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Request for or correction of a work certificate, in French (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in French · for employees
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13 questions · about 5 min
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
Made for use in Switzerland
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For employees in Switzerland, in French: asks for a full work certificate (certificat de travail), an interim certificate or a confirmation of employment (attestation de travail) under Art. 330a CO, or for the correction of a certificate that is wrong or incomplete, quoting the current and the requested wording and setting a deadline. A certificate may be requested at any time, also while you are still employed. Print, sign and send it to the employer by registered post.
- Made for use in Switzerland
- Last updated November 4, 2026
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You are leaving your job in Switzerland and your employer has still not given you a work certificate.
- Your reference from a Swiss employer contains wording you find unfair or simply wrong.
- Your manager is changing and you would like an interim reference while you are still employed.
- You need a confirmation of employment in French for a new application in Switzerland.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Employer
- Employer's registered address
- City
- Date
- Job title
- Start date
- Date of termination
- What you ask for (in French): full certificate, interim, attestation or correction
- Reason for an interim reference (e.g. a new manager)
- Passages to correct: current and requested wording, with reasons
- Deadline
Common questions
- Which kinds of work certificate can I request from an employer in Switzerland?
- At any time, a full certificate on the kind and length of the employment and on the quality of your work and your conduct (Art. 330a para. 1 CO) — also as an interim certificate while you are still employed, for example when your manager changes. On your express request the employer instead issues an attestation de travail stating only the kind and length (Art. 330a para. 2 CO). You choose which in the letter.
- What are my options if a Swiss certificat de travail is inaccurate or unfavourable?
- Ask for the correction in writing, quoting the current and the requested wording, with evidence such as appraisal notes. Under case law a certificate must be true, complete and written with goodwill. If the employer refuses, you can bring the claim before the conciliation authority at the employer's seat or your place of work (Art. 34 CPC). In the canton of Vaud the request goes to the president of the district's tribunal de prud'hommes for claims up to CHF 30'000.00; in Geneva, to the Tribunal des prud'hommes.
- Will a dispute about my work certificate cost court fees in Switzerland?
- In employment disputes worth up to CHF 30'000.00 no court costs are charged, in conciliation or before the court (Art. 113 para. 2 let. d and Art. 114 let. c CPC); paying the other side's costs is not ruled out. Geneva goes further: conciliation there is free whatever the value, and proceedings before the Tribunal des prud'hommes up to CHF 75'000.00. Conciliation comes before any court case, and parties often settle there.
- Is there a time limit for a Swiss employer to issue the certificate?
- The law sets none; the certificate is owed as soon as you ask, and on leaving as of the end of the employment. The letter therefore sets a date by which you expect the signed certificate; two to three weeks is a usual period. If nothing arrives, send a short reminder with a final date before turning to the conciliation authority.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Request for or correction of an employment reference, in German (Switzerland)
For employees in Switzerland, in German: asks for a full reference, an interim reference or a confirmation of employment under Art. 330a CO, or for the correction of a reference that is wrong or incomplete, giving the current and the requested wording and a deadline. You can ask for a reference at any time, also while you are still employed. Print, sign and send it to the employer by registered post.
- Request for or correction of an employment reference, in Italian (Switzerland)
For people working or who worked in Switzerland, in Italian: asks the employer for a full reference, an interim reference or a confirmation limited to the kind and length of the job (Art. 330a of the Code of Obligations, CO), or for the correction of an inaccurate or incomplete one, with the current wording, the wording wanted and a deadline. A reference can be asked for at any time, also while still employed. Print, sign and send by registered post.
- Request for or correction of an employment reference (Switzerland)
For employees in Switzerland, in English: asks the employer for a full reference, an interim reference or a confirmation of employment (Arbeitszeugnis, Zwischenzeugnis, Arbeitsbestätigung) under Art. 330a CO, or for the correction of a reference that is wrong or incomplete, with the current and the requested wording and a deadline. You can ask at any time, also while still employed. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- Request for the written reasons for a dismissal, in French (Switzerland)
For employees in French-speaking Switzerland who have been dismissed, with notice or with immediate effect, in French: the written request that the employer state the reasons in writing (Art. 335 para. 2 CO; for an immediate termination, Art. 337 para. 1 CO), with a deadline for the answer. The request does not accept the dismissal and reserves the objection for abuse, which must reach the employer before the notice period ends. Print, sign and send by registered post.
- Request for the written reasons for a dismissal, in German (Switzerland)
For employees in Switzerland who have been dismissed with notice or summarily, in German: the written request that the employer give the reasons for the dismissal in writing (Art. 335 para. 2 CO, or Art. 337 para. 1 CO for a summary dismissal), with a deadline for the answer. The request does not accept the dismissal and reserves the objection for abuse, which must reach the employer before the notice period ends. Print, sign and send by registered post.
- Request for the written reasons for a dismissal, in Italian (Switzerland)
For employees in Switzerland, in Ticino for instance, who have been given notice, ordinary or with immediate effect, in Italian: the written request that the employer state the reasons in writing (Art. 335 para. 2 CO; for an immediate termination, Art. 337 para. 1 CO), with a deadline for the answer. The request does not accept the dismissal and reserves the objection for abuse, which must reach the employer before the notice period ends. Print, sign and send by registered post.