{"id":235669,"date":"2026-08-12T16:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/?p=235669"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:26:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:26:29","slug":"notification-procedure-switzerland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/post\/notification-procedure-switzerland\/","title":{"rendered":"The notification procedure for short-term work in Switzerland: a step-by-step guide for foreign employers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-box\">\n<p>The <strong>notification procedure for short-term work in Switzerland<\/strong> is the mandatory online declaration a foreign employer must file <strong>at least eight days before<\/strong> sending workers on assignment to Swiss territory. It applies as soon as assignments exceed eight working days per calendar year \u2014 and <strong>from the very first day<\/strong> in construction, hospitality and catering, cleaning and security. A missing or late notification is punishable by a fine of up to CHF 5,000.<\/p>\n<p>This guide describes the procedure step by step: who must notify, within what deadline, with what information, and how to avoid the mistakes that trigger inspections. RISTER\u00ae, a corporate service provider in Geneva, files these notifications on behalf of foreign employers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"table-of-contents\">\n<h3>Contents<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#who\">Who must file a notification?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#deadline\">The eight-day deadline and its exceptions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#8-day-rule\">The 8-day rule explained<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#sectors\">Sectors that must notify from day one<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#steps\">The online notification, step by step<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#checklist\">Checklist: what to prepare<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#90-days\">Beyond 90 days: authorisation replaces notification<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#changes\">Amending or cancelling a notification<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#penalties\">Penalties for a missing or late notification<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">FAQ<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"who\">Who must file a notification?<\/h2>\n<p>Under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU\/EFTA, three situations trigger the notification duty:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the <strong>employer established in the EU\/EFTA<\/strong> posting employees to Switzerland to perform a service;<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>self-employed service provider<\/strong> established in the EU\/EFTA carrying out an assignment personally in Switzerland \u2014 who must be able to prove genuine self-employed status during an inspection;<\/li>\n<li><strong>short-term employment<\/strong> with a Swiss employer, up to three months, which follows the same procedure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Assignments totalling <strong>eight working days or less per calendar year<\/strong> are exempt, except in the sensitive sectors listed below. The wider framework of a posting \u2014 wages, social security, VAT \u2014 is covered in our guide to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/post\/posting-of-workers-to-switzerland\/attachment\/posting-of-workers-to-switzerland\/\">posting of workers to Switzerland<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"deadline\">The eight-day deadline and its exceptions<\/h2>\n<p>The notification must reach the authorities <strong>at the latest eight days before the assignment begins<\/strong>. The period runs from the online submission and allows the cantonal and joint inspection bodies to plan their checks.<\/p>\n<p>There is a single exception, and it is narrow: genuine <strong>emergencies<\/strong> \u2014 unforeseeable damage, urgent repairs, accidents, natural disasters or other unforeseeable events requiring immediate action. Work may then start <strong>on the day of notification at the earliest<\/strong>, with the reason for the urgency stated in the form. A commercial urgency on the client\u2019s side does not qualify.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"8-day-rule\">The 8-day rule explained<\/h2>\n<p>The figure &#8220;eight days&#8221; covers two entirely different rules, and confusing them is the single most common misunderstanding we see:<\/p>\n<div class=\"rister-table-wrap\">\n<table class=\"rister-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Rule<\/th>\n<th>What it means<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Eight days before<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>A waiting period: once a notification is required, work may not start until eight days after it has been filed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Eight days per year<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>An exemption threshold: assignments totalling eight working days or less per calendar year require no notification at all \u2014 except in the sensitive sectors.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"rister-caption\">The two &#8220;eight-day&#8221; rules of the Swiss notification procedure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A practical consequence: a company that sends a technician for three days in March and five days in June has used up its exemption. The next assignment, however short, must be notified \u2014 and notified eight days in advance.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sectors\">Sectors that must notify from day one<\/h2>\n<p>In the branches considered sensitive, the eight-day exemption does not apply: notification is mandatory <strong>whatever the length of the assignment<\/strong>, from the first working day in Switzerland.