Legal blog
Precise articles to understand your rights in Switzerland, one practice area at a time.
Dismissal in Switzerland: notice periods and unfair dismissal
Statutory notice periods, abusive dismissal, protection during illness or pregnancy, immediate termination: what the Swiss Code of Obligations provides.
Overtime, salary and vacation in Switzerland
Overtime compensation, salary payment rules, minimum vacation entitlement: what the Swiss Code of Obligations provides.
Parental authority and child custody after separation
Joint parental authority, sole or alternating custody, right to personal relations: the Civil Code rules that apply after a separation.
Child maintenance: how it is calculated in Switzerland
Child maintenance, care contribution, the Federal Supreme Court's calculation method: the legal basis for maintenance payments.
Divorce in Switzerland: procedure and deadlines
Divorce by joint request, divorce after two years of separation, irretrievable breakdown: the paths provided by the Civil Code.
Division of occupational pension assets in divorce
Equal division of occupational pension assets, special cases, possible deviations: what the Civil Code provides in the event of divorce.
Swiss criminal record: entries and removal
What appears on the criminal record, the difference between a private and an authorities' extract, and how entries are removed.
Summary penalty order: what to do if you receive one
Time limit to object, reasoning requirements, consequences of not objecting: what to know about the summary penalty order under Swiss criminal procedure.
Terminating a lease: deadlines and challenging notice
Official form, notice periods, abusive termination and time limit to challenge: the Code of Obligations rules on ending a lease.
Challenging a rent increase
Official form, accepted grounds for increase, time limit to challenge: how to challenge a rent increase under the Code of Obligations.
Construction defects: warranty and deadlines
Inspection, notice of defects, limitation periods: the Code of Obligations rules on warranty for defects in a work.
Statutory lien of tradespeople and contractors
Statutory security for unpaid construction work, deadline to register with the land registry: what the Civil Code provides.
Forced heirship and disposable portion since 2023
Statutory reserves for heirs, the disposable portion of an estate, changes from the inheritance law reform in force since 2023.
Drafting a valid will under Swiss law
Holographic will, public will, legal formalities and conditions of validity under the Civil Code.
Terminating a contract for good cause
Immediate termination of an ongoing contract, conditions recognised by case law, effects on damages.
Penalty clause and contractual damages
The purpose of a penalty clause, judicial reduction of excessive penalties, its relationship with actual damages under the Code of Obligations.
Forming an LLC in Switzerland: capital and formalities
Minimum share capital, drafting the articles of association, registration with the commercial register: the steps to form a limited liability company.
Liability of directors of a public limited company
Conditions for civil liability of directors, duty of care, liability action under the Code of Obligations.
Driving licence withdrawal: duration by severity
Minor, medium and serious traffic offences, withdrawal periods, repeat offences: what the Road Traffic Act provides.
Road accident: who pays and how to report it
Compulsory third-party liability insurance, reporting a claim, allocation of responsibility: the rules that apply after a road accident.
Appealing an administrative decision
30-day appeal deadline, competent authority, suspensive effect: the rules of federal and cantonal administrative procedure.
Public procurement: rights of unsuccessful bidders
Award decision, appeal against a public contract award, short deadlines: what intercantonal and federal law provide.
Residence permits B, C, L: conditions and differences
Short-term residence permit, residence permit, settlement permit: the different permits provided by the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act.
Family reunification: bringing your family to Switzerland
Conditions for family reunification of a spouse and children, statutory deadlines: what the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act provides.
Sickness daily allowance insurance: rights and waiting period
Optional insurance governed by the ICA, waiting period, duration of benefits: what to know about sickness daily allowance insurance.
Challenging a disability insurance decision
Objection within 30 days, appeal to the cantonal insurance court: the procedure for challenging a disability insurance decision.
Civil liability: who is liable and how to get compensated
Unlawful act, fault, causal link and damage: the conditions for civil liability under the Code of Obligations.
Liability of an animal keeper and a property owner
Strict liability for damage caused by an animal or a defect in maintaining a building, under the Code of Obligations.
Payment order: how to file an objection
Ten-day deadline, form of the objection, effect on debt collection: what the Federal Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act provides.
Personal bankruptcy: procedure and consequences
Opening of bankruptcy, effects on the debtor's assets, liquidation by the bankruptcy office: what the Debt Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act provides.
Deputyship: when and how it is ordered
Companionship, representative, co-management and general deputyship: the measures provided by the Civil Code.
Power of attorney for incapacity: planning ahead
Appointing a trusted person in advance to manage your affairs if you lose capacity of judgment, under the Civil Code.
Challenging a tax assessment: filing an objection
30-day deadline, form of the objection, further appeal: the procedure for challenging a tax assessment under the DFTA.
Withholding tax: who is affected and how it works
Foreign employees without a settlement permit, persons resident abroad with Swiss income: how withholding tax works.
Swiss banking secrecy: what it still protects today
The current scope of banking secrecy after automatic information exchange, criminal sanctions: what the Banking Act provides.
Dispute with your bank: ombudsman and legal remedies
Free mediation through the Swiss Banking Ombudsman, going to civil court: the ways to resolve a dispute with your bank.
Medical error: how to assert your rights
Liability of a private doctor or a public hospital, proving fault and damage: the legal basis in the event of a medical error.
Informed consent: patient rights and duties
The doctor's duty to inform, consequences of insufficiently informed consent: the rules derived from the protection of personality.
Protecting a trademark in Switzerland: filing with the IPI
Filing procedure with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, term of protection, opposition: what the Trademark Protection Act provides.
Copyright: term of protection and exceptions
Automatic protection without formalities, 70-year term after the author's death, private use and quotation: the rules of the Copyright Act.
Recognition of a divorce granted abroad
General conditions for recognising foreign decisions, procedure and civil registry: what the Federal Act on Private International Law provides.
Which law applies to an international contract
Choice of law by the parties, connection to the characteristic performance absent a choice: the rules of the Private International Law Act.
Mandatory conciliation before a civil lawsuit
Prior conciliation attempt, authorisation to proceed, statutory exceptions: what the Code of Civil Procedure provides.
Court costs and legal fees: who pays in a lawsuit
Advance payment of costs, allocation based on the outcome, legal aid: the Code of Civil Procedure rules on costs.
Being questioned as the accused: your rights
Information on the charges, right to remain silent, right to a defence lawyer: the guarantees under the Code of Criminal Procedure during questioning.
Criminal complaint: deadlines and difference from a report
Three-month deadline to file a complaint, offences prosecuted ex officio or on complaint: the distinctions set by the Criminal Code.
Family mediation: when and why to use it
Resolving a family conflict outside court, the mediator's role, its relationship with court proceedings under the Code of Civil Procedure.
Commercial mediation: an alternative to litigation
Resolving a business dispute outside court, confidentiality, speed: the benefits of commercial mediation in Switzerland.
Building permits: procedure and opposition
Filing the application, public notice, neighbours' right to object: the procedure under cantonal law and the Spatial Planning Act.
Building zone and non-building zone: the differences
Whether a plot can be built on depending on its zoning, exceptions for construction outside the building zone: the Spatial Planning Act rules.