language they can understand of the reasons for their detention and of their rights. They must be given the opportunity to exercise their rights, in particular, the right to have their next-of-kin informed.
Any person in pre-trial detention has the right to be brought before a court without delay. The court decides whether the person must remain in detention or be released. Any person in pre-trial detention has the right to have their case decided within a reasonable time.
Any person who has been deprived of their liberty by a body other than a court has the right to have recourse to a court at any time. The court shall decide as quickly as possible on the legality of their detention.
Every person is presumed innocent until they have been found guilty by a legally enforceable judgment.
Every accused person has the right to be notified as quickly and comprehensively as possible of the charge brought against them. They must be given the opportunity to assert their rights to a proper defence.
Every convicted person has the right to have their conviction reviewed by a higher court, with the exception of cases in which the Federal Supreme Court sits at first instance.
Every person has the right, without prejudice, to petition the authorities.
The authorities must acknowledge receipt of such petitions.
Political rights are guaranteed.
The guarantee of political rights protects the freedom of the citizen to form an opinion and to give genuine expression to his or her will.
Fundamental rights must be upheld throughout the legal system.
Whoever acts on behalf of the state is bound by fundamental rights and is under a duty to contribute to their implementation.
The authorities shall ensure that fundamental rights, where appropriate, apply to relationships among private persons.
Restrictions on fundamental rights must have a legal basis. Significant restrictions must have their basis in a federal act. The foregoing does not apply in cases of serious and immediate danger where no other course of action is possible.
Restrictions on fundamental rights must be justified in the public interest or for the protection of the fundamental rights of others.
Any restrictions on fundamental rights must be proportionate.
The essence of fundamental rights is sacrosanct.
Any person who is a citizen of a commune and of the Canton to which that commune belongs is a Swiss citizen.
No person may be given preferential treatment or suffer prejudice because of their citizenship. The foregoing does not apply to regulations on political rights in citizens’ communes and corporations or to participation in the assets thereof, unless cantonal legislation provides otherwise.
The Confederation shall regulate the acquisition and deprivation of citizenship by birth, marriage or adoption. It shall also regulate the deprivation of Swiss citizenship on other grounds, together with the reinstatement of citizenship.
It shall legislate on the minimum requirements for the naturalisation of foreign nationals by the Cantons and grant naturalisation permits.
It shall enact simplified regulations on the naturalisation of:
a. third generation immigrants 
b. stateless children. 
The Confederation shall regulate the exercise of political rights in federal matters, and the Cantons shall regulate their exercise at cantonal and communal matters.
Political rights are exercised in the commune in which a citizen resides, although the Confederation and the Cantons may provide for exceptions.
No person may exercise their political rights contemporaneously in more than one Canton.
A Canton may provide that a person newly registered as a resident may exercise the right to vote in cantonal and communal matters only after a waiting period of a maximum of three months of permanent settlement.
The Confederation shall encourage relations among the Swiss abroad and their relations with Switzerland. It may support organisations that pursue this objective.
It shall legislate on the rights and obligations of the Swiss abroad, in particular in relation to the exercise of political rights in the Confederation, the fulfilment of the obligation to perform military or alternative service, welfare support and social security.
The Confederation and the Cantons shall, as a complement to personal responsibility and private initiative, endeavour to ensure that:
a. every person has access to social security 
b. every person has access to the health care that they require 
c. families are protected and encouraged as communities of adults and children 
d. every person who is fit to work can earn their living by working under fair conditions 
e. any person seeking accommodation for themselves and their family can find suitable accommodation on reasonable terms 
f. children and young people as well as persons of employable age can obtain an education and undergo basic and advanced training in accordance with their abilities 
g. children and young people are encouraged to develop into independent and socially responsible people and are supported in their social, cultural and political integration and in leading healthy lives.  
The Confederation and Cantons shall endeavour to ensure that every person is protected against the economic consequences of old-age, invalidity, illness, accident, unemployment, maternity, being orphaned and being widowed.
