Switzerland: templates and forms

For parents in Switzerland whose child travels without them or with only one parent, in Italian: the declaration by which the parents with parental authority consent to the trip and authorise a companion, giving the child, the travel document, destination, dates, purpose and the parents' phone numbers, as the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) recommends. Where parental authority is joint, both sign (Art. 296 and 301 of the Civil Code, CC). With room for certified signatures if the destination asks for it. Print, sign and give it to the child with copies of the parents' ID.

For debtors in Switzerland served with a payment order (precetto esecutivo), in Italian: you can object free of charge at once to the person delivering it, who notes it on the order, or within ten days at the debt collection office (Ufficio d’esecuzione), orally at the counter or in writing; no reasons are needed (Art. 74 and 75 DEBA). This letter is the written route with proof, in the office's official language: it objects to the whole claim or an exact part and asks for the free certificate. Send it by registered post, handed to the post office by the tenth day.

For taxpayers in Switzerland who disagree with their assessment, in Italian for a tax authority that works in Italian: an objection (reclamo) to the assessment of cantonal and communal taxes, of the federal direct tax or of both, with the request, reasons and evidence, also against an assessment made by the authority itself (Art. 132 DFTA, Art. 48 of the Tax Harmonisation Act). The period is 30 days from notification and cannot be extended; the authority is the one named in the notice of appeal. The procedure is usually free. Send it by registered post, handed to the post office by the 30th day.

For employees in Switzerland, in Ticino for instance, who have been given notice and consider it abusive, in Italian: the written objection under Art. 336b CO, which must reach the employer before the notice period ends, or the compensation of up to six months' wages (Art. 336a CO) is lost. With your reasons if you wish to give them, an offer to continue the employment and, if you do not have them yet, a request for the written reasons (Art. 335 para. 2 CO). Print, sign and send by registered post.

For passengers whose flight from Switzerland — or into it on an airline from Switzerland, the EU, Iceland or Norway — arrived three hours or more late, was cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or who were denied boarding. The letter, in Italian, claims the fixed compensation of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, which applies in Switzerland through the air transport agreement with the EU: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, by distance, from the airline that operated the flight. The airline's own form is free; the BAZL takes complaints online. Send it by registered post.

For tenants in Switzerland living with defects in their flat: the written notice of defects to the landlord or the agency. It lists what is wrong, sets a date for repairs (Art. 259a and 259b of the Code of Obligations, CO), claims a lower rent from the time the landlord knew (Art. 259d CO) and can include the written warning that the rent will be paid into deposit, which Art. 259g CO requires first. It names your canton's conciliation authority, where conciliation is free. Print it, sign it, add photos and post it registered. In Italian.

For tenants in Switzerland moving out before the lease can be ended: the letter telling the landlord that the flat will be handed back early and putting forward a new tenant who is solvent and ready to take over the lease on the same terms (Art. 264 of the Code of Obligations, CO). It states the handover date and the candidates, gives the landlord a date to answer by and lists what is enclosed. Print it, have every tenant sign it and post it registered. In Italian.

For people renting a flat in Switzerland who want to leave it: the written notice to the landlord or managing agency (Art. 266l para. 1 of the Code of Obligations, CO), giving three months' notice to the date in the lease, or else to a local termination date (Art. 266c CO), and taking effect on the following date if the chosen one is missed. Every tenant signs, and where the flat is the family home so does the spouse or registered partner (Art. 266m CO); the letter also asks for a handover date and the release of the rent deposit. Print it, sign it and post it registered. In Italian.

For tenants in Switzerland whose rent is based on a reference interest rate above today's: the written request asking the landlord to lower the rent under Art. 270a of the Code of Obligations (CO), from the next termination date. It sets out the rate behind your rent, the current rate, the cut you ask for and the landlord's 30 days to answer, and names your canton's conciliation authority if they refuse. Check your claim first with the free calculator of the Swiss tenants' association (ASI in Ticino). Every tenant signs it, and it goes by registered post. In Italian.

For tenants who have left a rented flat in Switzerland: the letter claiming back the rent deposit (Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, CO). You pick who receives it: the landlord, asked to consent to the bank releasing the money, or the bank directly once a year has gone by since the lease ended without the landlord pursuing a claim through debt enforcement or a court action. It names the bank, the account, the amount, your IBAN and a reply date. Print it, sign it and post it registered. In Italian.

For people in Switzerland moving to another health insurer: the letter ending the compulsory basic insurance either after the new premium has been announced, for the end of the year (Art. 7 para. 2 LAMal/KVG), or with three months' notice for the end of June or December, for yourself and children covered with you. It names the new insurer and leaves supplementary cover in place. To change on 1 January, the insurer must receive it by 30 November — the postmark is irrelevant. The Federal Office of Public Health has a free model letter on priminfo.admin.ch. Send it registered or by A-Post Plus. In Italian.