Switzerland

• The Federal Constitution
• Federal codes, mainly the Civil Code and the Code of Obligations, plus federal statutes
• Cantonal law for matters that belong to the cantons, including most court organisation
• Federal Supreme Court decisions, which are followed in practice

• The Federal Supreme Court in Lausanne is the top court
• Federal courts for criminal, administrative and patent matters
• Cantonal courts, which hear most cases

A law degree, then a traineeship and a cantonal bar examination. A lawyer admitted in one canton can practise across Switzerland.

• The Federal Supreme Court must apply federal statutes even if it thinks they conflict with the Constitution, though it can say so.
• Citizens can force a referendum on laws and can propose constitutional changes.
• The country has four national languages, and the law is published in several.
• Switzerland's private-law codes are short and written in plain language.

Germany, Turkey, France, Italy, Austria

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Switzerland as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• Swiss Federal Supreme Court (English pages)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.