They shall endeavour to achieve these social objectives within the scope of their constitutional powers and the resources available to them.
No direct right to state benefits may be established on the basis of these social objectives.
Relations between the Confederation and the Cantons Section  Duties of the Confederation and the Cantons   Duties of the Confederation  The Confederation shall fulfil the duties that are assigned to it by Federal Constitution.
The Cantons decide on the duties that they must fulfil within the scope of their powers.
The Confederation only undertakes tasks that the Cantons are unable to perform or which require uniform regulation by the Confederation.
The collective body that benefits from a public service bears the costs thereof.
The collective body that bears the costs of a public service may decide on the nature of that service.
Universally provided services must made be available to every person in a comparable manner.
State tasks must be fulfilled economically and in accordance with demand.
The Confederation and the Cantons shall support each other in the fulfilment of their duties and shall generally cooperate with each other.
They owe each other a duty of consideration and support. They shall provide each other with administrative assistance and mutual judicial assistance.
Disputes between Cantons or between Cantons and the Confederation shall wherever possible be resolved by negotiation or mediation.
In the cases specified by the Federal Constitution, the Cantons shall participate in the federal decision making process, and in particular in the legislative process.
The Confederation shall inform the Cantons of its intentions fully and in good time. It shall consult the Cantons where their interests are affected.
The Cantons shall implement federal law in accordance with the Federal Constitution and federal legislation.
The Confederation and the Cantons may together agree that the Cantons should achieve specific goals in the implementation of federal law and may to this end conduct programmes that receive financial support from the Confederation.
The Confederation shall allow the Cantons all possible discretion to organise their own affairs and shall take account of cantonal particularities.
The Confederation shall respect the autonomy of the Cantons.
It shall leave the Cantons sufficient tasks of their own and respect their organisational autonomy. It shall leave the Cantons with sufficient sources of finance and contribute towards ensuring that they have the financial resources required to fulfil their tasks.
The Cantons may enter into agreements with each other and establish common organisations and institutions. In particular, they may jointly undertake tasks of regional importance together.
The Confederation may participate in such organisations or institutions within the scope of its powers.
Agreements between Cantons must not be contrary to the law, to the interests of the Confederation or to the rights of other Cantons. The Confederation must be notified of such agreements.
The Cantons may by intercantonal agreement authorise intercantonal bodies to issue legislative provisions that implement an intercantonal agreement, provided the agreement:
a. has been approved under the same procedure that applies to other legislation 
b. determines the basic content of the provisions.  
The Cantons shall comply with intercantonal law.
At the request of interested Cantons, the Confederation may declare intercantonal agreements to be generally binding or require Cantons to participate in intercantonal agreements in the following fields:
a. the execution of criminal penalties and measures 
b. school education in the matters specified in Article  paragraph  
c. cantonal institutions of higher education 
d. cultural institutions of supra-regional importance 
e. waste management 
f. waste water treatment 
g. urban transport 
h. advanced medical science and specialist clinics 
i. institutions for the rehabilitation and care of invalids.  
A declaration of general application is made in the form of a federal decree.
The law shall specify the requirements for a declaration of general application and for a participation requirement and regulate the procedure.
Federal law takes precedence over any conflicting provision of cantonal law.
The Confederation shall ensure that the Cantons comply with federal law.
The autonomy of the communes is guaranteed in accordance with cantonal law.
The Confederation shall take account in its activities of the possible consequences for the communes.
In doing so, it shall take account of the special position of the cities and urban areas as well as the mountain regions.
Each Canton shall adopt a democratic constitution. This requires the approval of the People and must be capable of being revised if the majority of those eligible to vote so request.
Each cantonal constitution shall require the guarantee of the Confederation. The Confederation shall guarantee a constitution provided it is not contrary to federal law.
The Confederation shall protect the constitutional order of the Cantons.
It shall intervene when public order in a Canton is disrupted or under threat and the Canton in question is not able to maintain order alone or with the aid of other Cantons.
