Nanny · Travel

Travelling with your nanny: hours, expenses and papers done right

Salvador JovellsUpdated: 22 October 20267 min read

What does the trip add to your nanny's pay?

Days away

Hours with the kids a day

10 h

CHF 262.50for 7 h of overtime (+25 %): 50 h over 7 days with 2 days off, against her 43 h. Full-time in Zurich (43 h a week), CHF 30 an hour.

On top: flights, room and meals. The family pays them, nothing comes off her wage.

30 days free, then CHF 19.90/month · cancel anytime

Your canton, her wage: in the trip planner ↓

Young woman with a wheeled suitcase in the hall of Zurich main station, departure boards behind her — When your nanny travels with you, she is working. Her contract travels too.

When your nanny comes on the family holiday, she is working. Swiss law still applies, with her wage, her days off and her overtime: under the OR at a 25 % supplement, unless her contract or the NAV says otherwise. The family pays for travel, room and meals. For destinations in the EU you usually need an A1 certificate. The calculator shows what your trip adds.

Key points

1For your nanny, the family holiday is work. Her contract and Swiss law still apply, on the beach too.
2She gets at least one day off a week, a day and a half or two under most cantonal NAVs. Anything beyond her agreed hours is overtime: wage plus 25 %, or the same time off if she agrees (OR 321c), unless the contract or the NAV says otherwise. In Zurich, for example, part-time staff get no supplement (NAV Art. 24).
3The family pays for flights, accommodation and meals. None of it may come off her wage.
4If she is Swiss or a national of the EU or EFTA, apply for the A1 certificate for EU and EFTA destinations at your compensation office, ideally before you leave; otherwise ask the office what applies.

How many hours the trip costs

On the trip her contract works as it does at home: the law of the country where she normally works still applies. Every hour with the children counts, on the plane and at the beach too. Compare her hours on the trip with her normal week: the rest is overtime.

Canton

Contract: hours per week

43 h

Gross wage per hour

CHF 30

Days away

Hours with the kids per working day

10 h

Days off during the trip

The law: at least one day off a week. Most NAVs give more: 2 in Zurich, Basel-City, Basel-Country, Aargau, Schaffhausen and Valais, 1½ in Geneva, Vaud, Zug, Lucerne and several other cantons.

Zurich: the NAV drops the supplement for part-time staff (Art. 23 and 24 para. 2) and pays it for full-time staff only above 43 hours (Art. 5 para. 4). Work should as a rule end at 19:30 (Art. 5 para. 3).

Trip plan

Zurich · 43 h a week · CHF 30 an hour

working dayhalf day offoff

Work on the trip: 50 h
Normal for 7 days: 43 h
Overtime: 7 h

On top of her wage

CHF 262.50

7 h × CHF 30 × 1.25

or 7 h of time off of the same length, if she agrees

Overtime: wage plus 25 % (OR 321c), unless your written contract or the NAV says otherwise.

Nights count too. If she sleeps next to the children and gets up at night, that is working time. Agree beforehand who is on duty at night, and read how evenings and on-call time count in a household.

Who pays for what

For your nanny, the family holiday is a business trip. The law requires the family to cover all expenses the work makes necessary, and when she works away from home, her accommodation and meals as well. Any agreement that she pays part of it herself is void.

Boarding pass

ZRH

Zurich

PMI

Palma

Passenger

Your nanny

: Paid by
Flight or train: Family
Accommodation: Family
Meals: Family
Outings with the kids: Family

Off her wage: CHF 0
AHV on expenses: none
Her wage: runs on

The family covers all necessary travel expenses, and none of it comes off her pay (OR 327a). Expenses are not wage, so no AHV is due on them (AHVV Art. 9).

A daily flat rate is allowed, but only in writing and only if it covers every cost. Usually simpler: the family books and pays directly.

Settle beforehand where she sleeps. A room of her own is what makes her nights and her days off truly free.

What goes in the travel folder

Which papers she needs depends on the destination and on her nationality. Choose both and the folder shows what to do.

Destination

Your nanny's nationality

Travel folder for Italy

ID and entry
Passport or ID
Inside the Schengen area a valid passport or ID card is enough.
AHV abroad
Apply for A1
The A1 certificate shows that she stays insured in Switzerland. You apply for it at your AHV compensation office, usually online through ALPS, ideally before you leave. France and Austria can sanction a missing A1 at a check.
Illness and accidents
Covered
Accidents: your accident insurance keeps covering her, and from 8 hours a week with you also in her free time. Illness: her health insurer, with the European Health Insurance Card on the back of her card.
The children
If she travels alone
If she flies alone with the children, for example ahead of you: give her a signed consent letter (names, dates, destination, your phone number) and the children's health insurance cards.

You apply for the A1 certificate where you registered your nanny: at your AHV compensation office. It can still be issued after you leave, but without it a check means trouble. How the registration works is in the guide to registering your nanny with the AHV.

You take out the accident insurance as her employer, and it applies on the trip too. What it covers and what it costs is explained in the article on UVG accident insurance for household staff.

Put it in writing before you go

Hands holding a ticket and a timetable on a platform at Zurich main station, a red train alongside — Before you leave, write down when she works and when she is off.

