Assisted dying in Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world where assisted dying is treated as a civil right rather than a medical process, available to both residents and foreigners under a unique legal framework.

Where the law stands: Decriminalized
Since: 1942
Who can ask: Decisional Capacity
Condition: Unbearable Suffering
Residency: Open to Foreigners

What you need to know.

Legal Status: Legal

Voluntary assisted dying is exempt from punishment provided the motive is not “selfish”. This is based on Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code. Euthanasia (a doctor administering the drug) remains illegal.
Key Legislation: Swiss Criminal Code (Article 115)

Article 115 makes inciting or assisting a suicide a crime only when it is done for selfish motives. There is no specific law on assisted dying, and in 2025 Parliament again decided not to create one.
Eligibility

Access is available to any adult with decision-making capacity. The person must be able to do the act which brings about death themselves, e.g. drink the lethal medication or open the valve of a drip. While the law does not explicitly require a terminal illness, the professional rules for medical doctors, who would prescribe the usually used medication pentobarbital, require that the suffering of the individual is assessed and substantiated.

Summary

Decriminalized Since 1942

Switzerland operates under a unique “civil model” of assisted dying. Unlike the Netherlands, Belgium and most countries in the world, where assisted dying is a medical act integrated into the healthcare system, in Switzerland it is primarily facilitated by non-profit organisations with the support of medical doctors.

The law distinguishes between medical assisted dying (a doctor administering the drug), which is illegal, and voluntary assisted dying (self-administering), which is legal if selfish motives are ruled out.

In 2024, 1,774 Swiss residents died by assisted suicide, according to the Federal Statistical Office. After the first use of the “Sarco” suicide capsule in 2024, Parliament debated tighter rules, but in 2025 it decided against regulating assisted suicide by law and against monitoring cases involving people from abroad.

Quick Overview

In the absence of a specific medical law, right-to-die organisations regulate the practice. Groups like EXIT (for residents) and DIGNITAS (which allows foreign nationals to apply) have established strict internal protocols to ensure safety and legal compliance.

To obtain effective medication for the purpose of voluntary assisted dying, a doctor must be involved to prescribe. This requires an assessment of the individual’s suffering, and of how far that suffering can be substantiated by a medical diagnosis.

The “Swiss assisted dying model” emphasises individual autonomy: the state does not grant the right to die, but rather, it refrains from punishing those who altruistically assist someone who is competent and acts autonomously to exercise that right.

Help to foreigners

Switzerland is known for its possibilities to help foreigners. There are several non-profit organisations to realise this aid in dying in practice.

Click to view our Swiss members

Swiss Criminal Code, Article 115

“Any person who for selfish motives incites or assists another to commit or attempt to commit suicide shall, if that other person thereafter commits or attempts to commit suicide, be liable to a custodial sentence not exceeding five years or to a monetary penalty.” In force since 1 January 1942.

Click to view the Criminal Code →

How the law came about.

Switzerland’s framework rests on a criminal code provision more than 80 years old, completed by court judgments and medical rules.

1918–1942

Article 115

Towards the end of the 19th century, expert committees and parliament discussed a unified Swiss criminal law and with it the issue of assistance in suicide. Up until the end of 1941, each canton still had its own criminal law. Exceptions to criminalising assistance in suicide for those acting out of altruistic motives were discussed, and in 1918 this idea was adopted in the draft for a Swiss-wide criminal code. It finally came into force on 1 January 1942 as Article 115.
1982

The first organisations

“Exit A.D.M.D. Suisse romande” became the first Swiss end-of-life-choices non-profit membership association, founded in January 1982, followed by “Exit (Deutsche Schweiz)” in April of the same year.
1997–1998

Help for people from abroad

The first such Swiss organisation to also assist individuals from outside Switzerland was “EX International” in Berne, founded in 1997, followed by “DIGNITAS – To live with dignity – To die with dignity” in 1998.
November 2006

The Federal Supreme Court

The Federal Supreme Court acknowledged the freedom and right of a competent individual to decide the time and manner of their own death. It also held that the lethal medication can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription.
2011 onwards

More organisations

Further organisations accepting foreigners were founded, such as “Lifecircle” in 2011, and later Pegasos Swiss Association and Athanasios.
2018–2022

Medical guidelines

The Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences published its guideline “Management of dying and death” in 2018, and the Swiss Medical Association (FMH) made it part of its professional code for doctors. It sets out that the basis for a doctor to agree to assist is the patient’s severe suffering, substantiated by an appropriate diagnosis and prognosis, besides capacity, an autonomous wish and consideration of alternatives.
September 2024

The Sarco capsule

The first use of the “Sarco” suicide capsule, in the canton of Schaffhausen, led to arrests and a criminal investigation. The Federal Council had said the capsule did not comply with Swiss law.
2025

Parliament declines to regulate

In September 2025 the Council of States rejected a motion to regulate assisted suicide by law, with the Government saying the Criminal Code was sufficient. In December 2025 the National Council also rejected a narrower proposal to monitor assisted suicides, including those of people from abroad.
November 2025

Ludwig A. Minelli

Ludwig A. Minelli, the human rights lawyer who founded DIGNITAS in 1998, died with assistance at the age of 92.
Today

Current Situation

Today, provisions in several Acts set the legal framework for assisted dying in Switzerland: the Criminal Code, the Civil Code, the Medical Professions Act outlining doctors’ professional duties, the Therapeutic Products Act setting out how medicinal products are prescribed, dispensed and used, and the Narcotics Act. Court judgments complete this framework. As of October 2026 there are no plans for a specific law.