Swiss health insurance number: where to find it

Which number is the insured person number?

It is your insurer's own number under which it keeps your file: the German sample letters of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH, BAG in German) ask for the Versichertennummer “gemäss Versicherungsausweis” (as per the insurance certificate), i.e. the one on your policy. Some insurers also print it on the card; this is not required (Art. 3 para. 1 VVK), and the name, length and position of the number vary from insurer to insurer.

The AHV number is a different one: it has 13 digits, starts with 756 and is on every card (Art. 133 AHVV; Art. 3 para. 1 VVK). Although the FOPH calls it the “Versichertennummer der Alters- und Hinterlassenenversicherung” (insured person number of the old-age and survivors' insurance, OASI), letters to your insurer need the insurer's own number.

What is on the health insurance card?

On the front, the insurer must print your surname and first name, AHV number, date of birth, sex, the insurer's name and BAG number, the card number and the expiry date (Art. 3 para. 1 VVK). At the top is the prescribed card title “Schweizerische Krankenversicherungskarte KVG” (Annex 4 VVK-EDI); the law and the ordinance call it the Versichertenkarte.

Your details are in the lower part, with each entry's label in small print underneath (Annex 4 VVK-EDI): on the left, one below the other, “Name, Vorname” (surname, first name), “Karten-Nr.” (card number) and “Geburtsdatum, Geschlecht” (date of birth, sex), next to them the “BAG-Nr.”, on the right the “AHV-Nr.” in the format 756.XXXX.XXXX.XX and below it the “Ablaufdatum” (expiry date). The chip and the insurer's name are above, in an area the insurer may design freely.

On the back is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC, in German EKVK), with the same card number and the same expiry date (Art. 3 para. 2 VVK; Annex 1 VVK-EDI) and with the AHV number as the personal identification number. According to the FOPH, during a temporary stay in the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom it entitles you to the medically necessary benefits in kind in case of illness, accident or maternity, depending on the type of benefit and the expected length of stay. More in the guide Health insurance abroad.

When do you have to show the card?

You must show the card when you receive benefits, whether at a doctor's practice, a pharmacy or a hospital (Art. 10 para. 1 VVK), because every bill to basic insurance must contain your card number and your AHV number (Art. 59 para. 1 KVV). If you do not show the card and this causes your insurer extra work when reimbursing benefits, it can charge an appropriate fee (Art. 10 para. 2 VVK); the ordinance does not set an amount.

The practice may check online with your insurer whether you are insured and whether the card is valid, but only with your consent and only via the card number (Art. 15 VVK). If you submit a bill you have paid yourself, check that both numbers are on it; if they are missing, the insurer can, according to the FOPH, charge a fee for the extra work. More on submitting bills in the guide Tiers garant and tiers payant.

Lost your health insurance card: what to do?

Your insurer replaces the card; report the loss or theft to it. Medical data on the chip can only be read by someone who has an electronic healthcare provider certificate (elektronischer Leistungserbringernachweis, Art. 7 para. 2 VVK) and, according to the FOPH, also a card reader and suitable software; the FOPH therefore considers misuse unlikely. Here is how to proceed:

1. 1Order a new card from your insurer and ask whether the replacement costs anything and when the card will arrive.
2. 2If you travel to the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom before it arrives, ask for a provisional replacement certificate: the insurer can issue one for a limited period, and it gives the same entitlements as the EHIC.
3. 3Medical details you had voluntarily stored on the chip are lost; if needed, have them entered again on the new card.

When do you get a new card?

Every person required to have health insurance gets a card, including every child (Art. 1 para. 1 VVK); the exception is insured persons living abroad who can only receive benefits in Switzerland through international benefits assistance (internationale Leistungsaushilfe, Art. 1 para. 2 VVK). You get a new one after loss or theft and when you switch insurer. Before issuing the card, the insurer checks the AHV number and, if necessary, arranges for one to be assigned (Art. 5 para. 1 VVK). The Central Compensation Office (Zentrale Ausgleichsstelle) assigns the number automatically as soon as a birth is registered or someone receives a residence permit for more than four months for the first time (Art. 133bis AHVV). If your baby does not have a card yet, ask the insurer for its AHV number; more in the guides Insuring your newborn and Moving to Switzerland.

When you switch insurer, the new card comes from the new insurer; the AHV number stays the same, the card number changes. The old card remains the property of your previous insurer, and after your insurance ends and after the card's validity expires, you must return it on request (Art. 10 para. 3 and Art. 11 para. 1 VVK). Delete voluntarily stored data beforehand, according to the FOPH for example by cutting through the chip.

The insurer can limit the card's validity; the date until which your card is valid is in the “Ablaufdatum” (expiry date) field (Art. 11 para. 2 VVK). If an entry is wrong or your name has changed, for example through marriage, have the data corrected by your insurer (Art. 9 para. 1 VVK); the AHV number stays the same.

What does the chip store, and is an electronic card coming?

The chip contains the mandatory printed data; in addition, the insurer may store, for example, your postal address, a special form of insurance such as the family doctor or HMO model, and the EHIC data; details of supplementary insurance, however, only with your consent (Art. 4 VVK). Likewise only with your consent, professionals such as doctors can enter medical details such as blood group, allergies or medication; you can lock these with a PIN and have them deleted at any time, and in an emergency the professionals may access them even if you are unable to consent (Art. 6, 7 and 9 VVK). The insurer may not influence your decision on this with either advantages or disadvantages (Art. 4 para. 3 and Art. 6 para. 4 VVK).

Parliament decided on an electronic card on 21 March 2025: the Federal Council can set the date from which insurers issue the card in electronic form and can provide that it is also issued in physical form on request (new Art. 42a para. 3 KVG, AS 2026 294). This provision is not yet in force, and no date has been published (as of 9 November 2026); until then, the card with chip applies (Art. 2 para. 1 VVK). Even if your insurer shows the card in an app, take the card itself with you when you travel, because the EHIC is on its back.