The law has no specific rule on travelling with a nanny. Whether she comes along, and on what terms, is best set in a travel clause in her employment contract. If there is none, ask her and write down what you agree before you book. The points families often forget are in the overview of nanny contract clauses.

Where and how long: destination, dates, travel days.
Working time: hours per day, days off, who is on duty at night.
Overtime: paid with a supplement (25 % under the OR, unless the NAV says otherwise), or settled with the same time off.
Costs: the family pays travel, accommodation and meals, nothing comes off her wage.
Accommodation: a room of her own, or at least a quiet place to sleep.

No written contract yet? Draw one up with Clino's nanny employment contract and add what you agreed for the trip.

The trip is not her holiday

Days she looks after the children are working days, by the sea too. Her own holiday stays hers: at least 4 weeks a year, two of them in a row. You set the dates and take her wishes into account. How holidays and holiday pay are worked out is in the article on the nanny's 13th salary and holidays.

If she does not come along, her wage keeps running when you choose to do without her work. What applies when the family travels without her is in the article on holidays when the family is away.

For the nanny: what you can ask for

Travelling with a family? These are your rights under Swiss law, abroad too.

Your hours count: every hour with the children is working time. Write them down every day.
Days off: at least one a week, a day and a half or two under most NAVs. Off means: no children, no baby monitor.
Overtime: wage plus 25 %, or the same time off if you agree (OR). Your contract or the NAV can set other rules, for example for part-time work in Zurich.
Costs: the family pays travel, accommodation and meals. None of it may come off your wage.
Your holiday: the trip does not replace it. At least 4 weeks a year, two of them in a row.

The Swiss Nanny Association advises nannies to ask for two weeks of holiday chosen by the nanny. More from the Swiss Nanny Association

Create my pack as a nanny →Everything for nannies in Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

Does my nanny have to come on holiday with us?

That depends on her contract, the law has no specific rule on travel. If there is no travel clause, ask her and put dates, working time, days off and costs in writing. If she does not come and you do not need her, her wage keeps running.

Do the travel days count as her holiday?

No. Days she looks after the children are working days. Holidays are for rest: she has at least 4 weeks a year, two of them in a row.

Who pays for the nanny's flight, hotel and meals?

The family. When she works away from home, the employer must cover all necessary expenses, accommodation and meals included (OR 327a). An agreement that she pays part of it herself is void. Expenses are not wage: no AHV contributions are due on them.

Does my nanny need an A1 certificate?

For work in the EU or EFTA, as a rule yes, if she is Swiss or a national of the EU or EFTA: the A1 shows she stays insured in Switzerland. You apply at your AHV compensation office, ideally before you leave. For other nationalities, and for countries like the UK or the USA, the office tells you which certificate applies.

Is my nanny insured abroad?

Yes. On a holiday trip she stays in the AHV, and your accident insurance covers accidents at work, and from 8 hours a week with you in her free time too. Outside the EU, EFTA and the UK, health insurance pays only for emergency treatment and, like accident insurance, at most twice the Swiss cost. If she is not Swiss or an EU/EFTA national, the same usually applies in the EU and the UK: the European Health Insurance Card does not cover her. Travel insurance with rescue and repatriation is worth it.

What applies with a B or C permit?

With a valid passport and a valid B or C permit she may travel to the other Schengen states without a visa for up to 90 days in 180 days. For the UK, the USA and other countries outside Schengen, the visa depends on her nationality. With F or N status, travel is only possible in exceptional cases with SEM approval.

Sources

Swiss Code of Obligations (OR) Art. 321c (overtime), Art. 324 (wage when the employer does without the work), Art. 327a (expenses), Art. 329 (days off), Art. 329a–329d (holidays).
Federal Act on Private International Law (IPRG) Art. 121: the law of the state where the work is normally carried out.
AHV Ordinance (AHVV) Art. 9: expenses are not part of the wage subject to contributions.
Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV): posting, A1 certificate via ALPS, FAQ on the A1; list of social security agreements.
Accident Insurance Ordinance (UVV) Art. 4 and 17, Federal Office of Public Health (BAG); Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV) Art. 36: treatment abroad.
Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement Art. 21; State Secretariat for Migration (SEM): travel documents and travel with F or N status.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA): travelling with minors.
Cantonal standard employment contracts for household work, weekly time off: for example NAV Zurich Art. 6, «CTT-EDom» Geneva Art. 18, «CTT» Vaud Art. 15, NAV Basel-City § 26.
Swiss Nanny Association, Our guidance: holidays and guaranteed hours.

Updated: 22 October 2026. Rules on permits and entry change: check them before every trip.

Register your nanny before you travel

You apply for the A1 at the compensation office where your nanny is registered. Clino prepares the paperwork: contract, AHV registration and her payslip every month, overtime from the trip included. Choose your canton.

Your canton

Another canton

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Learn more

Nanny holidays: the rules when your family travelsRead article

Nanny overtime in Switzerland: evenings and nightsRead article

Nanny contract Switzerland: 10 clauses to copyRead article

Accident Insurance (UVG) for Household EmployeesRead article