Introduction: the insurance certificate, not a card
A self-employed person in Sion opens a fiduciary firm. A Valais employer hires a cross-border worker. In both cases, the same question arises before the first payslip: what is the AVS number?
A note on terminology: in Switzerland, the "AVS card" refers to the AVS insurance certificate. It bears the 13-digit number, in the format 756.xxxx.xxxx.xx. This number identifies you in the first pillar, with your compensation fund and with your employer.
This article follows that terminology throughout. It sets out five steps, from the perspective of the self-employed and the liberal professions, because that is where mistakes in choosing a fund cost the most.
1. Check whether you already have an AVS number
The 13-digit AVS number, which begins with 756, is allocated once only, for life. If you have ever worked or been insured in Switzerland, even briefly, you have one. Never request a second number: two numbers for the same person fragment the individual account.
Where to find it without any formalities:
on the AVS insurance certificate received when your file was opened
on a payslip from a former employer
on the health insurance card: the AVS number often appears on the back
on a compensation fund decision or a statement of contributions
According to the official ch.ch portal, the 13-digit AVS number is allocated for life and does not change, even in the event of a change of name or nationality. No replacement document changes this number.
If you have never been affiliated, the competent compensation fund allocates one when your file is opened, or the employer requests it on your behalf at the time of hiring. For a cross-border worker or a foreigner arriving in Switzerland, the rule is identical: a single number, created at first affiliation.
Point of attention for employers: at the time of hiring, ask for a copy of the insurance certificate. If the employee does not have one, the fund will create one, but the timeframe runs from your notification.
2. Identify the right compensation fund
The fund is chosen according to your status, not according to your preference. Three families coexist: the cantonal fund, the industry fund and the professional fund. The choice determines who collects your AVS/AI/APG (old-age and survivors' insurance / disability insurance / loss-of-earnings compensation) contributions and who issues your insurance certificate.
Cantonal fund: default affiliation for employees and self-employed persons without an industry fund. In Valais, this is the Caisse cantonale valaisanne de compensation, in Sion. The Geneva equivalent is the CCGC, in Geneva.
Industry or professional fund: linked to an economic association (fiduciaries, doctors, lawyers, craftspeople, depending on the case). If your association runs one, your affiliation is generally made through it.
A concrete example: a fiduciary firm sets up in Sion. Before writing to the cantonal fund, the self-employed person checks whether their professional association runs a fund. If so, affiliation is made there. Registering in the wrong place requires a transfer, with statements to be redone.
A fund affiliates the employees of its member employers. For an employer, affiliation applies to the whole company: all employees go through the same fund. For a self-employed person, it applies to their gainful activity.
To check before any step: the directory of compensation funds on ahv-iv.ch. Nothing needs to be assumed regarding the timeframes or fees specific to each fund: ask them directly from the chosen fund.
Criterion
Cantonal fund
Industry / professional fund
Who the fund is for
Employees and self-employed persons without an industry fund
Members of an economic association (fiduciaries, doctors, lawyers, craftspeople, depending on the case)
Method of affiliation
Default affiliation, in the absence of an industry fund
Generally via the association, if it runs a fund
Examples
Caisse cantonale valaisanne de compensation (Sion); CCGC (Geneva)
Fund run by the professional association (fiduciaries, doctors, lawyers, craftspeople)
Risk in the event of a wrong choice
Transfer to the correct fund, with statements to be redone
Transfer to the correct fund, with statements to be redone
Timeframes and fees
Specific to each fund: ask the chosen fund directly
Specific to each fund: ask the chosen fund directly
Who the fund is for
Cantonal fundEmployees and self-employed persons without an industry fund
Industry / professional fundMembers of an economic association (fiduciaries, doctors, lawyers, craftspeople, depending on the case)
Method of affiliation
Cantonal fundDefault affiliation, in the absence of an industry fund
Industry / professional fundGenerally via the association, if it runs a fund
Examples
Cantonal fundCaisse cantonale valaisanne de compensation (Sion); CCGC (Geneva)
Industry / professional fundFund run by the professional association (fiduciaries, doctors, lawyers, craftspeople)
Risk in the event of a wrong choice
Cantonal fundTransfer to the correct fund, with statements to be redone
Industry / professional fundTransfer to the correct fund, with statements to be redone
Timeframes and fees
Cantonal fundSpecific to each fund: ask the chosen fund directly
Industry / professional fundSpecific to each fund: ask the chosen fund directly
Cantonal fund or industry fund: status decides, not preference, and an error requires a transfer with statements to be redone
Key takeaway
The fund is chosen according to your status: first check whether your professional association runs a fund, because a wrong choice requires a transfer with statements to be redone.
