Switzerland: templates and forms

For members and subscribers in Switzerland, in Italian: cancels a gym membership or other subscription at the end of its term, with the contractual notice period, because of a price increase, or for good cause such as illness, pregnancy or a move; it objects to any tacit renewal and asks for prepaid fees back pro rata. In Ticino the consumer association ACSI offers its members model letters for gyms and subscriptions. Send it by registered post and ask for confirmation.

For policyholders in Switzerland, in Italian: terminates a supplementary health insurance, a household, liability, legal-protection or other insurance under the Insurance Contract Act — ordinarily after three years with three months' notice (Art. 35a LCA/VVG), on the date the policy conditions allow, because of a premium increase, or for good cause (Art. 35b), else on the next possible date. Basic health insurance (LAMal/KVG) is terminated with a separate letter. Send it by registered post.

For people in Switzerland who want a trusted person to act for them generally, in Italian: contracts, payments, post, authorities, debt enforcement and, where procedure allows, court (Art. 32 ff. CO). Land, acts needing a public deed and gifts are excluded; settlements as you choose. It can be revoked at any time and ends if you lose capacity — for that, Swiss law has the handwritten advance-care mandate (mandato precauzionale, Art. 360 ff. CC). Sign it and hand it to the person you appoint.

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.

For accused persons in Switzerland who received a penalty order (decreto d’accusa), for instance for a traffic offence, in Italian for an authority that works in Italian, such as those of Ticino: objects (opposizione) in writing to the authority that issued it (Art. 354 CrimPC), with or without reasons, and asks to see the file. The period is ten days from service; without a valid objection the order becomes a final judgment. Not for a fixed fine (multa disciplinare), which you pay or refuse. Send it by registered post, handed to the post office by the tenth day.

For creditors and debtors in Switzerland who agree to clear a debt in instalments, in Italian: the debtor acknowledges the amount, and both agree monthly instalments, the account, a grace period and that the balance falls due if an instalment is missed. Important for the debtor: a signed acknowledgement of debt is a title for provisional removal of an objection (rigetto provvisorio, Art. 82 DEBA) — if the debtor later objects to a payment order, the creditor can have the objection set aside without an ordinary lawsuit. Print two copies and sign both by hand.

For tenants in Switzerland whose landlord or agency bills repairs or replacements after the handover: the registered reply that contests the claim in full or point by point, in Italian. It states that normal wear and tear is not owed (Art. 267 of the Code of Obligations, CO), at most the remaining value of a fitting, that the tenant is released from defects not reported at once (Art. 267a CO) and that the rent deposit may not be used without consent, and it asks for evidence. Print, have every tenant sign, and send by registered post.

For debtors in Switzerland who objected (opposizione) to the whole claim, in Italian: asks the debt collection office (Ufficio d’esecuzione) under Art. 8a para. 3 let. d DEBA to stop disclosing the enforcement to third parties, at the earliest three months after the payment order (precetto esecutivo) was served. The office gives the creditor 20 days to prove proceedings to set the objection aside. The flat fee of CHF 40.00 is owed even if the request fails (Art. 12b of the fees ordinance). The Federal Office of Justice's model form is free. Sent by registered post to the office that issued the payment order, in Ticino in its official language.

For taxpayers in Switzerland who cannot pay a tax invoice on time, in Italian for a tax office that works in Italian: asks the office that issued the invoice for instalments, explains the considerable hardship and proposes a down payment, monthly instalments and a start date; the office may waive interest for that time (Art. 166 DFTA and the cantonal tax act, in Ticino Art. 245 LT). Some tax offices take these requests online. Send it before the payment period ends, with proof of income, outgoings and assets.

For tenants and landlords in Switzerland on moving into a flat, in Italian: the record both fill in and sign together at the handover — meter readings, keys, the condition of each room, defects found, work agreed and, on request, the previous tenant's return record and rent (Art. 256a of the Code of Obligations, CO). A second part is for defects found after moving in: the list the tenant signs and has receipted. In Ticino the municipality's property expert can also record the condition. Print two copies and sign at the walk-through.

For buyers in Switzerland whose goods are faulty, in Italian: gives notice of the defect under Art. 201 CO as soon as it is found, and demands with a deadline repair under the guarantee terms, a fault-free replacement (Art. 206 CO), a price reduction or rescission of the sale (Art. 205 CO). Claims become time-barred two years after delivery (Art. 210 CO). Swiss law gives no right to send back goods bought online when nothing is wrong with them. Send it by registered post.

