Switzerland’s New Investment Screening Regime: What Foreign Investors Need to Know —An Overview of the Investment Screening Act and the Investment Screening Ordinance
We are pleased to share our latest publication on Switzerland’s forthcoming investment screening regime.
Following the adoption of the Investment Screening Act (Investitionsprüfgesetz, IPG) by the Swiss Parliament on 19 December 2025, the Federal Council released the draft Investment Screening Ordinance (Investitionsprüfverordnung, IPV) for public consultation on 12 June 2026. The consultation remains ongoing until 5 October 2026. Accordingly, this publication is based on the adopted IPG and the current draft IPV, which remains subject to amendment following the consultation process.
The draft IPV provides important details on how the new investment screening regime is intended to operate in practice. At the same time, the consultation has brought a number of issues into focus, including the interaction with established Swiss merger control concepts, the scope of information and documentation required for filings, the proposed exemptions for investors from certain jurisdictions, and the scope of the preliminary ruling procedure. These aspects may therefore be further clarified or adjusted before the IPV is finalised.
Against this evolving regulatory background, our publication provides foreign investors with a practical overview of the forthcoming regime: Who will be caught? Which acquisitions will require approval? How will the filing and review procedure work? What timelines, costs and sanctions should investors be aware of? And, with the IPG expected to enter into force in 2027, what should investors consider when planning transactions during this transitional period?
While the IPG introduces Switzerland’s first general investment screening regime, Switzerland has retained a targeted approach and remains a highly open market for foreign investment.
Read the full publication here: