Test purchases

Practice

The law prohibits the sale of beer and wine to young people under the age of 16 and spirits to persons under the age of 18 (in Canton Ticino, the sale of all alcoholic beverages is prohibited to persons under the age of 18).

The main purpose of the test purchases is prevention, as they serve to make sales staff aware of the ban on handing out alcoholic beverages to young people under 16 or 18 years of age. In the absence of a legal basis, the results of these purchases cannot be used as evidence in criminal proceedings or lead to the imposition of a fine. They may, however, be followed by administrative measures such as the withdrawal of the patent. Test purchases are carried out both by private institutions and by the authorities.

The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security FOCBS publishes an annual report on the practice of alcohol test purchases in Switzerland (PDF, 1 MB, 01.07.2024).

Results 2023

In 2023, 9742 traditional test purchases and 271 online test purchases were recorded. This figure represents the highest participation rate since 2009.

Regarding traditional test purchases:

In 2023, alcohol was sold in 27,3% of cases; in 78,2% of cases, sales or service staff verified age verbally or by asking for ID.

As in previous years, the results of the test purchases carried out in 2023 varied depending on the point of sale:

Alcohol was sold less frequently at petrol stations (17,6% of sales), while bars were the type of outlet with the highest rate of sales (31,2%). Test purchases made in restaurants or cafés accounted for 28.5% of sales, slightly more than for chain shops (27,4%). For events, the sales rate was 44,2%.

Online test purchases:

Two types of test purchases were made in this area: test purchases in online shops and test purchases on restaurant websites. In the case of test purchases in online shops, alcohol could have been obtained in 93% of cases. Age would have been checked in 7% of cases. In the case of test purschases from restaurants and takeaways, the alcohol was given to the test purchasers in 87,5% of cases for restaurants and 91,3 for takeaways.

Guidelines

As a reference for the whole of Switzerland, the test purchasing guide contains many practical guidelines. These allow cantons, communes, cities and non-governmental organisations to carry out their test purchases on an identical basis and to compare the data collected with the results of other authorities. The guide includes the projects and foundations that the Blue Cross, cantonal authorities and prevention organisations have created and that have already proven their worth in the field.

Electronic platform for data entry

Used throughout Switzerland, the www.tkdb.ch platform is based on a Blue Cross model. It allows for coordinated and standardised data entry.

The platform makes it possible to develop questionnaires and select topics according to the various target groups. It can also be used for test purchases of other products such as games or cigarettes. Security is guaranteed because the data is stored in a space reserved for users.