Source: Directory of compensation funds — ahv-iv.ch; ch.ch portal
3. Gather the documents and submit the application
The file consists of three items: the fund's form, proof of identity and proof of residence. The form can be downloaded from the fund's website. Cantonal funds, such as that of Vaud or the OCAS, offer an online or PDF form for requesting the insurance certificate.
Documents to attach, depending on the case:
valid proof of identity (passport, identity card, residence permit)
proof of residence (certificate from the municipality or tenancy agreement)
completed affiliation form, with surname, first name, date of birth, marital status
for a self-employed person: start date and nature of the activity
The application is submitted to the competent fund, by post or via an online form depending on the fund. For an employee, the employer most often forwards it at the time of hiring: the file is sent with the notification of entry.
Self-employed perspective: affiliation as a self-employed person goes through the compensation fund, which sets your AVS/AI/APG contributions according to your income. The amounts of the annual minimum and of the sliding-scale rate change over time. Consult the figures currently in force on the FSIO (OFAS) website (ofas.admin.ch) or that of your fund before drawing up your budget. An unconfirmed amount must not appear in your forecast.
4. Track the timeframe and check the certificate received
The timeframe depends on the fund and on whether the file is complete. No single federal timeframe applies to the issue of the certificate. Ask your fund for the timeframe when you submit, and make a note of it: for an employer, it is the date that determines the first payslip.
On receipt, check three points:
the 13-digit number, in the format 756.xxxx.xxxx.xx, character by character
the spelling of the surname and first names, identical to your proof of identity
the date of birth
The AVS insurance certificate is authoritative, not any laminated card that may be enclosed. In the event of a discrepancy between the two, the certificate prevails. An error in the number communicated to the employer distorts the contributions paid: they are attached to the wrong individual account, and correction requires rectifying entries.
According to the Federal Social Insurance Office, the individual account records your income subject to contributions throughout your working life, and it is this account that serves as the basis for calculating your future pension. An incorrect number therefore puts your pension at stake, not merely an administrative formality. You can request an extract of your individual account from your fund to check that your income has been recorded.
Step
Timeframe
Detail
1. Check whether a number already exists
Before any step
The 13-digit number (756.xxxx.xxxx.xx) is allocated for life. Find it on the insurance certificate, a former payslip, the health insurance card or a fund decision. Warning: never request a second one, as two numbers fragment the individual account. (Insured person / Employer)
2. Identify the right compensation fund
Before submitting the file
The fund is chosen according to status, not preference: cantonal fund by default, industry or professional fund if the association runs one. Warning: registering in the wrong place requires a transfer and the statements to be redone. Check the directory on ahv-iv.ch. (Insured person / Self-employed person)
3. Gather the documents and submit the application
On submission
Fund form, proof of identity and proof of residence; the self-employed person adds the start date and the nature of the activity. Submission by post or online depending on the fund. Warning: for an employee, the employer most often forwards the application with the notification of entry. (Compensation fund)
4. Track the timeframe and check the certificate
Varies by fund
No single federal timeframe: ask the fund for it on submission and note it. On receipt, check the number, the spelling of the name and the date of birth. Warning: an error in the number attaches contributions to the wrong account and requires rectifying entries. (Compensation fund / Employer)
1. Check whether a number already exists
TimeframeBefore any step
DetailThe 13-digit number (756.xxxx.xxxx.xx) is allocated for life. Find it on the insurance certificate, a former payslip, the health insurance card or a fund decision. Warning: never request a second one, as two numbers fragment the individual account. (Insured person / Employer)
2. Identify the right compensation fund
TimeframeBefore submitting the file
DetailThe fund is chosen according to status, not preference: cantonal fund by default, industry or professional fund if the association runs one. Warning: registering in the wrong place requires a transfer and the statements to be redone. Check the directory on ahv-iv.ch. (Insured person / Self-employed person)
3. Gather the documents and submit the application
TimeframeOn submission
DetailFund form, proof of identity and proof of residence; the self-employed person adds the start date and the nature of the activity. Submission by post or online depending on the fund. Warning: for an employee, the employer most often forwards the application with the notification of entry. (Compensation fund)
4. Track the timeframe and check the certificate
TimeframeVaries by fund
DetailNo single federal timeframe: ask the fund for it on submission and note it. On receipt, check the number, the spelling of the name and the date of birth. Warning: an error in the number attaches contributions to the wrong account and requires rectifying entries. (Compensation fund / Employer)
Five steps, a single number for life: most errors arise before the file is submitted
Key takeaway
The AVS number 756.xxxx.xxxx.xx is allocated once only: first check whether you already have one, then choose the right fund before submitting the file.