The Confederation shall protect the existence and territory of the Cantons.
Any change in the number of Cantons requires the consent of the citizens and the Cantons concerned together with the consent of the People and the Cantons.
Any change in territory between Cantons requires the consent both of the Cantons concerned and of their citizens as well as the approval of the Federal Assembly in the form of a Federal Decree.
Inter-cantonal boundary adjustments may be made by agreement between the Cantons concerned.
Foreign relations are the responsibility of the Confederation.
The Confederation shall ensure that the independence of Switzerland and its welfare is safeguarded it shall in particular assist in the alleviation of need and poverty in the world and promote respect for human rights and democracy, the peaceful co-existence of peoples as well as the conservation of natural resources.
It shall respect the powers of the Cantons and protect their interests.
The Cantons shall be consulted on foreign policy decisions that affect their powers or their essential interests.
The Confederation shall inform the Cantons fully and in good time and shall consult with them.
The views of the Cantons are of particular importance if their powers are affected. In such cases, the Cantons shall participate in international negotiations in an appropriate manner.
A Canton may conclude treaties with foreign states on matters that lie within the scope of its powers.
Such treaties must not conflict with the law or the interests of the Confederation, or with the law of any other Cantons. The Canton must inform the Confederation before concluding such a treaty.
A Canton may deal directly with lower ranking foreign authorities in other cases, the Confederation shall conduct relations with foreign states on behalf of a Canton.
The Confederation and the Cantons shall within the scope of their powers ensure the security of the country and the protection of the population.
They shall coordinate their efforts in the area of internal security.
Switzerland shall have armed forces. In principle, the armed forces shall be organised as a militia.
The armed forces serve to prevent war and to maintain peace they defend the country and its population. They shall support the civilian authorities in safeguarding the country against serious threats to internal security and in dealing with exceptional situations. Further duties may be provided for by law.
The deployment of the armed forces is the responsibility of the Confederation.
Every Swiss man is required to do military service. Alternative civilian service shall be provided for by law.
Military service is voluntary for Swiss women.
Any Swiss man who does not do military or alternative service is liable to pay a tax. This tax is levied by the Confederation and assessed and collected by the Cantons.
The Confederation shall legislate for fair compensation for loss of income.
Persons who suffer damage to their health or lose their lives while doing military or alternative civilian service are entitled to appropriate support from the Confederation, whether for themselves or for their next of kin.
Armed forces legislation, together with the organisation, training and equipment of the armed forces, is the responsibility of the Confederation.
The Confederation may, in return for appropriate compensation, take over the running of cantonal military installations
The legislation on the civil defence of persons and property against the effects of armed conflicts is the responsibility of the Confederation.
The Confederation shall legislate on the deployment of civil defence units in the event of disasters and emergencies.
It may declare civil defence service to be compulsory for men. For women, such service is voluntary.
The Confederation shall legislate on fair compensation for loss of income.
Persons who suffer damage to their health or lose their lives while doing civil defence service are entitled to appropriate support from the Confederation, whether for themselves or for their next of kin.
The Confederation and the Cantons shall, within the scope of their powers, jointly ensure the high quality and accessibility of the Swiss Education Area.
They shall coordinate their efforts and ensure their cooperation through joint administrative bodies and other measures.
They shall ensure in the fulfilment of their duties that general and vocational courses of study achieve equal recognition in society.
The Cantons are responsible for the system of school education.
They shall ensure the provision of an adequate basic education that is available to all children. Basic education is mandatory and is managed or supervised by the state. At state schools it is free of charge.
The Cantons shall ensure that adequate special needs education is provided to all children and young people with disabilities up to the age of 
Where harmonisation of school education is not achieved by means of coordination in the areas of school entry age and compulsory school attendance, the duration and objectives of levels of education, and the transition for one level to another, as well as the recognition of qualifications, the Confederation shall issue regulations to achieve such harmonisation.
The Confederation shall regulate the start of the school year.
