Where can an employee find their AHV/AVS number?

It is printed on the Swiss health insurance card and on the AHV certificate: 13 digits starting with 756. People arriving from abroad get a number when the employer registers them with the compensation fund.

Can an employer ask for a criminal record extract?

Only if it is relevant for the position, such as jobs handling money or working with children. Swiss law limits employee data to what concerns suitability for the job.

What happens to the employee's pension fund money?

The vested benefits must be transferred to the new employer's pension fund. The employee gives the new fund's details to the previous fund, which then makes the transfer.

Documents to collect from a new employee

Payroll, social insurance and the pension fund all need information from the new employee before the first salary. This checklist lists what Swiss employers and HR teams usually collect at onboarding, with notes for other countries. Send it with the contract and everything arrives before day one.

Send this list as a request

1
Copy of ID card or passport
Required
Valid document, front and back for ID cards.
2
AHV/AVS number (Swiss social security number)
Required
13 digits starting with 756, shown on the health insurance card.
3
Residence and work permit
If it applies
Permit B, C, L or G for foreign nationals. Non-EU/EFTA nationals need authorisation before starting.
4
Bank or postal account details (IBAN)
Required
Account in the employee's name for salary payments.
5
Signed employment contract
Required
Each page initialled if requested.
6
Personal details form
Required
Address, marital status, emergency contact; for taxed-at-source staff also partner's income and religion.
7
Children's birth certificates or family record
If it applies
Needed to claim family allowances through the employer.
8
Vested benefits statement from the previous pension fund
If it applies
So the 2nd pillar assets can be transferred to the new pension fund.
9
Diplomas and professional certificates
If it applies
Copies of the qualifications mentioned in the application.
10
Work references from previous employers
If it applies
Swiss employment references (Arbeitszeugnis / certificat de travail).
11
Criminal record extract
If it applies
Only where the role justifies it; a special extract applies to work with minors.
12
Driving licence
If it applies
Only if driving is part of the job.
13
Photo for badge or company directory
If it applies
Optional; needs the employee's consent.

Your contact gets one email with this list, uploads each document from a link without an account, and is reminded until everything is in.

Send this list as a request

Tips

Send the list together with the contract so documents arrive before the first payroll run.
Collect only what the job requires: Swiss law limits employee data to what relates to the employment (Art. 328b CO).
Ask the employee to tell the previous pension fund the new fund's details, otherwise the money goes to the Substitute Occupational Benefit Institution.
In other countries, ask for the local tax and social security numbers: French NIR, German Steuer-ID, Italian codice fiscale, Spanish NAF, Portuguese NISS.

Questions

Sources: ch.ch · bsv.admin.ch · ch.ch · ahv-iv.ch · fedlex.admin.ch · migration.lu.ch · gesetze-im-internet.de