No single federal permit: two cantonal approaches
An individual licence or a territory leased to an association: the authorisation model depends entirely on the canton.
Switzerland does not issue a single federal hunting permit: each canton defines its own authorisation system, within the framework set by the Federal Act on Hunting. According to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), two approaches coexist. In licence-based cantons, the hunter individually acquires an authorisation, generally after a proficiency examination, for a duration and species set by cantonal regulation. In leasehold cantons, hunting territories are allocated by lease to associations, whose members then exercise the right to hunt on those areas. In Geneva, no private hunting permit is issued, as hunting is entrusted to cantonal game wardens. Eligibility conditions, required documents, fees and procedures therefore vary strongly from one canton to another and must be verified directly with the competent cantonal office before any application, rather than inferred from another canton.