Obtaining permission to perform music in the streets of Geneva

Who is this procedure intended for?

This procedure is intended for all musicians wishing to perform in public areas in the City of Geneva.

What are the conditions to be able to perform in the streets?

In addition to obtaining formal authorisation to perform in the streets of the City of Geneva, several rules must be respected to ensure peaceful cohabitation with all users of public areas. These are presented on the Music in the streets of Geneva page and relate to:

• the number of musicians, which must not exceed 5 people;
• the authorised locations, according to specific times: the pedestrian zones of Mont-Blanc and the Rues Basses as well as the quays, ensuring that access to the public buildings and shops is not impeded;
• the obligation to change locations every 20 minutes;
• the ban on using a sound amplifier;
• the maximum number of days during which the musicians can perform: 8 for non-EU nationals, 90 for EU nationals and 365 for Swiss citizens.

What to do?

Prior authorisation of a legitimation card

To submit a request for daily authorisation, you must first obtain a legitimation card from the Office of Public Space (Mondays to Fridays from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.), for which the contact details are indicated at the bottom of the page. This card, valid for one year, is free.

Daily authorisation

Once your have obtained the legitimation card, you can obtain a daily authorisation from the Office of Public Space, for which the contact details are indicated at the bottom of the page, or from one of the municipal police stations below:

Which documents are required?

Legitimation card

To obtain the legitimation card, you must bring your passport and a passport photo.

Daily autorisation

To obtain the daily authorisation, you must present your legitimation card.

What are the rates?

The legitimation card is free of charge.

The price of the daily authorisation is CHF 10 per day.