Health insurance for newcomers to Switzerland
You have three months from taking up residence to arrange basic insurance. Nobody is enrolled automatically — signing up is your responsibility.
Quick overview
What matters before you compare
Anyone moving to Switzerland has three months to sign up with a health insurer. Meet the deadline and your cover applies retroactively from day one.
- The deadline runs three months from taking up residence. Cover then applies retroactively — and so do the premiums.
- Every person needs their own policy, including children and newborns.
- Basic insurance benefits are identical by law. Only the premium, the model and the deductible differ.
The three-month deadline after you move
Anyone taking up residence in Switzerland must sign up with a health insurer within three months. Unlike in many other countries this does not happen automatically through your employer or your municipality — enrolling is your responsibility, and you are free to choose the insurer.
Meet the deadline and your cover applies retroactively from the day you took up residence. Treatment you received in the meantime is covered; you submit the invoice to your insurer once the policy is in place. The premiums are owed retroactively too, so signing up in the third month still means paying from day one.
Miss the deadline without a valid reason and cover starts only when you join, plus a premium surcharge. Fail to enrol at all and the cantonal authority assigns you to an insurer — at which point you choose neither the insurer nor the model and deductible.
What you decide before comparing
The benefits of basic insurance are set by law and identical at every insurer. Only the price differs, and it comes down to three things:
The model: It decides who you turn to first. The standard model leaves you a free choice of doctor. Family doctor, HMO and telemedicine models set a first point of contact and are cheaper in return.
The deductible: The amount you pay yourself each year before the insurer steps in. For adults it ranges from CHF 300 to CHF 2,500, for children from CHF 0 to CHF 600. A high deductible lowers your premium and raises what you pay when you fall ill.
Where you live: Not a choice, but the strongest lever. Premiums are calculated per canton and premium region and differ considerably across Switzerland.
Every person in the household needs their own policy, including children and newborns. The policies do not have to be with the same insurer. If the premiums stretch your budget, you can apply to your canton for a premium reduction — this is administered cantonally and the rules differ.
Exemptions from compulsory insurance
Not everyone moving to Switzerland has to insure themselves here. An exemption is possible for posted workers who stay covered in their country of origin for a limited assignment, for students with equivalent cover, and for certain pensioners from the EU and EFTA area, among others.
An exemption is never automatic: you apply for it at the competent cantonal authority, usually within the same three months. The deadline keeps running while your application is pending, so do not wait for the decision before comparing.
If you work in Switzerland but live abroad, different rules apply. Those are covered in the article on cross-border commuters.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I miss the three-month deadline?
Cover then starts when you join rather than retroactively, and a premium surcharge is added unless you have a valid reason. If you do not insure yourself at all, the canton assigns you to an insurer.
Am I uncovered between arriving and signing the policy?
No, provided you meet the deadline: the policy applies retroactively from the day you took up residence. You submit invoices from that period to your insurer once the policy is in place.
Can I keep the insurance from my home country?
Only in the cases provided for by law, and only with an exemption granted by the cantonal authority. Without that approval a foreign policy does not replace Swiss basic insurance.
Does every family member need their own policy?
Yes. Children and newborns are insured individually. The policies can be held with different insurers; children have their own deductible tiers and lower premiums.