For travellers who booked a package holiday in Switzerland and found services missing or defective, in Italian: claims from the organiser, under the Swiss Federal Act on Package Travel (SR 944.3) — not the EU directive — the difference between the price of the agreed and of the services provided (Art. 13) and other costs (Art. 14), with a deadline. The period for complaints is in the travel contract (Art. 6). Send it by registered post.

For private persons in Switzerland lending each other money — family, friends or acquaintances — in Italian: records the amount, the payout, interest (or none), repayment in one sum, in monthly instalments or within six weeks of being asked (Art. 318 CO) and what happens on default, with a separate signed receipt. The Consumer Credit Act does not apply as long as neither party grants credit as a business and no crowdlending platform arranges the loan (Art. 2 CCA). Print two copies and have both parties sign.

For couples living together in Switzerland without being married, in Italian: the agreement on property and inventory, the sharing of household costs, the flat, loans and gifts, and the settlement on separation. It also says what a cohabitation agreement cannot do: it does not make the partner an heir (that needs a handwritten will, Art. 505 of the Civil Code, CC), pension fund benefits follow the fund's regulations (Art. 20a of the Occupational Pensions Act), and parental authority and child maintenance are settled elsewhere. With an inventory annex. Print two copies and both sign.

For private persons in Switzerland who received a letter from a collection agency (agenzia d’incasso), in Italian: contests the claim in whole or part, reports it paid or pleads limitation, refuses collection fees and a flat “damage for delay” that were never agreed, and asks for a breakdown with documents. If a payment order (precetto esecutivo) from the debt collection office follows, object within ten days. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.

For people who want to know what data a company, association or federal office holds on them, in Italian: requests access under Art. 25 FADP (the revised Data Protection Act, in force since 1 September 2023) — Swiss law, not the GDPR. The answer is free as a rule and due within 30 days (Art. 18 DPO). Cantonal and municipal authorities fall under cantonal data protection law. Send it by registered post or e-mail.

For people in Switzerland who authorise someone for one precisely described matter, in Italian: collecting a parcel or documents, deregistering a vehicle, voting at a meeting, attending a flat handover (Art. 32 ff. CO). With an end date, without land or acts needing a public deed; settlements and gifts only if expressly described (Art. 396 para. 3 CO). Sign it and give it to the person you appoint.

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.

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.

For customers in Switzerland, in Italian: cancels a mobile, internet, TV or landline contract at the end of the minimum term, with the contractual notice period, because of an announced price or contract change, or for good cause, and asks for written confirmation and how to return equipment. Notice periods and minimum terms come from the contract and terms, not from a statute. Send it by registered post; in a dispute the telecom conciliation body ombudscom can step in.

For hosts in Switzerland inviting family, friends or business contacts from a country that needs a visa, in Italian: confirms to the Swiss embassy or consulate the invitation, both sides' details, the stay, its purpose, accommodation and who pays — as the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) recommends; the SEM also offers a free leaflet with a model. The guarantee declaration (dichiarazione di garanzia) is an official form the embassy hands out; this letter does not replace it. Swiss authorities work in their official language, so the letter is in Italian. Sign it and send it to your guest.

For employees in Switzerland, in Ticino for instance, whose employer owes them wages, overtime or pay during illness, in Italian: 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 left blank are dropped. Send it by registered post; the conciliation that may follow is free of court costs up to CHF 30'000.00.

For creditors in Switzerland, private persons and businesses, in Italian: asks the debtor one last time to pay a due claim by a date, states the reason, the amount, the account and 5 % default interest (Art. 104 CO), and otherwise announces the request for enforcement (domanda d’esecuzione). You then file that request with the debt collection office, on its form, through www.sportellodelleesecuzioni.ch or EasyGov.swiss; this letter does not replace it. Send it by registered post and keep a copy.

For private people in Switzerland selling or buying a used car, in Italian: records the car, its master number (numero di matricola), mileage, price and payment, handover only against the full price, the seller's assurances on accidents and mileage, and the exclusion of warranty within its legal limits (Art. 199 and 100 CO). The plates stay with the seller; the buyer registers the car with the road traffic office of their canton. Print two copies, both sign, with a receipt for the price.