Post your staff to Switzerland
Notification to the authorities, Swiss pay and working conditions, social security, permits, VAT: as soon as a foreign employer temporarily sends employees to perform a service in Switzerland, a precise chain of obligations applies, and it varies with the company’s place of establishment, the length of the assignment and each worker’s status. RISTER® handles all of it and remains your single point of contact throughout the assignment.
- Posting notification: filed online at least eight days before work starts, and from day one in the sectors that require it.
- Compliant pay: applicable extended CBA and mandatory minimum wages identified, customary salaries documented before any notification.
- Social security: A1 or the applicable certificate of coverage arranged with the home country, 24-month limit anticipated.
- Permits & VAT: authorisation requests beyond 90 days and VAT liability from CHF 100,000 of worldwide determining turnover.
RISTER secures your assignments. You focus on your projects and clients.
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Does the posting of workers apply to your company?
Every assignment has its own regime: notification, permit, sensitive sector. Here are the situations where entrusting your Swiss postings to a Geneva-based firm makes the difference.
Providing a service with your own employees
You are performing a contract for a Swiss client: up to 90 working days per calendar year, an online notification is enough, filed at least eight days before the assignment starts, with the declared wages.
We identify the applicable CBA, validate the wages and file the notification on time, keeping the confirmations for any inspection.
Construction, hospitality, cleaning, security
In the so-called sensitive sectors the eight-day exemption does not apply: notification is mandatory from the first day of work, and joint committee inspections are most frequent there.
We document the complete wage file before the first day on site: it is the first item joint committees ask for.
Beyond 90 days: authorisation replaces notification
The 90-day quota is counted per company and per worker. Beyond it, the notification procedure no longer applies: a work authorisation must be requested, with no automatic entitlement to obtain it: the decision rests with the cantonal authority, sometimes subject to quotas.
We track your annual counter, anticipate filing and build complete files, and that is what makes the difference before the authority.
Third-country nationals: permit from day one
For third-country nationals posted from outside the EU/EFTA, an authorisation is required in principle from the first day. If, on the other hand, they are employed by an EU/EFTA company and have been integrated into its regular labour market for at least 12 months, the notification procedure may still be available.
We assess feasibility before you commit contractually to your Swiss client, then run the cantonal procedure.
Taking over and regularising a posting file
A missed notification, a wage challenged by a joint committee, a request for supporting documents left unanswered: a degraded situation only gets worse until it is taken in hand.
We regularise what can be regularised, respond to the inspection bodies with the expected evidence and bring your assignments back into compliance.
A mismanaged posting exposes your company
A late notification, a wage below the minimum set by an extended CBA or a missing A1 certificate rarely shows immediately: it surfaces during an inspection, on site or on file. The Posted Workers Act (LDét) gives the authorities genuinely deterrent sanctions, and SECO's public list names, among others, the companies banned from providing services in Switzerland, where any of your Swiss clients can look them up.
Fine for late notification
A missing, late or inaccurate notification is sanctioned by a fine of up to CHF 5,000, even where everything else is compliant.
Fine on pay conditions
Breaching the minimum pay and working conditions exposes you to a fine of up to CHF 30,000 (art. 9 LDét).
One-to-five-year ban
For a serious breach or a repeat offence: a ban on providing services in Switzerland, with entry on SECO's public list.
Costs and delays down the line
Back-pay claims, inspection fees, contractual penalties and CBA contributions, a deposit where one is required, plus operational delays that weigh on the project.
What we handle for you
A compliant posting engages five sets of rules at once: immigration law, employment law, social security, taxation and VAT. Instead of five counterparts, you have one.
Posting notifications
Online filing within the eight-day deadline, additional notifications for extensions or replacements, confirmations archived: the first document requested during an on-site inspection.
Pay and working conditions
Applicable extended CBA and mandatory minimum wages identified, customary salaries documented, working time, holidays and accommodation checked, with travel, board and lodging costs kept separate from salary.
Social security & A1
A1 or the applicable certificate of coverage arranged with the home-country institution before departure, the 24-month limit tracked, bilateral social security agreements outside the EU/EFTA reviewed.
Permits beyond 90 days
Authorisation files prepared and filed with the cantonal authorities. The decision is theirs, and a complete file makes the difference. Third-country nationals included.
