Advance Inheritance in Switzerland (Erbvorbezug): the Duty to Bring Gifts Into Account
How Art. 626 ZGB treats a lifetime advance to a child differently from an ordinary gift, and how it interacts with the Pflichtteil.
9 min read
Switzerland Laws
44 articles
Arbeitszeugnis: Your Right to a Job Reference Under Swiss Law
Art. 330a OR gives every Swiss employee a right to a job reference. The qualified versus simple Arbeitszeugnis, the benevolence standard, and fixing a bad one.
8 min read
Betreibung Explained: How Debt Enforcement Actually Works in Switzerland
How a Swiss Betreibung works from the Zahlungsbefehl to the Verlustschein, including the Art. 69 and Art. 74 deadlines that are easiest to confuse.
12 min read
Betreibungsregisterauszug: How to Get a Swiss Debt Register Extract
How to order a Betreibungsregisterauszug in Switzerland, what it shows, the exact CHF 17/18/22 fees, and who can legally request someone else's.
10 min read
Challenging Your Initial Rent (Anfangsmietzins) in Switzerland
How to challenge a starting rent under Art. 270 OR, the cantonal disclosure form, and the free Schlichtungsbehörde process.
9 min read
Child and Spousal Maintenance in Switzerland: No Percentage Table
Swiss maintenance, alimente and unterhalt, is needs based. The Bundesgericht barred percentage and table methods. Here is what sets the amount instead.
10 min read
Defamation in Switzerland: Üble Nachrede (Art. 173 StGB) and Beschimpfung (Art. 177 StGB)
Swiss defamation under Art. 173 StGB (üble Nachrede) and Art. 177 StGB (Beschimpfung): the penalties, the limited truth defence and the complaint deadline.
13 min read
Divorce in Switzerland: Scheidung and the No Fault Grounds Explained
Swiss divorce is no fault. How Art. 111, 112, 114 and 115 ZGB set the actual grounds, plus how pensions are split under Art. 122 and 123.
10 min read
Drink Driving in Switzerland: Alkohol am Steuer Under Art. 91 SVG
Swiss drink driving law under Art. 91 SVG: the 0,5 and 0,8 promille thresholds, the zero tolerance rule, and the separate licence withdrawal.
11 min read
Driving Licence Withdrawal in Switzerland: The Führerausweisentzug Ladders Under Art. 16 SVG
How Switzerland withdraws a driving licence under Art. 16 SVG: the leicht, mittelschwer and schwer ladders, their look back windows and probationary rules.
12 min read
Ending a Tenancy in Switzerland: Notice Periods, Termination Rules and Erstreckung
How Swiss law governs ending a tenancy: notice periods, the landlord's official form, contesting a termination, and Erstreckung deadlines.
10 min read
Excessive Speeding as a Crime in Switzerland: Art. 90 SVG and the Raserdelikt Thresholds
Switzerland speeding law under Art. 90 SVG: the Raserdelikt custodial range, the fixed speed thresholds and the 2023 sentencing reform.
8 min read
How to Make a Data Access Request Under Swiss Law (Art. 25 nDSG)
How to file a Swiss data access request under Art. 25 nDSG: what a company must provide, the 30 day norm, fees, refusal grounds and enforcement.
14 min read
Inheritance Tax by Canton in Switzerland: Rates, Exemptions and Open Questions
How Swiss cantons tax inheritances: no federal tax, spouse exemptions everywhere, and where Schwyz, Obwalden and Graubünden differ.
10 min read
Is It Legal to Record a Conversation in Switzerland? Art. 179ter StGB Explained
Switzerland is not a one party consent country. Recording a private conversation you are part of, without consent, is a crime under Art. 179ter StGB.
15 min read
Joint Custody in Switzerland: Gemeinsames Sorgerecht Explained
How joint parental responsibility works under Swiss law, the default for unmarried parents, and when a court will order sole custody instead.
10 min read
Lohnpfändung: How Much of Your Wage Can Be Seized in Switzerland
Art. 93 SchKG protects income up to the Existenzminimum. How the KKB Grundbetrag figures work, what gets added on top, and a worked CHF example.
10 min read
Mietzinserhöhung in Switzerland: How Rent Increases Are Calculated
How Swiss rent increases under Art. 13 VMWG are calculated, the reference rate mechanism, and the landlord's notice rules.
10 min read
Missbräuchliche Kündigung: Abusive Dismissal Under Swiss Law
Swiss law lets employers end a job for almost any reason. Art. 336 to 336b OR: abuse grounds, the compensation cap, and the deadline that decides most claims.
9 min read
Nebenkosten in Switzerland: What Landlords Can and Cannot Bill Tenants
How Swiss law limits Nebenkosten charges to what was agreed in the lease, and how to review a landlord's accounting.
7 min read
Noise and Quiet Hours in Switzerland: Art. 684 ZGB and Your Rights
Swiss neighbour noise law: the Art. 684 ZGB excessive-effects standard, an owner's Art. 679 claims, the tenant route via the landlord, and quiet hours.
8 min read
Privatkonkurs in Switzerland: Why There Is No Discharge of Debt
Switzerland offers three real paths for an indebted individual, but none of them erases a Verlustschein, which stays enforceable for 20 years.
