Switzerland: templates and forms

For policyholders in Switzerland: terminates a supplementary health, household, liability, legal-protection or other policy under the Insurance Contract Act (VVG) — ordinarily after three years with three months' notice (Art. 35a VVG), on the date the conditions allow, after a premium increase or for good cause (Art. 35b VVG), else on the next possible date. Basic health insurance needs a separate letter. Send it by registered post. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

For people in Switzerland who want a trusted person to act for them generally: contracts, payments, post, authorities, debt enforcement and, where procedure allows, court (Art. 32 ff. of the Code of Obligations, 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 (Vorsorgeauftrag, Art. 360 ff. CC). Sign it and hand it to the person you appoint. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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 two businesses or self-employed people in Switzerland who exchange confidential information before working together, investing or buying: the purpose, what is and is not confidential, use only for the purpose, sharing only with bound staff and advisers, no reverse engineering, disclosure on an authority's order, return and deletion, duration and an optional contractual penalty (Art. 160 ff. CO). Swiss law and an optional place of jurisdiction. Signed by both parties. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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 whose employer owes them wages, overtime or pay during illness: 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 court scale (Art. 324a CO), 5% default interest and a written pay statement (Art. 323b CO). Items left blank are dropped. Send it registered; conciliation that may follow is free of court costs up to CHF 30'000.00. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

For tenants who have left a rented flat in Switzerland: the letter claiming back the rent deposit (Mietzinsdepot, Art. 257e of the Code of Obligations, CO). You choose who receives it: the landlord, asked to consent to the bank releasing the money, or the bank directly once a year has passed since the lease ended without the landlord pursuing a claim. It names the bank, the account, the amount, your IBAN and a reply date. Print, sign and send it registered. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

For tenants in Switzerland living with defects in their flat: the written notice to the landlord or agency. It lists what is wrong, sets a date for the repairs (Art. 259a and 259b of the Code of Obligations, CO), claims a lower rent from when the landlord knew (Art. 259d CO) and can carry the written warning that the rent will be paid into deposit, which Art. 259g CO requires first. It names your canton's conciliation authority. Print, sign, add photos and post it registered. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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 clients and freelancers in Switzerland: a mandate (Auftrag) under Art. 394 ff. of the Code of Obligations (CO) covering the services, duration, fee with a VAT choice, expenses, payment terms, independence, AHV as a self-employed person, rights in the work results, confidentiality and data protection. It names false self-employment: the AHV compensation office (Ausgleichskasse) decides the status on the actual facts, not the contract. Either party may terminate at any time (Art. 404 CO). Signed by both parties. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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 tenants in Switzerland who want to sublet a room or the whole flat: the registered request for consent to the landlord or agency (Art. 262 of the Code of Obligations, CO). It discloses the terms — the part let, the person, the term, the sub-rent and service charges, furnished or not, and for the whole flat the reason and the return — names the three grounds that alone allow a refusal and sets a reply date. Every tenant signs. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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 tenants in Switzerland whose rent rests on a higher reference interest rate than 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 states the rate behind your rent, today's rate, the cut asked for and the landlord's 30 days to answer, and names your canton's conciliation authority. Every tenant signs; send it by registered post (Einschreiben). Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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 private persons in Switzerland who received a letter from a collection agency (Inkassobüro, société de recouvrement, agenzia d’incasso): 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 from the debt collection office follows, object within ten days. Send it by registered post and keep a copy. Swiss authorities and courts work in their official language — German, French or Italian — so this English version is for dealings between private parties.

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.