VAT for foreign providers
Taxable supplies in Switzerland and CHF 100,000 of worldwide determining turnover: liability review, registration with the FTA and fiscal representation, which is mandatory without a Swiss seat or permanent establishment.
Payroll for posted workers
Payslips compliant with Swiss standards, time sheets and supporting documents ready for any inspection body.
How we set things up
A structured engagement, from the first conversation to the closing of the assignment.
Assignment review
Duration, sector, location, headcount, nationalities and the legal qualification of the operation: we determine the applicable regime.
Wage validation
Extended CBA minimums checked, customary salaries documented, locked in before any notification.
Notification, A1 and permits
Notification filed at least eight days before the assignment, A1 or equivalent certificate arranged, permit requests prepared where needed.
Follow-up during the assignment
Inspections, extensions, additional notifications and payroll throughout the assignment.
Closing & next steps
File archived, quotas updated, and advice on establishing in Switzerland if your assignments become regular.
Why choose RISTER for your Swiss postings?
As a Geneva-based corporate service provider, we handle cross-border files every day (postings, cross-border commuters, withholding tax), and we know how the authorities and joint committees actually work.
- Cross-border expertise: LDét, extended CBAs, permits, international social security and the practice of inspection bodies.
- A certified expert on your file: your file is handled by a federally qualified expert, with no anonymous delegation.
- Multilingual support: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian.
- 360° view: a single partner for notifications, wages, A1, permits, VAT and payroll.
- Responsiveness: a dedicated contact, quick answers and rigorous deadline tracking.
Three real assignments, three different regimes
From our files: the same question, “can we send our teams to Switzerland?”, and three different answers depending on duration, structure and nationality.
Over 300 Cross-Border Entrepreneurs Supported
L'équipe est très professionnelle, fiable, réactive et attentive aux détails. Elle traite chaque dossier avec efficacité, discrétion et un grand sens des responsabilités, ce qui me donne l'assurance que les affaires administratives de ma société sont gérées de manière optimale.
J'apprécie particulièrement leur communication claire, leurs conseils pratiques et leur disponibilité. Leurs services ont toujours répondu à mes attentes et je suis très satisfait de la qualité de leur travail.
La domiciliation offre une adresse professionnelle de qualité et les services associés répondent parfaitement à mes attentes. Je recommande vivement RISTER à toute personne souhaitant créer ou développer son activité en Suisse dans un cadre sérieux et sécurisé.
Ils ont su répondre à mes questions et m'accompagner à chaque étape du processus et faciliter mes démarches administratives et juridiques.
Ils prennent le temps d’expliquer les choses simplement et proposent toujours des solutions adaptées à la situation. C’est rassurant et vraiment appréciable.
Un vrai partenaire de confiance sur le long terme.
Our fees for posted workers management
- Review of the applicable regime
- Identification of the applicable CBA or standard employment contract
- Validation of pay conditions
- Preparation and filing of the posting notification
- Coordination of A1 forms and social security
- Preparation of authorisation requests where required
- Assistance during inspections or regularisation
- Review of Swiss VAT liability
Post your staff to Switzerland
Contact us for your initial consultation. Together we assess the regime that applies to your assignment (notification or permit, CBA, VAT) and define the next steps.
Contact the Expert
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FAQ: managing your Swiss postings with RISTER®
Entrusting your Swiss assignments to a Geneva firm raises concrete questions: when to involve us, what to provide, what the engagement covers, what happens during an inspection. RISTER®, a corporate service provider in Geneva, answers below the questions our foreign employer clients ask most often before appointing us.
1. When should we contact RISTER before an assignment in Switzerland?
Ideally two to three weeks before the planned start of the assignment. The legal notification deadline is only eight days, but everything that precedes it takes time: identifying the applicable CBA, checking wages against the mandatory minimums, requesting the A1 or the applicable certificate of coverage from the home country. The longer the assignment or the more sensitive the sector (construction, hospitality, cleaning, security), the more anticipation matters.
2. What do we need to provide to get started?
The essentials fit on a short list: your company details, the identity of each worker concerned (passport or ID card), the exact dates and location of the assignment, the nature of the service and the planned wages. We send you a complete checklist at the first exchange and take care of the rest: data entry, filing, follow-up of confirmations.