10 min read
Protected Periods (Sperrfrist) in Swiss Employment: Art. 336c OR
The Art. 336c OR Sperrfrist bands for illness, pregnancy and service, and why a notice given during one is void while an earlier notice is only paused.
10 min read
Rechtsvorschlag: The 10 Day Window to Object to a Swiss Zahlungsbefehl
A Zahlungsbefehl gives 20 days to pay but only 10 to object. How to raise a Rechtsvorschlag under Art. 74 SchKG, and what happens next.
11 min read
Removing a Betreibung: What Art. 8a SchKG Actually Allows (2026 Update)
Swiss law does not delete a Betreibung, it hides it from third parties under Art. 8a Abs. 3 lit. d SchKG. The 2026 rule, the CHF 40 fee, and its limits.
10 min read
Swiss Debt Law: Betreibung, Registers and Your Options
How Betreibung works in Switzerland, why an entry starts on one creditor’s word, how it differs from Germany and Austria, and where to go next.
9 min read
Swiss Employment Law: Arbeitsrecht Guide for Employees and Employers
An orientation to Swiss employment law: broad freedom to terminate, abuse only limits, and no reinstatement remedy, with links to the full cluster.
7 min read
Swiss Family Law: Familienrecht for Expats and Cross Border Families
An orientation to Swiss family law: no fault divorce, joint parental responsibility since 2014, and needs based maintenance with no percentage table.
9 min read
Swiss Law Explained: Codes, Courts and Betreibung (2026)
How Swiss law works: the OR, ZGB, StGB and SchKG codes, federal vs cantonal rules, Betreibung, and why German law does not apply in Switzerland.
16 min read
Swiss Neighbour Law (Nachbarrecht): Noise, Boundaries and Your Rights
Swiss neighbour law explained: the Art. 684 ZGB excessive-effects standard, an owner's Art. 679 claims, the tenant route, quiet hours and boundary rules.
7 min read
Swiss Tenant Law (Mietrecht): A Guide for Renters in Switzerland
An overview of Swiss tenant law: the Schlichtungsbehörde, rent rules, termination forms, and links to our detailed guides.
7 min read
Swiss Traffic Fines: The Bussen and Ordnungsbusse Catalogue Explained
How Swiss fixed penalty traffic fines work under the OBG and OBV: the CHF 300 cap, sample amounts, and the separate licence withdrawal track.
9 min read
Switzerland Data Privacy Law: The nDSG, the EDÖB and Your Rights
An orientation to Swiss data protection law, the nDSG, why it is not the GDPR, and what the EDÖB actually can and cannot do.
8 min read
Switzerland E-Scooter Laws: Speed, Age, and Where You Can Ride (2026)
How Swiss law classifies e-scooters (E-Trottinette) under Art. 18 VTS: 20 km/h cap, age 14 or 16, no plate or insurance, and where riding is allowed in 2026.
11 min read
Switzerland Employment Notice Periods: Art. 335c OR Explained
How Swiss notice periods work under Art. 335c OR, including the service year rule that trips up both employers and employees most often.
9 min read
Switzerland Inheritance Law: Wills, the 2023 Reform and Cantonal Tax
Swiss inheritance law explained: wills, the 2023 Pflichtteil reform, cantonal inheritance tax, executors and advance inheritances.
6 min read
Switzerland Recording Law: Audio Recording, Video Surveillance and Criminal Liability
How Swiss law splits recording into audio and video offences under Art. 179bis to 179quinquies StGB, and why a participant needs consent too.
8 min read
Switzerland Traffic Law: Fines, Criminal Charges and Licence Withdrawal
Swiss traffic law explained: how one incident can trigger a fixed penalty, a criminal case under the SVG and a separate licence withdrawal, all at once.
7 min read
Switzerland's 2023 Inheritance Reform: What Changed Under the ZGB
How Switzerland's 2023 inheritance reform cut compulsory shares, dropped parents from the Pflichtteil, and widened what a will can freely direct.
10 min read
Switzerland's nDSG: The Federal Data Protection Act Explained
How the nDSG governs data protection in Switzerland, the EDÖB's real powers, and where criminal liability for a data breach actually falls.
13 min read
The Executor (Willensvollstrecker) in Swiss Inheritance Law: Appointment, Duties and Pay
How a Swiss executor is appointed under Art. 517 ZGB, what duties and pay the law actually sets, and what an heir can do about a bad one.
8 min read
Verleumdung in Switzerland: Art. 174 StGB and Why Truth Is No Defence
Verleumdung under Art. 174 StGB: the knowing falsity requirement, why truth is no defence, the aggravated form, and how it differs from Art. 173.
11 min read
Video Surveillance and Private Cameras in Switzerland: Art. 179quater StGB
Swiss law on home, doorbell and dashcam footage under Art. 179quater StGB and the nDSG: what a camera may capture, and what a filmed neighbour can do.
12 min read
Writing a Will in Switzerland: Holograph, Public and Emergency Forms
How to write a valid will in Switzerland under the ZGB: the holograph will, the public will, the Nottestament, revocation, and intestate succession.
9 min read