A1 certificate (cross-border posting)

The A1 certificate is the document proving payment of social security contributions in Switzerland for an employee on a business trip abroad, required even for a trip of just a few hours, for example to set up a booth at a trade fair in a neighbouring country.

‍

This document is obtained through the official AHVeasy.ch portal, connected to the European ALPS system. In its absence, the foreign country where the trip takes place is entitled to claim and collect the social security contributions due itself, with consequences that can range up to fines, and reported cases of arrest in Germany, France and Austria for Swiss companies caught in default.

‍

The risk is particularly underestimated for the shortest trips: an executive or sales representative travelling for a single day of client meetings in France or Germany wrongly assumes such a certificate is only needed for long missions, whereas the rule applies from the very first hour of actual work on foreign territory.

‍

For a French-Swiss startup or SME whose sales or technical teams travel frequently between the two countries, systematically requesting an A1 certificate before every business trip, however brief, is a social compliance obligation often underestimated, worth checking in HR financial due diligence of a target with mobile teams.