Background checks for Switzerland
Join Zinc for compliant, purpose-specific checks in Switzerland, and keep all your global checks in one platform.
Checks and features
Compliant checks for Swiss hiring
Proportionate criminal certificate checks
In Switzerland, you can't run a broad criminal record search. Instead, Zinc supports the official Criminal Records Excerpt, a certificate issued by the Federal Office of Justice for one named purpose only.
Dedicated legal and compliance support
Digging through Swiss regulation can be tricky, especially when systematic credit and criminal checks are limited to roles of genuine trust, or those handling valuable goods or large sums of money. Zinc's legal, compliance, and data security team helps you understand the scope your role actually needs.
Audit-ready reporting
See check progress and dive into country-specific results from one dashboard. Plus, Zinc integrates directly with 20+ ATSs and HRISs at no extra cost, so results land straight in your preferred platform.
9
/10
14
days
Average criminal check completion
11
days
Average education check completion
Documented, defensible process
Swiss hiring decisions need evidence. Zinc's audit-ready dashboard gives your whole team, including HR, legal, and works council, a shared, documented record of every check. Instead of scrambling when your next audit comes, you can download all the results from the same platform.
Hiring that works everywhere
When you’re hiring globally, your whole team needs to be on the same page. Keep your Swiss checks alongside the rest of your documentation, and set up custom user groups to ensure that candidate data is never shared unnecessarily.
Secure and smooth candidate experience
Zinc’s checks adapt to the country that you’re hiring in, so candidates aren’t being asked for unnecessary data or irrelevant questions. If they need help, they’ll go straight to our 24/7 AI-powered chatbot which responds in their language, whether German, French, Italian or English. And if needed, to our customer team in London.
“The platform is extremely easy to use and intuitive. Onboarding takes just a few minutes, and running background checks for international contractors is seamless from start to finish. The pay-per-use pricing model is a huge plus for small companies like ours, no need for a subscription when you only need occasional checks.”
Checks that work everywhere you do
Full visibility, transparent pricing, and adaptable checks for borderless hiring.
Industry-leading global turnaround times
Adaptive checks, not extra admin
Integrated with your HR tech stack
Truly transparent pricing
Pricing
Built for global teams
Whether you're a growing team or an enterprise hiring across borders, Zinc has a plan for you.
Under 20 hires annually
Pay As You Grow
Get started in minutes. Our Pay As You Grow plan is built for lower hiring volumes — a flat rate per check, with no hidden costs or setup fees.
Start checking in minutes, no setup needed
Flat rates per check, no hidden fees
Pay only for what you check, every month
20+ hires annually
Custom solutions
For larger volumes, our experts build a plan around your needs. Credit is flexible with your hiring and never expires, with integrations, setup, training, and support all included for free.
A custom plan built around your hiring
Credit pool that rolls over and never expires
Integrations, setup, and training included for free
“The candidate experience is excellent. We are consistently impressed by how simple the process is for candidates and how quickly references are completed. Using Zinc has reduced the time it takes to return core checks by around 80%.”
Can Zinc run a full background check on any candidate in Switzerland?
No, we can’t. The FDPIC restricts systematic credit or criminal reviews to roles of genuine trust, or those handling valuable goods or large sums of money. Any request needs a clearly defined, communicated scope.
What is the Swiss criminal certificate Zinc uses?
Zinc uses the Excerpt from the Swiss Criminal Records (Extrait du casier judiciaire suisse destiné aux particuliers), issued by the Federal Office of Justice. It has nationwide coverage for citizens and foreigners over 18, and issuance is tied to one specific, stated purpose given during the application. The Federal Office of Justice can reject the request after reviewing that purpose. To submit the check, Zinc needs:
- The candidate's first name, last name, birth date, and current address (in Switzerland or abroad)
- Their mother's first name and maiden name and their father's first name and last name
- A pen-signed Letter of Authority (downloaded, completed, and uploaded via Zinc, with the employer's name on it)
- A copy of one accepted ID document: Swiss ID card, Swiss passport, foreign ID card, foreign passport, Swiss resident permit, or Swiss legitimation card (expired documents accepted if issued within the last 5 years)
The certificate covers convictions across categories including offences against the constitution, public authority, and private interest (e.g. fraud, violence, sexual offences, property, family), excluding anything spent or deleted under rehabilitation law. Candidates can request their own copy of the certificate via contact@zincwork.com within 60 days of the check completing.
Is an Arbeitszeugnis the same as a background check?
No. The Arbeitszeugnis is a legally distinct, mandatory employment reference letter in Switzerland. It's a separate, candidate-held document, and it isn't something Zinc, or any vendor, can automate or issue directly.
Can Zinc run checks for our Swiss employees alongside our global workforce?
Yes, that's exactly what Zinc is built for. Your Swiss hiring sits on the same platform as your other international hires, so you’re using one centralised system instead of paying for localised solutions.
All your checks progress is available in a centralised dashboard, including country-by-country breakdowns. If you have multiple hiring teams globally, user groups allow you to share checks packages across Zinc without exposing candidate data to users who don’t need to see it.
What languages does your customer service support in Switzerland?
Our 24/7 AI chatbot can respond to candidates in English, German, French, and Italian, so they can get support in the language they're most comfortable with.