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Resignation letter (Switzerland)
Switzerland · in English · for employees
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A resignation letter in English for employees in Switzerland whose employer works in English: notice ending the employment with the contractual or statutory period (Art. 335c CO), or during probation seven days or the period agreed (Art. 335b CO), on the date you choose or else the next possible date, asking for confirmation, a reference (Arbeitszeugnis), the final pay and salary certificate (Lohnausweis), and settling remaining holiday. Send it by registered post or hand it over against a receipt. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- Made for use in Switzerland
- Last updated November 4, 2026
- Document in English
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You work for an English-speaking company in Switzerland and want to resign.
- You have accepted a job elsewhere and need to hand in your notice in Switzerland.
- You are in your probation period at a Swiss employer and want to leave.
- You want a resignation letter in English that also deals with holiday and your reference.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Employer
- Employer's registered address
- City
- Date
- Notice period: the ordinary period, or during probation
- Date of termination
Common questions
- Can I resign in English from a job in Switzerland?
- Yes. Between employer and employee any language both understand will do, and Swiss law sets no form for the notice itself, so an English letter is valid where your contract and collective agreement do not require something else. If they require writing, sign by hand or with a qualified electronic signature; a plain e-mail is not enough. Keep proof that it arrived: registered post (Einschreiben) or a receipt signed on your copy. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.
- How long is my notice period as an employee in Switzerland?
- Unless your contract or collective agreement says otherwise in writing: seven days during probation (the first month, extendable in writing to three months); then one month in the first year of service, two months from the second to the ninth year and three months after that, always to the end of a month (Art. 335b and 335c CO). The employer has the same period as you (Art. 335a CO).
- When must a Swiss resignation letter reach my employer?
- Before the notice period starts: what counts is when the employer receives it, not when you post it. With one month's notice to the end of April, it must arrive by the end of March. A registered letter that is not collected at once may count as received later than you expect, so post it several days early or hand it over in person against a signature.
- Will resigning affect my unemployment benefit in Switzerland?
- Usually, if you have no new job: unemployment insurance suspends benefit for a number of days when you became unemployed through your own fault, which includes resigning (Art. 30 AVIG); the fund decides each case, for instance where health forced you to leave. Register with the regional employment centre (RAV) at job-room.ch as early as you can.
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
- Resignation letter, in German (Switzerland)
A resignation letter for employees in Switzerland, in German: notice ending the employment with the contractual or statutory period (Art. 335c CO), or during probation with seven days or the period agreed (Art. 335b CO), on the date you choose or else the next possible date. It asks for confirmation, a reference (Arbeitszeugnis), the final pay with the salary certificate (Lohnausweis) and settles remaining holiday. The Code of Obligations requires no form, but contracts and collective agreements often do: print, sign and send by registered post or hand it over against a receipt.
- Resignation letter, in French (Switzerland)
A resignation letter in French for employees in Switzerland: ends the employment with the contractual or statutory notice period (Art. 335c CO), or during probation with seven days or the period agreed (Art. 335b CO), on the date you choose or else the next possible date. It asks for confirmation, a work certificate (certificat de travail), the final pay with the salary certificate (certificat de salaire) and settles remaining holiday. The Code of Obligations requires no form, though contracts and collective agreements often do: print, sign, and send it registered or hand it over against a receipt.
- Resignation letter, in Italian (Switzerland)
A resignation letter in Italian for employees in Switzerland, for example in Ticino: ends the employment with the contractual or statutory notice period (Art. 335c CO), or during probation with seven days or the period agreed in writing (Art. 335b CO), on the date you choose or else the next possible date. It asks for confirmation, a work certificate, the final pay with the salary certificate, and settles remaining holiday. The Code of Obligations requires no form, though contracts and collective agreements often do: print, sign, and send it registered or hand it over against a receipt.
- 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.
- Demand for unpaid wages or overtime, in French (Switzerland)
For employees in French-speaking Switzerland whose employer owes them wages, overtime or pay during illness, in French: a written demand for payment listing the amounts, with the total, a deadline and the account. Overtime with the 25% supplement (Art. 321c para. 3 CO), pay during illness on your canton's scale (Art. 324a CO), 5% default interest and a written pay statement (Art. 323b CO). Items you leave blank are dropped. Send it by registered post; the conciliation that may follow is free of court costs up to CHF 30'000.00.
- Demand for unpaid wages or overtime, in German (Switzerland)
For employees in Switzerland whose employer owes them wages, overtime or pay during illness, in German: a written demand for payment with a breakdown, total, deadline and bank account. Overtime with the 25% supplement (Art. 321c para. 3 CO), pay during illness on your canton's court scale (Art. 324a CO), 5% default interest and a written pay statement (Art. 323b CO). Items you leave blank are dropped. Send it by registered post; the conciliation procedure that may follow is free of court costs up to CHF 30'000.00.