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Fishing licence in Switzerland: what anglers need

In Switzerland each canton sets its own fishing rules: usually you need a cantonal permit, and day and week permits are available without a competence certificate. At some lakes, such as Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and Lake Biel in the canton of Bern, you may fish from the shore with one rod without a permit.

Checked on 13.10.2026 against official sources. Not legal advice.

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Sea
no coast
Freshwater
partly

Do you need a licence for sea fishing in Switzerland?

Switzerland has no coastline.

Do you need a licence for freshwater fishing in Switzerland?

Principle: each canton issues its own permits (day, week, month, season or year). Longer permits require a competence certificate (SaNa), short ones usually do not. Some cantons allow free angling on certain lakes. Example Bern: Lake Brienz, Lake Thun and Lake Biel, from the shore only, one rod, barbless hook, no permit and no SaNa. Example Zurich: free angling from the shore on Lake Zurich, Greifensee, Pfäffikersee and Türlersee with very limited tackle. Example Graubünden: a permit is needed.

Source: Kanton Bern, Fischen ohne Angelpatent (Merkblatt Freiangelei 2024), abgerufen 13.10.2026

How much is a fishing licence in Switzerland?

Example Graubünden 2026 (price plus fee): residents of the canton day permit CHF 36.00, week permit CHF 98.00, season permit CHF 235.00. Non-residents of the canton day permit CHF 46.00, week permit CHF 141.00, 15-day permit CHF 235.00, season permit CHF 449.00. Example Bern: day permit CHF 32, week permit CHF 100 (same for everyone), annual permit CHF 250 plus CHF 50 conservation fee, CHF 500 plus CHF 50 if you live outside the canton.

Source: Fischereipatentgebühren Kanton Graubünden 2026 (PDF über Gemeinde Davos), abgerufen 13.10.

Where do you buy a fishing licence for Switzerland?

By canton. Graubünden: all permits in the online shop of the hunting and fishing office (shop-ajf.gr.ch), sales from 15 January, cashless payment. Zurich: web shop or the eFJ-Mobile app from mid-December. Bern: Fischen Bern app or the fisheries inspectorate.

Source: Kanton Graubünden AJF, Fischereipatente (©2026)

What about children, teens and seniors?

By canton. Graubünden: youth permit for people born 2009 to 2012 at half price (for example day permit CHF 21.00 for residents). Bern: youth rate up to the 16th birthday (day permit CHF 20), reduced rate for trainees and students aged 17 to 25. Zurich: reduced rate from age 10 to 18.

Source: Fischereipatentgebühren Kanton Graubünden 2026

What applies to visitors from abroad?

Visitors buy the same permits; many cantons charge more to people who do not live in the canton. Short permits need no SaNa: in Graubünden the day, week and 15-day permits, while month and season permits require a SaNa. In Bern the SaNa is required for annual and monthly permits, not for day and week permits.

Source: Kanton Graubünden AJF, Sachkundenachweis und Mitteilung vom 01.04.2023

Which catch and take-home rules apply?

Minimum sizes, closed seasons and bag limits apply per lake and canton. Example free angling in Bern: no bait fish, legal-sized fish caught in season may not be released, no keeping fish alive, stun and bleed at once; bag limits such as 3 trout per day from 45 cm.

Source: Kanton Bern, Fischen ohne Angelpatent, abgerufen 13.10.2026

What else should you know?

You get the competence certificate (SaNa) through a course with a test via the Swiss angler training network (anglerausbildung.ch). Whether a foreign fishing licence counts is up to the canton.

Source: Kanton Graubünden AJF, Sachkundenachweis

Not confirmed yet

The federal basis of the SaNa requirement could not be read on fedlex, so it is only confirmed at cantonal level. The Graubünden shop has a separate category for people living outside Switzerland, but the 2026 price list shows only two groups; prices for foreign residents unclear. The Graubünden price list is hosted by the municipality of Davos, not directly on gr.ch. The purchase link covers Graubünden only. No minimum age stated for free angling in Bern.

Do you know more or have an official source? Let us know.

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Sources (5)

Not legal advice. Rules and prices change; the linked authority and the local water permit are what count. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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