Please be advised that starting 01 July 2016, the wearing in public of the burqa (burka or niqab, i.e., the traditional garment which covers the body from head to feet worn by women in many Muslim countries) in the Italian-speaking Swiss Canton of Ticino, and other places in the canton namely, Lugano, Locarno, Mugadino, Bellinzona, Ascona and Mendrisio, has been officially made an offense punishable by a minimum fine of 100 up to 10,000 Swiss Francs (CHF), or more for repeat offenders, in a law approved by Ticino cantonal government on 23 November 2015.
The law was enacted after residents of the canton in the south of Switzerland earlier supported the ban in a referendum held in September 2013. Tourists are not exempted from the said law. Ticino visitors will be informed at Swiss airports and by customs officials at the Swiss-Italian border that it is unlawful in the canton to hide your face. END