<\/p>\n<div class=\"rister-table-wrap\">\n<table class=\"rister-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Sector<\/th>\n<th>Notification<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Construction, civil engineering and finishing trades<\/td>\n<td>From day one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hospitality and catering<\/td>\n<td>From day one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Industrial and domestic cleaning<\/td>\n<td>From day one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Surveillance and security<\/td>\n<td>From day one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Itinerant trade (travelling salespeople, funfair operators)<\/td>\n<td>From day one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Landscaping and horticulture<\/td>\n<td>From day one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>All other sectors<\/td>\n<td>Once assignments exceed 8 working days per calendar year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"rister-caption\">Sectors subject to notification from the first day. Source: SECO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"steps\">The online notification, step by step<\/h2>\n<p>Notification is filed exclusively online. Since <strong>17 March 2025<\/strong>, the procedure for short-term gainful activity has been modernised and integrated into the Confederation\u2019s EasyGov platform. In practice:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Create the company account<\/strong> on the Confederation\u2019s notification portal, with the full details of the foreign employer (legal name, registered office, contact person).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Select the type of notification<\/strong>: posting of workers, self-employed service provider, or short-term employment with a Swiss employer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enter the assignment<\/strong>: exact place of performance (site or client address), nature of the service, start and end dates, planned duration in working days.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enter each posted worker<\/strong>: name, date of birth, nationality, identity document number, qualification and role on the assignment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Declare the gross hourly wage<\/strong> paid during the assignment \u2014 this is the figure inspection bodies use to check compliance with Swiss pay rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Submit and keep the confirmation<\/strong>: the electronic acknowledgement must be available on site during any inspection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"conseil-rister\">\n<h4>RISTER\u00ae advice<\/h4>\n<p>The most scrutinised field is neither the date nor the headcount: it is the declared wage. Check the binding minimum of the applicable extended collective agreement before submitting \u2014 a wage below it almost always triggers a request for supporting documents from the joint committee, and by then the assignment has already started.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"checklist\">Checklist: what to prepare<\/h2>\n<p>Before starting the online filing, gather:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the full details of the <strong>posting company<\/strong> (registered office, commercial register, contact person);<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>identity of each worker<\/strong>: surname, first name, date of birth, nationality, passport or ID card number;<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>exact dates and location<\/strong> of the assignment (site or client address);<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>detailed nature of the service<\/strong> (service contract with the Swiss recipient);<\/li>\n<li>the <strong>gross hourly wage<\/strong> paid during the assignment, aligned with the applicable Swiss minimums;<\/li>\n<li>for third-country nationals employed in the EU\/EFTA: proof of <strong>at least 12 months&#8217; integration<\/strong> into that regular labour market;<\/li>\n<li>each worker\u2019s <strong>A1 certificate<\/strong> (home-country social security), to be requested before departure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"90-days\">Beyond 90 days: authorisation replaces notification<\/h2>\n<p>The notification procedure covers a maximum of <strong>90 actual working days per calendar year<\/strong> \u2014 a ceiling that applies to the company and to each worker alike. Beyond it, the assignment is no longer covered by a simple notification: a <strong>work authorisation<\/strong> (short-term L permit, or B permit depending on duration) must be obtained from the cantonal authorities before work continues.<\/p>\n<p>The distinction matters. Notification is declaratory and free of charge; authorisation is an administrative decision subject to conditions, processing times and sometimes quotas \u2014 with <strong>no automatic entitlement<\/strong> to obtain it. Only actual working days count towards the ceiling: days spent exclusively travelling to or from Switzerland are not notified as working days.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"changes\">Amending or cancelling a notification<\/h2>\n<p>Any substantial change to the assignment must be reflected in a correction: a postponed start, an extended duration, a change of location or the replacement of a worker. In practice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a <strong>postponement or interruption<\/strong> is reported to the competent cantonal authority;<\/li>\n<li>an <strong>extension<\/strong> beyond the notified duration requires a new notification \u2014 respecting the eight-day deadline and the 90-day ceiling;<\/li>\n<li>adding a <strong>worker<\/strong> not initially declared requires a supplementary notification before they arrive on site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"penalties\">Penalties for a missing or late notification<\/h2>\n<p>Breaching the notification duty is sanctioned independently of compliance with the other obligations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>administrative fine of up to CHF 5,000<\/strong> for a missing, late or inaccurate notification;<\/li>\n<li><strong>fine of up to CHF 30,000<\/strong> for breaching the minimum pay and working conditions (art. 9 LD\u00e9t);<\/li>\n<li><strong>ban on providing services in Switzerland of one to five years<\/strong> for serious or repeated breaches, with entry on SECO\u2019s public list \u2014 consultable by every Swiss client;<\/li>\n<li>authorities may also order work to be <strong>interrupted<\/strong> until the situation is regularised.