Most knives are not weapons at all — what is banned are butterfly and switchblade knives, not your pocket knife.

Updated July 2026

🔪 Can I carry a knife in public in Liechtenstein?

With conditions

Quick answer

It depends on the knife — there is no blanket ban on carrying. Under Art. 3 para. 1 Weapons Act (WaffG, LR 514.1), a knife is a weapon only if it is a butterfly knife or a one-hand knife with an automatic mechanism that is more than 12 cm long when open with a blade over 5 cm — and such knives are in fact prohibited weapons (Art. 4 para. 3 WaffG). Also prohibited are throwing knives and daggers with a fixed, symmetrical, pointed blade between 5 and 30 cm. The myth: „Any knife over 12 cm is banned in public.“ Wrong — that is the German way of thinking. An ordinary pocket knife, a two-hand folding knife or a one-hand but purely manual knife is not a weapon at all and may be carried. And in Switzerland the same rules sit in Art. 4 and Art. 5 WG — same name, different number.

📋 The rules

When a knife is a weapon (Art. 3 para. 1 let. a WaffG): only butterfly knives and one-hand knives with an automatic mechanism, and only if they are over 12 cm open with a blade over 5 cm. Miss one of these features and it is not a weapon.
These knives are actually prohibited (Art. 4 para. 3 WaffG): the butterfly and automatic knives above, plus throwing knives and daggers with a fixed, symmetrical, tapering blade of more than 5 and less than 30 cm. Acquiring them needs an exceptional permit from the Landespolizei.
Not weapons — free to carry: two-hand folding knives, one-hand but purely manual knives, the pocket knife, kitchen and work knives, daggers with an asymmetrical blade and even the Samurai sword. For them there is no blade-length limit on carrying.
Carrying a real weapon in public needs a permit (Art. 38 WaffG): anyone who wants to carry a weapon in publicly accessible places must show a genuine need for protection and pass an exam. For prohibited knives such a permit is essentially never granted.
The customs treaty does not change the numbers: import and export run through the Swiss authorities (Art. 2 para. 3 WaffG), but the substantive ban sits in the Liechtenstein WaffG. Cite Swiss Art. 4 and 5 WG and you name the wrong source.

🔓 Exceptions

Exceptional permit from the Landespolizei: for prohibited knives it may be granted in particular to disabled persons or certain occupations (Art. 42 WaffG). Without it, acquiring and carrying stay unlawful.
Antique edged weapons: for pieces made before 1900 only the basic rules on possession, carrying and transport apply — collector items are privileged, but not rule-free.
Abusive carrying stays risky: even a „harmless“ knife must not be carried to threaten anyone or to events with a risk of violence — the police may seize it and order you away.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Anyone who acquires, possesses or carries a prohibited weapon such as a butterfly or switchblade knife without an exceptional permit commits an offence under the Weapons Act: possible are a prison sentence or a monetary penalty, and a fine in lighter cases — we do not state exact franc amounts here, because they could not be cleanly sourced from a summary; the penalty part of the WaffG governs. The knife is usually confiscated as well (Art. 47 WaffG). Carry a real weapon without a carry permit in public and you risk the same chain of report, seizure and record. Not obvious: an entry for a weapons offence can later block a weapon acquisition as a disqualifying ground (Art. 12 para. 3 WaffG), weigh on your naturalisation, and shift full liability onto you if someone is hurt.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Can I carry an ordinary pocket knife in public?

Yes, an ordinary pocket knife is not a weapon at all under the Weapons Act and may be carried. Only butterfly and one-hand automatic knives over 12 cm total length with a blade over 5 cm, plus certain daggers and throwing knives, count as weapons.

Does the German 12 cm carry rule apply in Liechtenstein?

No, Liechtenstein has no blanket ban on carrying knives above a certain blade length in public. What matters is only whether the knife qualifies as a weapon or a prohibited weapon under Art. 3 and 4 WaffG, so the German weapons-law logic does not apply here.

Are one-hand knives generally banned?

No, they are prohibited only if they open one-handed through an automatic mechanism and are over 12 cm long with a blade over 5 cm. A one-hand knife that opens purely by hand, without an automatic mechanism, stays a lawful blade and is not a weapon.

Where is the governing rule?

In the Liechtenstein Weapons Act (WaffG, LR 514.1), Art. 3 for the definition of a weapon and Art. 4 for prohibited weapons. In Switzerland the same rules sit in the Weapons Act under Art. 4 and 5 — same name, but a different number.

What happens if the police find a prohibited knife?

They can seize and confiscate the knife and report a weapons offence against you. Besides the penalty, you risk a register entry that can later block a weapon acquisition as a disqualifying ground under Art. 12 WaffG.

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