Swiss Health Insurance for Expats: Complete Guide
Important: Swiss rules can vary depending on your canton, municipality, nationality, residence status and personal circumstances. This guide provides general information based on official sources and should not be treated as legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Always confirm the current requirements with the relevant Swiss authority.
3 months after arrival. Missing this deadline can lead to fines or delays in your permit.
Step by step
- 1
Compare on priminfo.ch
The official federal comparator. Filter by your canton, age, and chosen franchise.
- 2
Pick a franchise
Adults: CHF 300, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500. Higher franchise = lower monthly premium. Healthy adults often choose CHF 2,500.
- 3
Choose a model
Standard, Family doctor (Hausarzt), HMO, or Telmed. Alternative models save 10–20%.
- 4
Sign up online
Most insurers accept online enrollment. Coverage is retroactive to your arrival date if you sign up within 3 months.
- 5
Add supplementary insurance (optional)
VVG covers private hospital rooms, dental, alternative medicine. Apply early — pre-existing conditions can be excluded.
How the Swiss Krankenkasse system works
Switzerland has no public single-payer system. Instead, every resident must buy basic health insurance from a private (but tightly regulated) insurer. The benefits covered under basic cover are identical across every provider — set by federal law — so the only thing that varies is the price. The system is heavily supervised by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), which approves all premiums annually.
Basic vs supplementary insurance
Basic insurance (KVG/LAMal) covers medically necessary treatment in your canton of residence: GP visits, hospital stays in general wards, prescription medication on the federal list, maternity care, and most diagnostics. Supplementary insurance (VVG) is fully optional and lets you add private hospital rooms, broader dental cover, alternative therapies (osteopathy, acupuncture), glasses and worldwide travel cover. VVG is medically underwritten — apply when you're young and healthy.
Can I keep my EU EHIC or international plan?
Generally no. The only exemptions are short-term students with EHIC cover (subject to canton approval) and cross-border workers from EU countries. Everyone else must enrol in Swiss KVG within 3 months — failing to do so means the canton will automatically assign you to an insurer, often at higher cost.
Switching insurers
You can switch your basic insurance at the end of each calendar year, with written notice received by 30 November. Some plans (standard model with CHF 300 franchise) also allow mid-year switching with 3 months' notice. You can never be refused basic cover by any Swiss insurer, regardless of age or pre-existing conditions.
The franchise maths: CHF 300 vs CHF 2,500
Adults choose an annual franchise (deductible) of CHF 300, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500. Above the franchise you still pay a 10% co-payment (Selbstbehalt), capped by law at CHF 700 a year for adults and CHF 350 for children. Moving from CHF 300 to CHF 2,500 typically cuts the annual premium by roughly CHF 1,300–1,600 for an adult, against CHF 2,200 of extra risk — so the high franchise wins in any year with modest medical costs and loses only a few hundred francs in a bad one. Choose the low franchise if you already know you face significant treatment, a planned pregnancy or chronic care. Check current premiums for your canton, age band and franchise on the official comparator priminfo.admin.ch.
Insurance models: standard, family doctor, HMO and Telmed
Standard (free choice) lets you see any doctor. The family-doctor model (Hausarzt / médecin de famille) requires you to always start with your registered GP. HMO models route you through a specific health centre. Telmed requires a call to a medical hotline before consultations, with the usual exceptions for emergencies, gynaecology and eye care. Accepting a restriction cuts the premium by roughly 8–20% for identical legal benefits, which is why models are the cheapest lever after the franchise.
Exemptions from Swiss basic insurance
Exemptions are narrow and decided by your cantonal health authority, normally within the same three-month window: cross-border commuters can exercise the right of option in favour of their country of residence, posted workers with an A1 certificate stay in their home system, and students plus certain EU/EFTA pensioners can apply with an EHIC or S1 form. Everyone else pays into KVG regardless of any private or international policy they already hold. The conditions are set out by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG/OFSP).
The special cancellation right after a premium increase
Beyond the 30 November window, a premium increase gives you a special 30-day cancellation right from the date your insurer notifies you — useful when the autumn premium letters arrive. Supplementary insurance (VVG) follows its own contractual notice periods, is medically underwritten and can be refused, so never cancel your VVG policy before a new one is confirmed in writing.
Related canton guides
Your next step
Turn this guide into action — run the numbers for your own situation, then work through the deadlines for your canton.
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Build my free checklistIf you don't enroll within 3 months, the canton assigns you to an insurer at potentially higher cost.
You cannot be refused for basic KVG coverage.
People also asked
Can I keep my EU health insurance (EHIC)?
Students with valid EHIC may request an exemption. All others must enroll in Swiss KVG within 3 months — EU coverage is not sufficient.
Read: How to get a B permitWhich franchise should I choose?
If you're healthy and rarely visit doctors, CHF 2,500 saves the most on monthly premiums. If you expect medical costs, CHF 300 minimizes out-of-pocket risk.
Read: Choosing your Krankenkasse and deductibleCan I switch health insurance providers?
Yes, you can switch every year. Give notice before 30 November for the next calendar year. Some plans allow switching mid-year with 3 months' notice, and a premium increase gives you a special 30-day cancellation right.
Does basic insurance cover dental care?
No. KVG covers illness, accident, maternity, hospital treatment in the general ward in your canton of residence and medicines on the federal list. Routine dentistry, orthodontics, adult glasses, private or semi-private rooms, most complementary medicine and elective treatment abroad need supplementary insurance (VVG), which is optional and medically underwritten.
How much is the co-payment above the franchise?
10% of costs above your franchise, capped by federal law at CHF 700 a year for adults and CHF 350 for children. Hospital stays add a small daily contribution.
Official sources for this guide
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