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>RISTER handles the entire procedure \u2014 prior wage verification, filing, follow-up of confirmations and inspections \u2014 as part of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/service\/secondment-management-switzerland\/\">posted workers management service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section id=\"faq\">\n<h2>FAQ: the Swiss notification procedure<\/h2>\n<div class=\"question\">\n<h3>What is the difference between notification and work authorisation?<\/h3>\n<p>Notification is a free online declaration with no administrative decision attached: it is enough for assignments up to 90 actual working days per calendar year by EU\/EFTA nationals. A work authorisation (L or B permit) is a decision subject to conditions and processing times, required beyond 90 days or for third-country nationals posted directly from outside the EU\/EFTA.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"question\">\n<h3>How far in advance must a posting be notified?<\/h3>\n<p>The notification must be filed <strong>at the latest eight days before the assignment starts<\/strong> in Switzerland. In duly justified emergencies \u2014 repairs, accidents, disasters \u2014 work may exceptionally begin on the day of notification. In construction, hospitality and catering, cleaning, security and itinerant trade, notification is due from the first day of the assignment, whatever its length.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"question\">\n<h3>Does a self-employed provider have to notify as well?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. A self-employed service provider established in the EU\/EFTA carrying out an assignment in Switzerland follows the same notification procedure as an employer posting staff, once assignments exceed eight working days per calendar year \u2014 or from day one in the sensitive sectors. They must also be able to prove genuine self-employed status during an inspection (registration, contracts, invoices), failing which they may be requalified as a posted worker or bogus self-employed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"question\">\n<h3>How much does a notification cost?<\/h3>\n<p>The online notification procedure is free: no fee is charged for filing. The real costs of a compliant posting lie elsewhere \u2014 aligning wages with Swiss minimums, obtaining the A1 certificate, any deposit required by a joint committee in sectors covered by an extended collective agreement, and the administrative management of the file.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"question\">\n<h3>Are travel days counted in the 90-day quota?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Only actual working days count towards the 90-day ceiling. Days spent exclusively travelling to or from Switzerland should not be notified as working days. The quota is counted both per company and per posted worker, so rotating teams does not reset the company\u2019s counter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"sources\">\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sem.admin.ch\/sem\/en\/home\/themen\/fza_schweiz-eu-efta\/meldeverfahren.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEM \u2014 Notification procedure for short-term work in Switzerland<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easygov.swiss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EasyGov \u2014 the Confederation\u2019s online desk for companies<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fedlex.admin.ch\/eli\/cc\/2003\/231\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Federal Act on Posted Workers (LD\u00e9t), SR 823.20 \u2014 Fedlex<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seco.admin.ch\/seco\/en\/home\/Arbeit\/Personenfreizugigkeit_Arbeitsbeziehungen.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SECO \u2014 Posting of workers and accompanying measures<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"conclusion-box\">\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>The notification is the first act of compliance of any Swiss assignment: an eight-day deadline, one online portal, wage data that inspection bodies verify, and real penalties for omissions. It replaces neither the A1 certificate, nor compliance with collective agreements, nor the VAT analysis \u2014 together they form the whole we describe in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/post\/secondment-procedure-in-switzerland\/\">guide to secondment in Switzerland<\/a>. RISTER files notifications and secures each step for foreign employers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/contact\/\">Contact our experts<\/a> before your first assignment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rister-article-footer\">\n<p>Discover our services:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/service\/secondment-management-switzerland\/\">Posted workers management in Switzerland<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/service\/general-administration-geneva\/\">General administration, accounting and payroll<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rister.ch\/en\/contact\/\">Contact our experts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The notification procedure for short-term work in Switzerland is the mandatory online declaration a foreign employer must file at least eight days before sending workers on assignment to Swiss territory. It applies as soon as assignments exceed eight working days per calendar year \u2014 and from the very first day in construction, hospitality and catering, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":235668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-235669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classifiee"],"rank_math":{"rank_math_title":"Notification procedure Switzerland: step by step | RISTER","rank_math_description":"Swiss notification procedure for short-term work: 8-day deadline, EasyGov filing since 2025, day-one sectors, checklist and penalties. 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