Moving to Switzerland: health insurance within 3 months

Who has to be insured in Switzerland?

Everyone resident in Switzerland must be insured, regardless of nationality (Art. 3 para. 1 KVG). This also applies to foreign nationals with an L or B permit that is valid for at least three months (Art. 1 para. 2 let. a and f KVV).

Every family member needs their own basic insurance; a child can be with a different insurer from the parents. A foreign or international policy is not enough, even if it covers more (Art. 4 KVG). According to the Federal Supreme Court, whether the permit has already been issued is not decisive for the obligation to be insured (judgment 9C_546/2017).

Exceptions in brief:

• Among others, people who are here only for treatment or a health cure, diplomats, and students from EU/EFTA states or the United Kingdom who do not work here and stay in the system of their state of residence are not required to be insured. According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the same applies to Swiss and EU/EFTA/UK nationals whose only pension comes from the EU/EFTA/UK, and to EU/EFTA/UK nationals posted to Switzerland for up to 24 months.
• Among others, students and trainees with equivalent cover for treatment in Switzerland can apply to be exempted, for at most three years, extendable by at most three more (Art. 2 para. 4 KVV). According to the FOPH, the application goes to the office designated by the canton within three months of the start of the obligation to be insured.
• Cross-border commuters (Grenzgänger) from the EU/EFTA/UK must be insured here from the start of work; nationals of Switzerland or an EU state resident in Germany, France, Italy or Austria can apply for an exemption to the authority of the canton where they work within three months of starting work. easyall only arranges insurance for people residing in Switzerland.

By when must you be insured, and when does cover start?

In the first three cases in the table, you have three months from the relevant day and, if you join in time, you are insured retroactively from that day; for short work assignments, cover must be in place from entry into Switzerland or from the start of work (Art. 7 paras. 2 and 2bis KVV). You owe the premiums from the start of cover, calculated on a daily basis when you move here, because the insurer pays the costs from then on; waiting therefore saves nothing. For asylum seekers, persons in need of protection and provisionally admitted persons, Art. 7 para. 5 KVV applies.

What happens if you join late?

You are then only insured from the date you join (exception: EU/EFTA work assignments without a permit) and pay for treatment before that yourself (Art. 5 para. 2 KVG). If you do not take out insurance in time, the authority designated by the canton assigns you to an insurer, and you cannot choose it yourself (Art. 6 para. 2 KVG); to check compliance, some cantons and municipalities ask for proof, such as a copy of the policy.

If the delay is not excusable, a premium surcharge (Prämienzuschlag) is added (Art. 5 para. 2 KVG; Art. 8 KVV):

• 30 to 50% of the premium for twice the length of the delay, at most five years; the insurer sets the rate according to your financial situation, and below 30% if paying it would cause you hardship.
• No surcharge if social assistance pays the premiums.
• For a child, it is owed by the parents or the parent responsible for the delay (Art. 5 para. 2bis KVG).
• It continues to apply after a change of insurer.
• If you dispute the delay or the amount of the surcharge, the health insurance ombudsman office (Ombudsstelle Krankenversicherung) reviews the case free of charge as long as the insurer has not issued a formal decision (Verfügung); you can lodge an objection (Einsprache) against a formal decision with the insurer within 30 days (Art. 52 para. 1 ATSG).

Which decisions determine your premium?

You choose the insurer, deductible, model and accident cover; the benefits are the same at every insurer (Art. 34 para. 1 KVG), but the premiums are not. Your place of residence (canton and premium region) and your age are fixed; the premium is lower for children up to 18 and young adults up to 25. For an overview, see the guide Swiss health insurance explained.

• Deductible: adults have CHF 300 or an optional deductible of up to CHF 2'500, children none or up to CHF 600. A higher deductible can only be chosen as of the start of a calendar year (Art. 94 para. 1 KVV), for 2027 by written notice by 31 December 2026; according to the health insurance ombudsman office, people who move here during the year start with the ordinary deductible.
• Model: in the family doctor, HMO or Telmed model, you are tied to providers chosen by the insurer, which can lower the premium in return. You can switch from the standard model into such a model at any time (Art. 100 para. 2 KVV), but out of it only as of the end of the year, for 2027 by written notice by 30 November 2026.
• Accident cover: anyone employed by one employer for at least eight hours a week is also insured against non-occupational accidents under the UVG and can have accident cover suspended: in writing with proof, at the earliest from the month after the request, and not retroactively, even when joining retroactively (Art. 11 para. 1 KVV). The premium falls by at most 7%; everyone else keeps accident cover.

How do you sign up with a health insurer?

You sign up directly with an authorised insurer of your choice that operates where you live; every one of them must accept you (Art. 5 let. i KVAG), regardless of age and health, without reservations, waiting periods or a health questionnaire.

1. 1Register with the residents' registration office; if you need a permit, do so before you start work or before your permit-free stay ends (Art. 12 para. 1 AIG). With a permit, the three months run from this date.
2. 2Decide on the deductible, model and accident cover and compare the premiums of the insurers where you live, for example in the easyall calculator, where you can also apply online; if you have questions, easy, our AI guide, can help.
3. 3Sign up with one insurer only (by letter: registered or “A-Post Plus”, for proof), stating your name, date of birth, address, chosen deductible, accident cover, payment method and bank or postal account details and, if you have UVG cover, including a request to suspend accident cover. According to the ombudsman office, the first application takes priority when you move here.
4. 4If the insurer does not respond or rejects you because your permit is missing, send it an application for admission (Aufnahmegesuch) by registered mail within the three months, stating the deductible and the start of cover. According to the ombudsman office, you are then covered retroactively and owe no surcharge.

What applies to supplementary insurance?

Supplementary insurance is voluntary and falls under the Insurance Contract Act (VVG); it covers, for example, the semi-private or private hospital ward. The insurer may ask health questions, add reservations or refuse you; answer the questions completely and truthfully, otherwise it may terminate the contract (Art. 6 para. 1 VVG). You apply separately from basic insurance (Art. 6a para. 2 KVV), with a different insurer if you wish.

What applies when you leave or switch later?

If you move abroad, basic insurance in principle ends when you leave, with a permit on the departure date you reported to the residents' registration office, and in any case on the day you actually leave Switzerland (Art. 7 para. 3 KVV); premiums are settled to the day. An insurer can offer continued cover under the VVG, but does not have to.

You can switch insurer after notification of the new premium, with one month's notice (Art. 7 para. 2 KVG): for 1 January 2027, your cancellation must reach your current insurer by Monday, 30 November 2026. With the standard model and the ordinary deductible, you can also switch as of the end of June, with three months' notice (Art. 7 para. 1 KVG).

If you join in November or December 2026, you pay your insurer's 2026 rates until the end of the year and its 2027 rates after that; so compare the 2027 premiums straight away.