Swiss employment contract and probation: pre-signing checklist

Direct answer: what should you check in a Swiss employment contract?

Check the role, start date, workplace, weekly hours, annual gross salary, twelve or thirteen payments, probation, notice, holidays and any named collective or standard employment agreement. The monthly figure is not enough: the individual contract, GAV/NAV and mandatory law may apply together.

Identify the contract type and governing rules

Under the SECO private-employment-law overview, the employee undertakes work and the employer pays salary. A contract can be indefinite or fixed-term. A fixed-term contract normally ends on the agreed date, so check whether ordinary early termination is permitted.

Determine whether a collective employment agreement (GAV/CCT) or standard employment contract (NAV) applies. It may bind salary, hours, overtime, holidays and notice. Ask for the exact title, scope and current version.

Pre-signing checklist

• Legal employer, start date and any fixed end date.

• Role, responsibility, workplace, remote work and travel.

• Weekly hours, time recording, on-call work and overtime.

• Annual gross salary, payment count, variable pay and benefits.

• Holiday, sickness, continued salary and insurance.

• Probation, notice period, termination date and required form.

• Confidentiality, side work, intellectual property and non-compete terms.

The SECO working-time guidance distinguishes contractual overtime from statutory excess hours. The individual contract, NAV/GAV, workplace practice and mandatory protections interact, so clarify any broad clause claiming that all extra work is included.

Probation

The SECO termination FAQ says the first month of an indefinite employment relationship is the statutory default probation. A written agreement, NAV or GAV can remove it or extend it to no more than three months. Fixed-term contracts have no automatic statutory probation, although the parties may agree one. Illness, accident or a non-voluntary legal duty can extend a period that was effectively shortened.

Notice periods

During probation, the statutory notice is seven calendar days and notice must reach the other party before probation ends. Contract, NAV or GAV may change this. After probation, the default for indefinite contracts is one month in the first service year, two months in years two to nine and three months from year ten, normally to month-end. Always check the actual clause.

Salary and collective agreement checks

Switzerland has no national minimum wage, but cantonal rules and GAV/NAV terms may set minimums. Use the ch.ch salary overview and SECO collective-agreement directory to check industry, establishment, role and territorial and personal scope.

Step for Hungarian citizens

For EU/EFTA citizens, notification or permit steps depend on employment duration. ch.ch explains that employment lasting more than three months requires an application for a residence permit with the commune before work begins, supported by confirmation of employment or a contract.

Related next steps

Review the job-search guide, interview guide, salary guide and application dossier. Seek individual advice for non-competes, complex variable compensation, foreign workplaces or an active dispute.

Last factual review: 2 August 2026. This checklist covers private employment; sector, canton and public-law rules may differ.