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The eight day notification rule in Switzerland.
Anyone posting workers from the EU to Switzerland has to notify the assignment in advance. What that means for your scheduling.
Background
Notification instead of a permit
Companies from the EU and EFTA may work in Switzerland for up to 90 actual working days per calendar year without a work permit. In exchange, the assignment has to be notified. Notification is done online through the federal business portal, one registration, free of charge. The posting company is responsible, not the client and not the landlord of the accommodation.
From day one
In construction and the allied building trades every assignment must be notified, even a single day. The same applies to cleaning, security, hospitality and landscaping, among others.
Eight exempt days
Outside those sectors, eight days per calendar year are exempt. Beyond that you notify from the ninth day on, retroactively for the whole assignment.
Per site
Every site is notified separately. If the site changes, a new notification is required, even if the same people work in the same period.
Deadlines
Eight days means eight days
Notify, then wait
Notification has to be made at the latest eight days before work starts, and work may not begin before that period has run. The day of notification counts, and so do weekends. For assignments at short notice this is the hardest limit in the whole plan.
90 days per calendar year
The quota applies to the company and to the posted person. Whether one or ten people work on a given day makes no difference to what is used up: the day counts, not the head. Beyond 90 days you need a permit from the canton, and there is no entitlement to one.
New notification, no new waiting period
If the dates move or the site changes, a new notification referring to the existing one is required before work starts. In these cases it does not trigger a fresh eight day waiting period.
Accommodation
What this has to do with housing
In the notification the posting company confirms that Swiss minimum working conditions are met. Under article 3 of the posting act that includes accommodation meeting the standard customary in the area. This is not checked with the landlord, it is checked with the employer.
- Accommodation and evidence
- rheinblick
- Notification
- Employer
- Minimum wage in the form
- Employer
- Inspection
- Canton
On request we issue a registration certificate with address and period for every person staying with us. What this means for the standard of the accommodation is explained under Standards and compliance. Social security is a separate matter, see A1 certificate. Official sources: the SECO pages on posting and the notification portal at EasyGov. This text is a practical overview, not legal advice, and the rules change.
Questions
What to settle before notifying
How long before work starts does an assignment in Switzerland have to be notified?
At least eight days before the work begins. The day of notification counts, and work may only start once the eight days have passed. Weekends count.
Does the notification requirement also apply to short assignments?
In construction, the allied building trades and a number of other sectors, from day one. In other sectors there are eight exempt days per calendar year.
How many days may a company work in Switzerland without a permit?
90 actual working days per calendar year. The quota applies to the company and to the posted person. Whether one or ten people are on site on a given day makes no difference to how much of it is used up.
Does the accommodation have to be stated in the notification?
Every job site is notified separately. In the procedure the posting company also confirms that the accommodation meets the locally customary standard. On request rheinblick issues a registration certificate per person, with the address and the period.
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