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Which side jobs need a licence or certificate.

No general business licence exists in Switzerland, and most tasks are free to offer. A short list is not: electrical and gas work, driving passengers, child day care at home, security, asbestos — and a few tasks are free only up to a point. Twenty tasks, sorted into free, limited and permit.

Published Last updated 6 min read
Painting of a young electrician with a tool belt on a stepladder fitting a ceiling lamp in a bright modern kitchen, a cordless drill on the counter and a lake view through the window
Fitting a ceiling lamp looks like a ten-minute favour. In Switzerland it is licensed work — the clearest example of a task with a rule attached.
Before we start · In plain words

Most side jobs need no licence at all. A few need one before the first job.

Switzerland has no general business licence. Cleaning, moving, assembling furniture, gardening, tutoring, babysitting, delivering — you may start tomorrow. The law steps in only where a mistake can hurt other people: electricity, gas, driving passengers, looking after children in your own home, security, asbestos. There, a licence, a course or a registration comes first.

1
FreeMost tasks. Cleaning, moving, assembly, tutoring, babysitting, deliveries. No licence, no course, no office to visit. You may start tomorrow.
2
Free, with limitsThe everyday version is free, a professional version is not. Gardening yes, spraying pesticides no. Cooking for a family yes, selling cakes from your kitchen only after notifying the canton.
3
Permit neededElectricity, gas, driving people, caring for children in your own home, security, asbestos. Here the law protects other people from mistakes — a licence or a registration comes first, however good you are.
01 · How the rules work

Three principles behind every answer on this page.

Economic freedom is the ruleThe constitution says every trade is free. A licence exists only where a law says so — and the list is short. There is no general “business licence” in Switzerland. [1]
Permit is not the same as titleSome jobs need a permit before you may do them at all (electrician, taxi). Others only protect the title: anyone may give massages, but only trained people may call themselves physiotherapist. [13]
Cantons decide a lotTaxi, childcare, security, alcohol, hygiene: the rules are cantonal and differ. When this page says “cantonal permit”, your canton’s website has the exact form. [13]
02 · Does my task need a licence?

Pick the task.

Twenty typical tasks. Choose yours and read whether you may start, what you need, and who decides.

Whatever the task, three things always apply: AHV once self-employed income passes CHF 2 500 a year, every franc in the tax return, and liability insurance for work at other people’s homes.

03 · All twenty tasks at a glance

Free, limited, or permit — the whole list.

  • Cleaning, ironing, tidyingNothing. No licence, no course.
    Free
  • Moving help, carrying, loadingNothing — with a van up to 3.5 t and a normal category B licence.
    Free
  • Gardening, mowing, hedge trimmingNothing for ordinary garden work. Spraying plant-protection products professionally needs a Fachbewilligung; from 2027 you cannot even buy them without it. Felling a tree may need a municipal permit.
    Free, with limits
  • Furniture assembly, small repairs, paintingNothing. IKEA cupboards, shelves, curtain rails, painting, tiling — all free.
    Free
  • Electrical workA licence from ESTI. Laypersons may only plug things in and change bulbs. Sockets, switches, lamps on fixed wiring, cooker connections: licensed installers only — even in a friend’s flat.
    Permit needed
  • Plumbing, gas, heatingGas and anything connected to the public water network: recognised installers only (SVGW / local utility). Changing a tap or unblocking a drain: free.
    Permit needed
  • Driving people for money (taxi, Uber)Code 121 on your driving licence (BPT) after a medical check and theory exam, plus a cantonal taxi permit in most cantons. Platforms do not replace it.
    Permit needed
  • Delivering parcels or foodNothing beyond a normal licence for a car or bike. Tell your motor insurer about commercial use.
    Free
  • Babysitting at the family’s homeNothing. Looking after the children in their own home is free at any age of the sitter.
    Free
  • Looking after children at your home (Tagesfamilie)Regular paid care of children under 12 in your own home needs a cantonal permit or notification, and a visit from the authority. Thresholds (hours, number of children) differ by canton.
    Permit needed
  • Helping older people at homeShopping, cooking, company, walks: free. Nursing tasks paid by health insurance (injections, wound care): recognised training only.
    Free, with limits
  • Cooking or baking for saleCooking in the client’s kitchen for the family: free. Producing food at home and selling it (cakes, meals, market stall): notify the cantonal food authority and follow hygiene rules. Serving alcohol: cantonal patent.
    Free, with limits
  • Dog walking, pet sittingWalking or feeding a neighbour’s dog: free. Caring for several animals at your home regularly (from about 6, or boarding): permit from the cantonal veterinary office; some cantons limit how many dogs you may walk at once.
    Free, with limits
  • Tutoring, music lessons, coachingNothing. Private lessons of any kind are free; only teaching in a public school needs a diploma.
    Free
  • IT help, computer setupNothing. Installing software, setting up a Wi-Fi router, fixing a printer: free. Pulling fixed network cables through walls is electrical installation.
    Free
  • Hair, nails, massageNo federal licence. Tattoo and piercing: notify the canton and follow hygiene rules. Massage for insurance reimbursement needs EMR/ASCA registration.
    Free, with limits
  • Security, bouncerCantonal permit in every canton — the western cantons share one concordat, the others have their own laws.
    Permit needed
  • Photography, drone footagePhotography: free. Drones of 250 g or more, or any drone with a camera: registration, online exam and CHF 1 million liability insurance.
    Free, with limits
  • Selling door to door or at marketsDoor-to-door and itinerant selling needs a Reisendengewerbe licence card; market stalls a municipal permit.
    Permit needed
  • Renovation in old buildings (pre-1990)Anything that may contain asbestos — old floor tiles, pipe insulation, Eternit — may only be removed by Suva-recognised firms. Chainsaw work for others needs a course.
    Permit needed

