Classification of Industrial Goods

Information on the classification of goods and the export of firearms under the Goods Control Act can be found below.

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Product Classification

Pursuant to Article 3(1) of the Goods Control Ordinance (GCO) only goods (goods, technology, software) are subject to a licence requirement upon export if they can be clearly assigned to an export control number (ECN) in one of the annexes to the GCO.

Exception: Goods covered by a catch-all provision under Article 3(4) GCO are also subject to a licence requirement.

Important: Any references in the customs tariff (Tares) to the authorising authority or possible authorisation requirements are not decisive.

Recommended procedure:

1. Sequential review process

• The classification of goods for the purposes of export controls is generally carried out once any applicable prohibitions or authorisation requirements under existing sanctions measures and the War Material Act have already been assessed (export controls Sequential review process under “Further information”).

2. Search in the Conversion Table

• Search for the HS code or description using the ‘Ctrl + F’ search function
• Identify the relevant export control number (ECN)

3. Check whether the item is covered in the Annexes of the GCO

• Search for the ECN (using ‘Ctrl + F’) in Annexes 1 and 2 or Annex 3 GCO or use search terms in categories 1-9
• Compare all descriptions of the ECN and check the relevant parameters and threshold values

Tips:

• When assessing commercial goods, ask the manufacturer(s) for the product classification: controls on dual-use goods are largely harmonised internationally, so many other countries (such as EU member states) use the same export control numbers.
• Consult the conversion table (under Further information) or direct your enquiries to SECO ESIG at [e-mail].

Exports of firearms

Exports of firearms not covered by the War Material Act may be subject to the licensing requirements of the Goods Control Act.

Exports of firearms, their components and accessories, as well as their ammunition and ammunition components, which are listed in Annex 3 or 5 GCO (see the section "Annexes to the Goods Control Ordinance") and are exported to a country listed in Annex 6 GCO, are not subject to a licensing requirement.

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However, exports of firearms, their components and accessories, as well as their ammunition and ammunition components, which are listed in Annex 3 or 5 GCO (see the section "Annexes to the Goods Control Ordinance"), to all other states are generally subject to authorisation.

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Furthermore, based on Article 4 GCO, the following exemptions apply. No authorisation is required for:

• firearms with the ammunition pertaining thereto that security agents employed by foreign states re-export following pre-arranged official visits;
• firearms with the ammunition pertaining thereto that security agents employed by Switzerland export for pre-arranged official visits abroad, provided they re-import these weapons into Switzerland thereafter;
• hunting and sports weapons with the ammunition pertaining thereto that are credibly shown to be needed by persons for hunting, sports shooting or martial arts abroad, provided these weapons are re-imported into Switzerland thereafter;
• hunting and sports weapons with the ammunition pertaining thereto that are credibly shown to be needed by persons for hunting, sports shooting or martial arts in Switzerland, provided these weapons are re-exported thereafter.

Note: If there is any doubt as to whether the object in question constitutes a weapon as defined by the Swiss weapons legislation, an enquiry may be submitted to the Central Weapons Office.

Further information

• Product classification

  • Dual-Use Correlation Table - 1 January 2026

    XLSX204.59 kB1 February 2026

  • Non-legally binding conversion table (available in German only)

    PDF1.36 MB9 June 2023

  • Sequential review process for export controls (available in German only)

    PDF172.74 kB2 November 2022

  • Classification of components for armaments (available in German only)

    PDF115.78 kB19 July 2018

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