Burqa by country


The burqa, an all-enveloping outer garment which completely covers the body and the face, and the niqab, a similar garment that leaves the eyes uncovered, are worn by some Muslim women in various countries. Some countries have banned wearing these garments in government offices, schools, or in public places and streets.
There are currently 24 states that have banned the burqa and niqab, both Muslim-majority countries and non-Muslim countries, including:

Austria

In 2017, a legal ban on face-covering clothing was adopted by the Austrian parliament.

Belgium

As of 2015, Belgium has specific bans on face-covering dress, such as the niqab or burqa. On 11 July 2017, the European Court of Human Rights upheld Belgium's ban on burqas and full-face veils.

Bulgaria

In 2016, a ban on the wearing of face-covering clothing in public was adopted by the Bulgarian parliament. The Bulgarian parliament enacted the ban on the basis of security concerns, however the ban stimulated conflict as 10 percent of the country's population identifies as Muslim. Women who violate the burqa ban face fines up to €770 and have their social security benefits suspended.

Denmark

In autumn 2017, the Danish government considered adopting a law prohibiting people to wear "attire and clothing masking the face in such a way that it impairs recognizability". The proposal was met with support from the three largest political parties and was passed into law on 31 May 2018, becoming § 134 c of the Danish Penal Code, stating that "ny person who in a public place wears a item of clothing that covers said person's face shall be liable to a fine" with an exception for coverings that serve "a creditable purpose". The law came into force on 1 August 2018. On the first day of the implementation of the burqa ban, hundreds of protesters rallied wearing face veils in public. According to the ban, wearing a burqa or a niqab in public can lead to a fine of 1000 kroner in the case of first time offences, rising to 10,000 kr. for a fourth offence. Under the ban, police are instructed to order women to remove their veils or to leave the public space. Police officers that fail to obey the orders of the ban are subject to be fined.

France

France is a secular country. One of the key principles of the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State is the freedom of religious exercise. At the same time, this law prohibited public servants from wearing any religious signs during work.
In 1994, the French Ministry of Education sent out recommendations to teachers and headteachers to ban the Islamic veil in educational institutions. According to a 2019 study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, a higher proportion of girls of Muslim background born after 1980 graduated from high school, bringing their graduation rates closer to the non-Muslim female cohort. Having a "Muslim background" was defined as having an immigrant father from a predominantly Muslim country, as the study was highlighting the "difficulties faced by adolescents with a foreign cultural background in forming their own identity". Males in the Muslim group also had a lower graduation rate than males in the non-Muslim group. While secularism is often criticized for restricting freedom of religion, the study concluded that for the French context, the "implementation of more restrictive policies in French public schools ended up promoting the educational empowerment of some of the most disadvantaged groups of female students".
In 2004, the French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools banned most religious signs, including the hijab, from public primary and secondary schools in France. The proposed ban was extremely controversial, with both sides of the political spectrum being split on the issue, some people arguing that the law goes against religious freedom and is racist because it affects mostly Muslim women and Jewish men.
In 2010, a ban on face covering, targeting especially women wearing chador and burqa, was adopted by the French Parliament. According to The Guardian, the ban was challenged and taken to the European Court of Human Rights which upheld the law on 1 July 2014, accepting the argument of the French government that the law was based on "a certain idea of living together". In 2013 the applicant stood outside the Élysée Palace in niqab and subsequently received a criminal conviction. The French criminal courts noted in 2014 that the lower court was wrong to dismiss her rights covered under article 18 but dismissed her appeal. The French delegation argued that wearing face coverings violated the principle of "living together". Judges Angelika Nussberger and Helena Jäderblom dissented, calling the concept, "far-fetched and vague." Going on to note that the very decision of declaring what a woman is allowed to wear was hypocritical and antithetical to the aim of protecting human rights. The committee came to the determination in 2018 that the case had been incorrectly dismissed after review by a single judge on the grounds that, "the conditions of admissibility laid down in articles 34 and 35 of the Convention not been met." Upon review the committee concluded that the applicants' human rights had been violated under article 18 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The committee dismissed the notion of "living together" as a vague notion not protected under international law.