Source: ch.ch; Federal Social Insurance Office (ofas.admin.ch); ahv-iv.ch
5. Loss, change of name, self-employed status
Three situations, three reflexes. The AVS number never changes; what changes is the document or the affiliation.
Loss of the certificate: request a duplicate from your compensation fund. The number remains identical; only the document is reissued. The request is made via a contact form or online, depending on the fund.
Change of name (marriage, divorce, civil-status decision): notify the fund with the supporting document. The certificate is updated; the number stays the same. Also inform your employer, so that statements show the exact name.
Moving to self-employed status: notify the compensation fund before the first receipt of income, not after. The fund affiliates you as a self-employed person and sets your instalments of AVS/AI/APG contributions on the basis of your estimated income. A different final income gives rise to a definitive contribution decision and a regularisation statement.
For an employee who becomes self-employed, or the reverse, the former individual account is retained: same number, same history. Liberal professionals who work both as employees and as self-employed persons have two sources of contributions attached to the same number.
In Valais as in Geneva, the logic is the same: one compensation fund, one number, one individual account. Only the point of contact and its processing time change.
Pitfalls to avoid
Four mistakes recur among new self-employed persons and employers hiring for the first time.
Confusing the AVS insured person's card with the health insurance card. These are two distinct documents, issued by two different bodies. One opens the AVS, the other the basic LAMal (Federal Health Insurance Act) insurance.
Affiliating to the wrong fund. Choosing the cantonal fund when your professional association runs an industry fund requires a later transfer and statements to be redone.
Forgetting to register as a self-employed person before the first receipt of income. Every franc received without affiliation creates a contribution arrears, which the fund then claims.
Giving the employer an incorrect AVS number. Contributions are attached to the wrong account and distort the future pension. Copy the number from the certificate, never from memory.
This week's checklist and the insurance link
Three steps to complete this week:
1. Find your AVS number (certificate, payslip or health insurance card). If you do not have one, open the file.
2. Identify your fund: cantonal (Sion for Valais, CCGC in Geneva) or industry fund via your association. Ask it for the timeframe for issuing the certificate.
3. If you are starting out as a self-employed person, notify the fund before the first receipt of income, and check the contribution amounts currently in force on ofas.admin.ch.
Once affiliation is complete, thinking about supplementary cover can begin. The AVS is the compulsory first pillar. It covers neither loss of earnings in the event of illness, nor provision at the level of your needs. A self-employed person without IJM (daily sickness allowance insurance) loses their income from the first day of incapacity. A broker compares offers, their waiting periods and their insured sums in order to align this cover with your activity.
"This article, published for information purposes only by assurance-genevoise.ch (FINMA F01502264), does not constitute legal advice or a personalised recommendation; for any question concerning your AVS card, contact your compensation fund or a qualified professional."
FAQ
The AVS number has 13 digits and begins with 756, in the format 756.xxxx.xxxx.xx. It is allocated once only, for life, and does not change in the event of a change of name or of job.
Aligning IJM and pension cover after AVS affiliation
With your AVS number in hand, review your daily sickness allowance cover and your pension provision. A broker compares offers and their waiting periods.