The Cantons shall participate in the drafting of federal legislation on school education that affects cantonal responsibilities, and special account shall be taken of their opinions.
The Confederation shall issue regulations on vocational and professional education and training.
It shall encourage the provision of a diverse and accessible range of courses in vocational and professional education and training.
The Confederation shall manage the Federal Institutes of Technology. It may establish, take over or manage additional universities and other higher education institutions.
It shall support the cantonal universities and may make financial contributions to other higher education institutions that it recognises.
The Confederation and the Cantons are jointly responsible for the coordination and guarantee of quality in Swiss higher education. In fulfilling this responsibility, they shall take account of the autonomy of the universities and the various bodies responsible for them and ensure the equal treatment of institutions with the same functions.
In order to fulfil their duties, the Confederation and the Cantons shall enter into agreements and delegate certain powers to joint administrative authorities. The law shall regulate the powers that may be delegated, and determine the principles governing the organisation of and procedures for coordination.
If the Confederation and the Cantons fail to reach their common goals by means of coordination, the Confederation shall issue regulations on levels of studies and the transition from one level to another, on postgraduate education and on the recognition of institutions and qualifications. In addition, the Confederation may impose standard funding principles for subsidising of universities, and may make subsidies contingent on universities sharing particularly cost-intensive activities.
The Confederation shall promote scientific research and innovation.
It may make its support conditional in particular on quality assurance and coordination being guaranteed.
It may establish, take over or run research institutes.
The Confederation shall specify principles governing continuing education and training.
It may promote continuing education and training.
The law shall specify the fields of and the criteria for such promotion.
The Confederation shall compile the necessary statistical data on the status and trends in the population, the economy, society, education, research, the land and the environment in Switzerland.
It may issue regulations on the harmonisation and maintenance of official registers in order to reduce the cost of compiling data.
The Confederation may contribute to cantonal expenditure on grants provided to students at universities and higher education institutions. It may encourage the intercantonal harmonisation of education grants and lay down principles for the payment of education grants.
It may also supplement cantonal measures while preserving cantonal autonomy in education matters by taking its own measures to promote education.
In fulfilling their duties, the Confederation and Cantons shall take account of the special need of children and young people to receive encouragement and protection.
The Confederation may supplement cantonal measures by supporting extra-curricular work with children and young people.
The Confederation and Cantons shall encourage musical education, in particular that of children and young people.
They shall endeavour within the scope of their powers to ensure high-quality music teaching in schools. If the Cantons are unable to harmonise the goals of music teaching in schools by means of coordination, the Confederation shall issue the required regulations.
In consultation with the Cantons, the Confederation shall set out principles to help young people to engage in musical activities and to encourage musically gifted persons.
The Confederation shall encourage sport, and in particular education in sport.
It shall operate a sports school.
It may issue regulations on sport for young people and declare the teaching of sport in schools to be compulsory.
Cultural matters are a cantonal responsibility.
The Confederation may support cultural activities of national interest as well as art and music, in particular in the field of education.
In the fulfilment of its duties, it shall take account of the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country.
The official languages of the Confederation are German, French and Italian. Romansh is also an official language of the Confederation when communicating with persons who speak Romansh.
The Cantons shall decide on their official languages. In order to preserve harmony between linguistic communities, the Cantons shall respect the traditional territorial distribution of languages and take account of indigenous linguistic minorities.
The Confederation and the Cantons shall encourage understanding and exchange between the linguistic communities.
The Confederation shall support the plurilingual Cantons in the fulfilment of their special duties.
The Confederation shall support measures by the Cantons of Graubünden and Ticino to preserve and promote the Romansh and the Italian languages.
The Confederation may encourage Swiss film production and film culture.
It may issue regulations to promote the diversity and the quality of the cinematographic works that are offered.
The regulation of the relationship between the church and the state is the responsibility of the Cantons.
The Confederation and the Cantons may within the scope of their powers take measures to preserve public peace between the members of different religious communities.
The construction of minarets is prohibited.