Italy

In October 2025, the italian govrrmment voted to ban the burqa and niqab in all public places.

Latvia

In 2016 The Independent reported that a legal ban of face-covering Islamic clothing was adopted by the Latvian parliament. After long public discussions draft legislation was approved by the Latvian government on 22 August 2017, however it was never adopted by the parliament as a law.

Netherlands

The States General of the Netherlands enacted a ban on face-covering clothing, popularly described as the "burqa ban", in January 2012. In 2018, the Netherlands implemented a partial burqa ban that prohibits wearing face-covering clothing, including burqas and niqabs, in specific public places such as government buildings, schools, and public transportation.
The burqa ban came into force on 1 August 2019 in schools, public transport, hospitals and government buildings, but there are doubts over whether it will be applied in practice. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema spoke out in her opposition of the law. She stated that removing someone wearing a burqa from public transport in the capital would not be fitting with current Dutch society. Chairman of the Dutch Public Transport Association Pedro Peters also voiced his opinion on the ban. Peters said: "You are not going to stop the bus for half an hour for someone wearing a burqa", waiting for the police to arrive; "we are also not allowed to refuse anyone because we have a transport obligation". Known officially as the Partial Ban on Face-Covering Clothing Act, the act also details that those who refuse to uncover their faces may pay a fine of at least €150 and can be arrested. Dutch police have also stated that enforcing the ban is not a priority, and that they likely would not respond to a complaint within a thirty-minute timeframe.

Norway

In 2018 the Norwegian parliament voted to ban the burqa in schools and universities.

Portugal

On October 17th, 2025, the Portuguese parliament voted to ban the burqa and niqab in all public places.

Russia

In July 2024, the niqab and other full face veils were temporarily banned in the Muslim-majority republic of Dagestan by the Muftiate, an Islamic authority. The ban followed the 2024 Dagestan attacks, where reports said one attacker planned to use the niqab as a disguise to escape.

Sweden

In December 2019, the municipality of Skurup banned Islamic veils in educational institutions. Earlier, in May 2019, the municipality of Staffanstorp approved a similar ban. On 17 November 2020, the Administrative Courts in Malmö and Lund determined that both municipalities' decisions to prohibit headscarves, niqabs, and burqas in preschools and primary schools violated the constitutional right to freedom of religion and the European Convention on Human Rights. Both municipalities appealed, but on 23 June 2021, the Administrative Court of Appeal in Gothenburg upheld the initial rulings on the same grounds. On 8 December 2022, the Supreme Administrative Court overturned both bans, with Justice Ulrik von Essen stating that "in order for the restriction to be permissible, it must be supported by law" and that "legal support is lacking in national law and therefore the municipalities' decisions should be overturned".
On 12 October 2025, Christian Democrats leader and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch proposed a nationwide ban on burqas and niqabs in public places such as streets, squares, shopping centres, and healthcare facilities. Education and Integration Minister and Leader of the Liberals Simona Mohamsson expressed support for stronger measures against religious oppression, including forced veiling, but did not explicitly endorse Busch’s proposal, and neither did any other party in the Tidö Government.

Switzerland

In a referendum on 7 March 2021, Swiss voters approved a nationwide ban on the burqa, with over 51% of the electorate supporting it.
Earlier, in September 2013, a constitutional referendum in the Canton of Ticino on a popular initiative banning full-face veils was approved with 66.2% of the vote. In May 2017, the Landsgemeinde in the Canton of Glarus rejected adopting a similar measure with about two-thirds of the vote. In September 2018, the Canton of St Gallen become the second canton in Switzerland to vote in favour of a ban on facial coverings in public with two-thirds casting a ballot in favor.