Sanctions database

The prohibition does not apply to the purchase of petroleum and petroleum products in Belarus that:
a) are needed to cover basic needs incurred by the buyer in Belarus;
b) are necessary for humanitarian projects; or
c) are necessary to exercise the official activities of diplomatic and consular representations of Liechtenstein or Switzerland and to fulfill official missions of Switzerland.

The prohibitions according to paragraph 1 do not apply to:
a) Compulsory insurance or liability insurance for Belarusian persons, organizations or institutions if the insured risk is located in an EEA signatory state or Switzerland;
b) Insurance for diplomatic or consular representations of Belarus in an EEA signatory state or Switzerland.

The prohibition does not apply to: a) binding commitments related to the provision of funding or grants entered into before March 19, 2022; b) the provision of public funds or financial assistance up to a total value of 10 mln euros or the equivalent in Swiss francs per project for SMEs established in an EEA contracting state or in Switzerland; c) the provision of public funding or financial assistance for food trade, agricultural, medical or humanitarian purposes.

The prohibitions do not apply to the sale, supply, export, transit and transport of goods and technology or to the provision of related services if the goods and technology are intended for: a) exclusively humanitarian and medical activities carried out by an impartial humanitarian organisation, public health emergencies, the urgent prevention or containment of an event likely to have serious and significant effects on human health and safety or the environment, or coping from natural disasters; b) medical or pharmaceutical purposes; c) the temporary export of items for use by news media; d) software updates; e) use as everyday communication devices; f) ensuring cybersecurity and information security for natural and legal persons, entities and bodies in Belarus, with the exception of their government and companies directly or indirectly controlled by it; g) the personal use of the following items by natural persons traveling to Belarus or by family members traveling with them, provided that the items are owned by the persons concerned and are not intended for sale: 1. personal items; 2. household items; 3. Vehicles or work equipment.
The Government or, within the scope of its competence, SECO may grant exceptions to the prohibitions under Article 5 Paragraphs 1 and 2 and Article 6 Paragraphs 1 and 2 for activities which are intended for the following civilian purposes or civilian end recipients: a) cooperation between Liechtenstein or Switzerland and Belarus in exclusively civil matters; b) Intergovernmental cooperation in space programs; c) the operation, maintenance and reprocessing of fuel elements, the safety of civil nuclear capacities and civil nuclear cooperation, particularly in the field of research and development; d) maritime security; e) civil telecommunications networks, including the provision of internet services; f) use by any entity owned, solely or jointly controlled by any legal person, entity or body incorporated or incorporated under the laws of Liechtenstein or Switzerland or the laws of a partner; g) diplomatic representations of Liechtenstein or Switzerland or their partners.
The Government or, within the scope of its competence, SECO shall refuse to grant exceptions pursuant to paragraph 2 if there is reason to believe that an activity is being carried out for the benefit of a military end recipient, a military end use, the aerospace industry or for the benefit of a person, a company or an organization according to Annex 5.

Does not apply to emergency landings or emergency overflights.
The Government may grant exemptions from the blocking referred to in paragraph 1 for humanitarian purposes or other purposes consistent with the objectives of this Ordinance.

The temporary export of protective clothing, including bulletproof vests and helmets, for personal use by UN, EU, OSCE or Swiss personnel, media representatives or Humanitarian personnel are exempt from the prohibitions.
The Government or, within the scope of its competence, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) may authorize further exceptions to the prohibitions for:
a) non-lethal military equipment intended exclusively for humanitarian or protective purposes or for institution-building or crisis management programs of the UN, the EU, the OSCE or Switzerland;
b) non-lethal goods as per Annex 1 which are intended exclusively for humanitarian or protective purposes or for institution-building or crisis management programs of the UN, the EU, the OSCE or Switzerland;
c) non-combat armored vehicles intended solely for the protection of UN, EU, OSCE or Swiss personnel;
d) hunting and sporting weapons and ammunition, accessories and spare parts therefor.

The government or, within the scope of its responsibility, SECO shall authorize exceptions to the prohibitions, if necessary in the procedure pursuant to Article 27 of the Swiss Goods Control Ordinance (GKV), provided that it is ensured that the goods and services concerned are not subject to surveillance or used to eavesdrop on the Internet or telephone traffic.