Foreign service providers claiming to be self-employed must prove their status to the control authority as defined below. The concept of self-employment is governed by Swiss law. During on-site inspections, the service provider must present the following documents:
A copy of the notification or authorization required under Swiss foreign nationals' legislation.
An A1 certificate as per Article 19, paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC) No 987/2009.
A copy of the contract with the client or a written confirmation if no written contract exists.
These documents must be in an official language (German, French or Italian).
If the service provider cannot present the required documents, the control authority grants a maximum of two days to provide them. If the control authority cannot definitively determine the self-employed status based on the presented documents and on-site observations, additional information and documents will be requested. Both the inspected person and their client must provide all documents proving the self-employed status and detailing the contractual relationship upon request.
Self-employed service providers who are exempt from having to obtain a permit, i.e. who are citizens of an EU/EFTA country working no more than 90 workdays per calendar year, are instead required merely to notify the authorities. Notification is submitted online using the form for self-employed service providers.
Minimum working and pay conditions do not apply to self-employed workers. However, they must be able to prove their self-employed status upon request. The definition of ‘self-employment' is determined by Swiss law. Please note that, if audited, a self-employed worker will be required to show the three above documents to prove self-employed status.
Self-employed workers can register on the following link : https://meweb.admin.ch/meldeverfahren/?request_language=en#CreateProfilePlace.