The phone rings, it's another sales call, and you no longer know how to stop it. In Switzerland, cold calling is permitted in principle. But the law gives you several concrete ways to protect yourself from it. Here's how to go about it, and what it also means for companies doing sales prospecting.
Is cold calling allowed in Switzerland?
Yes. Selling wine, beauty products, a change of phone carrier, or an appointment with an insurance agent over the phone is legal in Switzerland. There is no general ban like the one introduced in France under the Cazenave law. However, the law protects people who don't want to be called, provided they take the step of registering that preference.
The two simple ways to block sales calls
The asterisk in the phone directory
You can ask your carrier to add an asterisk (*) next to your number in the phone directory. This asterisk signals that you don't want to receive sales calls from companies you have no business relationship with.
The unlisted number
Since January 1, 2021, a number that simply isn't listed in the directory benefits from the same protection as a number marked with an asterisk. So you can either opt out of the listing from the start, or ask to have it removed if your number is already listed.
Technical filters
In addition, some phones and carriers let you block hidden numbers or add unwanted numbers to a blacklist. These filters don't replace the two measures above, but they further reduce the volume of calls received. However, no solution, technical or legal, offers 100% protection.
What does the law say?
Article 3, paragraph 1, letter u of the Unfair Competition Act (UCA) considers it unfair for a company to call someone who has registered their refusal via the asterisk or an unlisted number, in the absence of any business relationship. Two exceptions exist: companies you're already a customer of may call you for advertising purposes, and a call remains allowed if you've given your consent, for example by entering a competition.
A company that ignores these signals is engaging in unfair competition. You can then file a complaint with SECO (the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs), which can forward the case to the cantonal public prosecutor, or file a report directly with the police.
What to do if you still receive calls despite the asterisk?
Demand that the company remove your name from its contact list. Don't stay engaged in the conversation if you don't want to: say no firmly and hang up if needed, reminding the caller that this type of call is prohibited in your situation. If the problem persists, filing an online complaint with SECO remains the most direct route, and complaints about calls despite the asterisk are grouped there.
What this means for companies that prospect
For any prospecting company or sales development team, this regulation isn't an administrative footnote. Before launching a phone prospecting campaign in Switzerland, you need to check the directory status of each number, document the origin of each consent, and avoid purchased lists with no traceability. A good prospecting database clearly distinguishes contacts with an active business relationship, contacts who have given explicit consent, and everyone else, who should stay out of calling sequences.
This matters especially for B2B prospecting and lead generation, where volume will never make up for a poorly qualified list. A prospecting strategy built on qualified leads rather than raw lists limits legal risk and also improves campaigns' actual conversion rate.
FAQ
My number has an asterisk, why am I still getting calls?
Some companies you have a business relationship with, or to whom you've given consent, remain allowed to call you. It also happens that call centers ignore the asterisk, which remains illegal and can be reported.
Where do telemarketing companies get my number?
From the phone directory, from data provided during a purchase or a competition, via lists purchased from specialized companies, or sometimes simply by dialing numbers at random.
Can SECO directly block a number that's calling me?
No. SECO can forward a complaint to the cantonal public prosecutor, but it doesn't have the power to block a phone number itself.
At Undersales, a B2B sales prospecting agency in Switzerland, we help companies build clean, compliant contact lists. Want to review your approach? Contact our team.
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