Data protection for private individuals in Switzerland

Art. 33 DPO

Procedure for authorising the pilot trial

Chapter 5: Special Provisions on Data Processing by Federal BodiesSection 4: Pilot Projects

Statutory textStatus: 1 December 2025

1 Before consulting the administrative units with an interest, the federal body responsible for the pilot trial shall explain how it planned to comply with the requirements under Article 35 FADP, and invite the FDPIC to provide its opinion.

2 The FDPIC shall provide its opinion on whether the authorisation requirements under Article 35 FADP are met. The federal body shall provide it with all the documents required to do this, and in particular:

  • a.

    a general description of the pilot trial;

  • b.

    a report that demonstrates that fulfilling the statutory tasks requires processing under Article 34 paragraph 2 FADP and that a test phase before the act formally comes into force is essential;

  • c.

    a description of the internal organisational structure and the data processing and control procedures;

  • d.

    a description of the security and data protection measures;

  • e.

    the draft of an ordinance that regulates the details of the processing, or the plan for an ordinance;

  • f.

    the plans for the various phases of the pilot trial.

3 The FDPIC may request further documents and conduct additional enquiries.

4 The federal body shall inform the FDPIC of any significant change that affects compliance the requirements of Article 35 FADP. The FDPIC shall again provide its opinion if required.

5 The FDPIC’s opinion shall be included with the application to the Federal Council.

6 Automated data processing shall be regulated in an ordinance.

Source: Version on FedlexThis translation is not an official version. Only the German, French and Italian versions are legally binding.

In brief

For a pilot trial, the federal body must explain how it will meet the requirements of Art. 35 FADP and invite the FDPIC to comment, providing the necessary documents. The FDPIC’s opinion is attached to the proposal to the Federal Council; the processing is regulated in an ordinance.

What does this mean for me?

This rule concerns federal bodies. For you, it means: the FDPIC gives its opinion on every pilot trial before the Federal Council decides.

Implements these provisions of the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP)

  1. Art. 35 FADPAutomated data processing as part of pilot trials

Explanation by mydatenschutz.ch in plain language – not legal advice. The statutory text is authoritative.