What is the same for every task — AHV, taxes, insurance — is covered in The CHF 2 500 AHV rule, explained, Side income and taxes and Insurance for side work.

04 · Questions people ask

Short answers.

Do I need a business licence (Gewerbeschein) to work as a tasker in Switzerland?

No. Switzerland has no general business licence. Most tasks — cleaning, moving, assembly, gardening, tutoring, babysitting — need no permit at all. You only register with the AHV Ausgleichskasse once your self-employed income passes CHF 2 500 a year, and that is a social-insurance step, not a licence.

May I replace a socket or a light switch for a client?

No. Fixed electrical installations may only be done by holders of an ESTI licence, even in a friend’s flat. Laypersons may change bulbs and plug appliances in. Hanging a lamp on existing wiring is already installation work.

Do I need a permit to babysit?

Not in the family’s home. Looking after children regularly in your own home (Tagesfamilie) needs a permit or notification from your canton under the PAVO.

May I cook and sell meals from my kitchen?

Yes, after notifying the cantonal food authority (Lebensmittelkontrolle) and following its hygiene rules. Cooking in a client’s kitchen for that family is free.

Can I drive for Uber with a normal driving licence?

No. Carrying passengers for money needs code 121 (BPT) on your licence — medical check and theory exam — and in most cantons a taxi permit on top. Moving goods or people’s furniture with a van up to 3.5 t is free.

Is dog walking regulated?

No, unless you care for several animals at your home regularly — from about six animals, or boarding — which needs a permit from the cantonal veterinary office. Some cantons limit how many dogs one person may walk at once.

Painting of a handyman assembling a bookshelf in a sunlit empty flat

Every task. One app.

Werkara connects people who need help around the house with verified taskers nearby. Register in a few minutes and get your first task this week.

Become a tasker
References

Where the rules come from.

  1. [1]
    Swiss Confederation — Federal Constitution, Art. 27 — economic freedom: every trade is free unless a law restricts it. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  2. [2]
    Swiss Confederation — Low-Voltage Installation Ordinance (NIV, SR 734.27), Art. 6–16 — electrical installations only with an ESTI licence; what laypersons may do. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  3. [3]
    ESTI — Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations — Installation licences (Installationsbewilligungen) and the limits for laypersons. www.esti.admin.ch
  4. [4]
    Swiss Confederation — Ordinance on the Admission of Drivers (VZV), Art. 25 — professional passenger transport: code 121 on the licence (BPT), medical check; cantonal taxi rules apply on top. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  5. [5]
    Canton of Zürich — Personen- und Gütertransport — BPT, category C1 above 3.5 t, professional driver qualification (CZV). www.zh.ch
  6. [6]
    Swiss Confederation — Ordinance on the Placement of Children (PAVO, SR 211.222.338), Art. 12 — regular paid day care of children under 12 outside their home needs a cantonal permit or notification. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  7. [7]
    Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV) — Bewilligung und Meldung von Lebensmittelbetrieben — anyone who produces or sells food must notify the cantonal food authority. www.blv.admin.ch
  8. [8]
    Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV) — Fachinformation Tierschutz 12.4 — commercial care of animals: permit from the cantonal veterinary office from 6 animals (dog boarding, day care). www.blv.admin.ch
  9. [9]
    UFA-Revue — Neue Fachbewilligung Pflanzenschutz ab 2026 — professional use of plant-protection products needs a Fachbewilligung; buying them requires it from 1 January 2027. www.ufarevue.ch
  10. [10]
    Suva — Asbest — removal only by recognised specialist firms; chainsaw work only with training. www.suva.ch
  11. [11]
    SECO — State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — Reisendengewerbe — door-to-door and itinerant selling needs a cantonal licence card (BGRG). www.seco.admin.ch
  12. [12]
    Federal Office of Civil Aviation (BAZL) — FAQ Drohnen — registration and exam for drones of 250 g or more, or with a camera; CHF 1 million liability insurance. www.bazl.admin.ch
  13. [13]
    SBFI — State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation — List of regulated professions in Switzerland. www.sbfi.admin.ch

Checked against the sources above on 4 October 2026; figures are for 2026 and change each January. The “last updated” date at the top changes whenever a figure is refreshed. This page is general information, not legal advice — the rules for taxi, childcare, food, security and alcohol are cantonal and differ; your canton’s trade office (Gewerbeamt) gives binding answers.