Interim Work Certificate in Switzerland: Your Right, a Request Letter and an Example

In Switzerland, employees can ask for an interim work certificate (Zwischenzeugnis) at any time while they're employed. They don't have to give a reason. This follows from Art. 330a of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO), which grants a certificate "at any time", not only when someone leaves. In content, the interim certificate is a full work certificate that assesses performance and conduct. It's written in the present tense, though, and has no end date.

When an interim certificate makes sense

Employees most often ask for one when something around them changes:

• their line manager changes or leaves the company
• the role or duties change significantly, for example after a promotion or reorganisation
• the company is sold or merges
• a long leave, further training or parental leave is coming up
• they're thinking about changing jobs

A change of manager is the most important reason. Someone who has managed you for years is best placed to assess your performance and conduct. Once that person has gone, a later final certificate becomes harder to write.

How often you can ask

The law sets no limit. Asking for a new interim certificate again and again without any occasion is, however, an abuse of rights. With a genuine occasion like those above, a request is never a problem, even if the last interim certificate isn't long ago.

There's no statutory deadline for issuing it. A few weeks is usual and fair.

Sample request letter

The request needs no particular form. A short email to your line manager or to HR is enough, but a written request is easier to trace.

Subject: Request for an interim work certificate

Dear [Name]

I'd like to ask for an interim work certificate. The reason is [the change of my line manager / my new role as … / the reorganisation of our department]. I'd be grateful to receive it by [date].

I'm happy to answer any questions about my duties.

Kind regards
[First name Last name]

Giving the reason is voluntary. It helps the employer add a suitable sentence to the certificate, so later readers don't have to guess why it was issued.

How an interim certificate is structured

It follows the structure of the final certificate, with three differences. It gives only the start date, it's in the present tense, and instead of thanks and good wishes it ends with a sentence about the occasion and the continuing working relationship. A short example:

Interim work certificate

Ms Laura Brunner, born on 12 March 1991, has been working as a project manager in our Digital Services department since 1 April 2021.

She is responsible for introducing new customer portals, leads a team of four developers and is the contact person for our largest customers.

[Assessment of expertise, working style, results and conduct]

We are issuing this interim certificate at the request of Ms Brunner because her long-standing line manager is leaving the company. We look forward to continuing to work with her.

Zurich, 7 October 2026

The last sentence explains the occasion. Without it, readers wonder whether the person was already on their way out.

Is an interim certificate binding?

In principle, yes. A final certificate may not be worse than a recent interim certificate without a reason. If performance really has declined since then, the employer must be able to prove it in a dispute. Isolated incidents during the notice period don't justify a completely different assessment.

For employees, that's a good reason to ask for an interim certificate when things change. It records a good assessment while the people who can confirm it are still around.

Create an interim certificate in ZeugnyAI

In ZeugnyAI you choose the certificate type "interim certificate", rate each aspect on a scale of 1 to 5 and enter the duties. The text is written in the present tense and without an end date.

Create an interim certificate with ZeugnyAI →

For the structure of a full certificate, see our Swiss work certificate template.

General information, not legal advice for individual cases.