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The A1 certificate for assignments in Switzerland.
It proves in which country your people remain covered by social security. Without it, an inspection gets expensive.
Background
Evidence, not an application for access
Anyone working temporarily in another state normally stays insured at home. The A1 documents that. Switzerland applies the European coordination rules through the free movement agreement, so it is part of the system. There is no minimum threshold: even one day of installation work counts as a posting.
Before the assignment
The certificate is applied for in advance, not afterwards. Turning up without one and being checked risks fines and, in the worst case, retroactive insurance in the host country.
Carry it
The certificate belongs with the papers the employee carries, on a phone or on paper. Checks happen on site, not in the HR office.
Per person
It is issued per person and per assignment, not per company. Anyone joining later needs their own, even if the project has been running for months.
Procedure
Electronic, with lead time
Digital only
For postings to EU and EFTA states and to Switzerland the application is filed electronically, from Germany through the social insurance portal or approved payroll software. The employee's health insurer is responsible, and for privately insured staff the relevant pension insurance office. Companies from other EU states apply to their own national institution.
About three working days
That is how long the response usually takes. Together with the labour market notification period it means that whoever schedules today starts in just over a week at the earliest. That week is why assignments at short notice fail, not the accommodation.
A different certificate
For staff without EU or Swiss citizenship, postings from Germany to Switzerland fall under the bilateral social security agreement. Instead of the A1 there is a posting certificate, since 1 January 2026 also filed electronically. Anyone working a lot with third country nationals should allow more lead time here.
Telling them apart
Two things that get confused constantly
The A1 says where someone is insured. The notification says that someone is allowed to work. You need both, they go through different authorities, and neither replaces the other.
- A1
- Social security
- Notification procedure
- Labour market
- Responsible
- Home country and Switzerland
- Both handled by
- Employer
How the notification procedure works is explained under the eight day notification rule. What we contribute on the housing side is under Standards and compliance. Official source for postings from Germany: the DVKA. This text is a practical overview, not legal advice, and the procedures change.
Questions
What companies settle before posting staff
Do you need an A1 certificate for Switzerland?
Yes. Switzerland applies the European coordination rules through the free movement agreement. Anyone from an EU or EFTA state working there temporarily uses the A1 to show in which state they remain covered by social security, whatever the length of the assignment.
How long does an A1 certificate take?
The application is filed electronically. In Germany the decision usually comes within about three working days. It is always applied for in advance, never afterwards.
What applies to staff from third countries?
For postings from Germany to Switzerland, third country nationals do not receive an A1 but a posting certificate under the German Swiss social security agreement. Since 1 January 2026 this is also applied for electronically.
Does the A1 replace the notification in Switzerland?
No. The A1 governs social security, the eight day notification rule governs access to the labour market. The two have to be dealt with separately.
Accommodation for the assignment?
People, dates, job site. You get a calculated quote with availability and a fixed price, not a price list.
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