Swiss Criminal Code

¹ The right to pro­sec­ute is sub­ject to a time lim­it of:

a.

30 years if the of­fence car­ries a cus­todi­al sen­tence of life;

b.

15 years if the of­fence car­ries a cus­todi­al sen­tence of more than three years;

c.

10 years if the of­fence car­ries a cus­todi­al sen­tence of three years;

d.

sev­en years if the of­fence car­ries a dif­fer­ent pen­alty.¹³⁸

² In the case of sexu­al acts with chil­dren (Art. 187) and in the case of­fences un­der Art­icles 111, 113, 122, 124, 182, 189–191, 193, 193a, 195 and 197 para­graph 3 in­volving a child un­der 16, the lim­it­a­tion peri­od in each case runs at least un­til the vic­tim has at­tained the age of 25.¹³⁹

³ If a judg­ment is is­sued by a court of first in­stance be­fore ex­piry of the lim­it­a­tion peri­od, the time lim­it no longer ap­plies.

⁴ The lim­it­a­tion of the right to pro­sec­ute in the case of sexu­al acts with chil­dren (Art. 187) and de­pend­ent minors (Art. 188) and of­fences un­der Art­icles 111–113, 122, 182, 189–191 and 195 in­volving a child un­der 16 is gov­erned by para­graphs 1–3 if the of­fence was com­mit­ted be­fore the amend­ment of 5 Oc­to­ber 2001¹⁴⁰ came in­to force and the lim­it­a­tion of the right to pro­sec­ute had not yet taken ef­fect.¹⁴¹