3. Do you handle urgent assignments with an immediate start?
Only within the strict limits set by law. The exception to the eight-day deadline is narrow: unforeseeable damage, emergency repairs, accidents or disasters, with a genuine need to act immediately. A commercial urgency on your client’s side is not enough. In those cases work may start on the day of notification, with the reason properly documented. Outside them, the eight-day deadline applies and we plan the assignment accordingly.
4. Do you work with companies established outside the EU/EFTA?
Yes, but the regime differs: for an employer established outside the EU/EFTA the notification procedure does not apply, and a work authorisation is required in principle from the first day, with longer cantonal procedures subject to quotas. Conversely, a third-country national employed by an EU/EFTA company may remain eligible for the notification procedure if they have been integrated into the regular EU/EFTA labour market for at least 12 months. We assess feasibility before you commit, then build the corresponding files.
5. Can you handle staff leasing from abroad?
No, and no one legally can: staff leasing from abroad into Switzerland is prohibited (art. 12 para. 2 of the Recruitment Act, LSE). Only posting within a service contract between your company and its Swiss client is permitted. Calling an operation a “posting” is not enough: we verify the legal qualification of the operation before accepting any engagement, which protects your company as much as your Swiss client.
6. What services does the posted workers management engagement cover?
RISTER offers full coverage of a foreign employer’s obligations:
- Posting notifications: online filing on time, additional notifications, confirmations kept on file
- Pay and working conditions: extended CBAs and mandatory minimums, customary salaries documented, working time, holidays, accommodation and assignment costs kept separate from salary
- Social security: coordination of the A1 or applicable certificate of coverage and tracking of the 24-month limit
- Work permits: authorisation requests beyond 90 days and for third-country nationals
- Swiss VAT: liability review (CHF 100,000 of worldwide determining turnover), FTA registration and fiscal representation
- Payroll for posted workers: payslips and statements compliant with Swiss standards
Each engagement is scoped to your situation: notification only for a one-off assignment, or full management for recurring postings.
7. How does RISTER invoice its services?
On a quote agreed before the file is opened, with no surprises along the way. The amount depends on the number of workers, the length of the assignment, the sector (extended CBA or not) and the services retained. We prefer to study your situation before quoting rather than advertising a flat fee that would not match your reality.
8. What happens if there is an inspection during the assignment?
Joint committees and cantonal authorities inspect posted assignments regularly, on site or on file. If you have appointed us, the file is ready before day one: notification, payslips, time sheets and A1 certificates are documented from the outset. We respond to the inspection bodies on your behalf and follow the file through to closure. This is precisely where the engagement proves its value.
9. Can you take over a file that has gone wrong?
Yes. A missed notification, a wage challenged by a joint committee, a request for documents left unanswered: we take the file over, regularise what can be regularised and respond to the authorities with the evidence expected. The faster the handover, the more options remain open: a fine under the LDét can reach CHF 30,000 and, for a serious breach, a ban on providing services in Switzerland of one to five years.
10. Who are RISTER’s posted workers services for?
We support a varied client base of employers established abroad:
- EU/EFTA SMEs and industrial companies carrying out projects or services for Swiss clients
- International groups posting managers or specialists to a Swiss subsidiary or project
- Regular providers whose assignments approach the 90-day quota
- Companies outside the EU/EFTA requiring work authorisations from day one
11. What if our assignments in Switzerland become regular?
Beyond a certain volume (the 90-day quota used up every year, a team present continuously, recurring Swiss clients), posting shows its limits. We then advise you on building a lasting Swiss presence: a branch or a subsidiary, with company formation, domiciliation and full accounting, tax and payroll management. That is the core of our work, and the natural next step after a successful posting.
12. Why choose RISTER in Geneva for your postings?
Choosing RISTER means benefiting from:
- More than 25 years of cross-border experience, with a certified expert directly involved in your file
- A team of 12 accounting and tax specialists, member of FIDUCIAIRE|SUISSE
- A multilingual service: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian
- An approach built on compliance and substance: we prepare files to pass inspections, not merely to start quickly
- A single point of contact for notifications, wages, A1, permits, VAT and payroll
We Manage Your Company’s Administration from A to Z
A Single Point of Contact, Rigorous Execution and Controlled Compliance.