Can I install a video doorbell?
Yes, but with conditions — and the "harmless bell" is none in data-protection terms. A video doorbell processes personal data as soon as visitors, neighbours or passers-by are identifiable — so GDPR and the DSG (LR 235.1) apply. The Data Protection Office transfers the criteria for video door viewers: from the purpose limitation it follows that a permanent recording is in principle not necessary; an image should exist only when someone rings, with a short run-on time and without permanent storage. The myth: "It is only a doorbell." Wrong — if it also films the street or pavement, the notification duty (Art. 5 DSG) applies, with a fine up to CHF 5,000. And tenancy and condominium law have a say in the mounting on a shared façade.
📋 The rules
- A doorbell is a camera too: as soon as persons are identifiable through the doorbell, personal data is processed — GDPR and the DSG apply. The "doorbell" form changes nothing; what matters is what and why is captured.
- The door-viewer criteria of the Data Protection Office: admissible is an image transmission not without prior ringing, with a run-on time of at most one minute and without permanent recording. From the purpose limitation it follows: storage is in principle not necessary, access only on an occasion.
- Public space triggers the notification duty (Art. 5 DSG): if the doorbell also films street or pavement, the system is notifiable; a breach costs up to CHF 5,000 (Art. 5 para. 8). If it captures the door or plot of the neighbour, a violation of personality threatens (PGR Art. 38 ff.).
- Cloud doorbells transmit abroad: smart doorbells (e.g. Ring) send recordings to a cloud, often in the USA — this raises the question of data transfer to third countries under Chapter V GDPR, plus data security and accountability.
- Mounting is more than data protection: on a shared façade or shared entrance, tenancy law and condominium law and the protection of personality (PGR) additionally apply. The Data Protection Office is not competent for that — it must be clarified separately.
🔓 Exceptions
- Doorbell without recording: if the doorbell transmits an image only when someone rings, with a short run-on time and without permanent storage, it is admissible in the sense of the case law cited by the Data Protection Office. Digital smartphone doorbells are trickier, because the technology goes far beyond the old door viewer.
- Pure single-family house without public space: if no publicly accessible space is in the frame, the notification duty falls away. The protection of personality toward visitors and neighbours nonetheless remains, as does the purpose limitation.
- The BGH criteria are German, not Liechtenstein: the Data Protection Office uses a German Federal Court judgment as a benchmark, but applies the Liechtenstein DSG and PGR. "It is only a bell" is therefore not a legal basis.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If the doorbell films public space and you do not notify it, the Data Protection Office imposes a fine up to CHF 5,000 (Art. 5 para. 8 DSG). The neighbour can lodge a complaint and take the private-action route under PGR Art. 38 ff. — for an injunction, destruction of the recordings and damages. A permanent recording without an occasion is disproportionate and must be adjusted or switched off; a cloud transmission without a basis can trigger GDPR fines. In a tenancy the landlord can demand removal, in a condominium the community. Not obvious: if the doorbell secretly records sound, that additionally falls under § 120 StGB and the Secret Sphere Act — with a criminal dimension.
📎 Official sources
- Data Protection Office Liechtenstein — video surveillance in the neighbourhood, door viewers (home) →
- LILEX — Data Protection Act (DSG, LR 235.1), Art. 5, PGR Art. 38 ff. and Secret Sphere Act (LR 311.3) (legal register) →
- National Administration of the Principality of Liechtenstein (home; tenancy and condominium matters) →
❓ Frequently asked
Is a video doorbell allowed at all?
Yes, but only with restrictions: an image should exist only when someone rings, with a short run-on time and without permanent recording. The Data Protection Office transfers these criteria from the case law on video door viewers.
May the doorbell record permanently?
No, from the purpose limitation it follows that storage is in principle not necessary. Access to the image is admissible only when there is an occasion, that is, when someone actually rings or knocks.
Do I have to notify the doorbell to the Data Protection Office?
If it also films publicly accessible space such as a street or pavement, the system is notifiable under Art. 5 DSG. An intentional breach of this notification duty can be punished with a fine up to CHF 5000.
What applies to a Ring doorbell with cloud storage?
A cloud doorbell often sends recordings to third countries such as the USA, so the rules on data transfer under Chapter V GDPR apply. On top come requirements for data security and the accountability of the operator.
May I mount a doorbell as a tenant or in a condominium?
The mounting on a shared façade additionally touches tenancy and condominium law and the protection of personality. These questions must be clarified separately, because the Data Protection Office is not competent for them.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “video doorbell liechtenstein data protection”
- “doorbell camera allowed liechtenstein”
- “ring doorbell liechtenstein”
- “video camera entrance neighbour liechtenstein”
- “door viewer camera law liechtenstein”
- “smart doorbell data protection liechtenstein”