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The guide · Switzerland

Healthcare

Registering, the European Health Insurance Card, the S1 form.

In Switzerland

Checked on 23 October 2026

How do you get LAMal health insurance when you settle in Switzerland?

In Switzerland, everyone domiciled there must take out insurance for healthcare with a Swiss health insurer (caisse-maladie): this is the compulsory healthcare insurance provided for by the health insurance act (LAMal). You have 3 months after taking up domicile to affiliate (art. 3 LAMal); if you meet this deadline, the insurance takes effect on the day of your arrival. After that deadline, it only starts on the date of affiliation, and a premium surcharge may be billed to you.

Costs
Premiums vary by insurer, canton and deductible (official comparison tool priminfo.ch)
Timeframes
Affiliation within 3 months of taking up domicile, with retroactive effect

Steps

  1. Before leaving: take your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for unforeseen care in the first weeks. It does not replace the LAMal once you are domiciled in Switzerland.
  2. Register with your commune (sheet CH-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
  3. Compare health insurers and choose your deductible (franchise): premiums vary by insurer, canton and deductible. The official site priminfo.ch lets you compare.
  4. Affiliate within 3 months of taking up domicile (or of a child's birth). The insurance then takes effect on your arrival date. If you work in Switzerland without living there (like a cross-border worker), it takes effect at the start of your activity.
  5. Insure your family too: each person domiciled in Switzerland must have their own insurance, children included (their parents insure them). For a cross-border worker, the obligation extends to family members without gainful activity: spouse, children under 18 and dependent adult children.
  6. If you think you may be exempt (for example a posted worker, or cases provided for certain cross-border workers), apply to the canton, or to the Institution commune LAMal in the cantons where it handles this (online application, decision announced within 3 working days).

Documents

  • ID and proof of your domicile in Switzerland (residence permit or certificate from the commune); each insurer sets its own list of documents and gives it to you with the membership application.
  • For an exemption application: proof of your cover abroad (posting forms, insurance certificates).

Costs and timelines

  • Deadline: 3 months after taking up domicile (or birth in Switzerland), set by article 3, paragraph 1, of the LAMal; with retroactive effect if you meet it.
  • Late affiliation: the insurance only starts on the date of affiliation; premium surcharge in the case of inexcusable delay.
  • Premiums: vary by insurer, canton and chosen deductible; official comparison tool: priminfo.ch.
  • Your AVS number appears on your health insurance card (sheet CH-NIF-TOUS-001).

Common pitfalls

  • Letting the 3 months go by. You lose the retroactive effect and risk a premium surcharge. It is the canton that monitors the obligation.
  • Thinking that registering with the commune is enough to fix your domicile. For the LAMal, domicile is the place where you live with the intention of settling there; communal registration is not the only criterion.
  • Without gainful activity: to obtain your residence permit, you also need health and accident insurance covering all risks (SEM).
  • Counting on the EHIC. It covers necessary care during a temporary stay, not a move, nor private care, nor repatriation.

What changes by country of origin

  • EU and EFTA citizens: obligation within 3 months. The law also allows the Federal Council to extend the obligation to non-domiciled people who habitually work or stay in Switzerland, such as certain cross-border workers (art. 3, para. 3, LAMal). Switzerland applies European coordination: EHIC for temporary stays, and European forms (for example for posted workers) that can justify an exemption.
  • Swiss citizens: not applicable (sheet for people coming to settle).
  • British citizens (Scots included): the same obligation as soon as they are domiciled in Switzerland. The Institution commune LAMal mentions the United Kingdom together with the EU for cross-border workers and retirees (retirees living in the United Kingdom and receiving a Swiss pension, for example). The British GHIC card is for temporary stays.
Official sources (7) ›
  • Fedlex, loi fédérale sur l'assurance-maladie (LAMal, RS 832.10), art. 3 "Personnes tenues de s'assurer" and art. 5 "Début et fin de la couverture d'assurance"
  • Institution commune LAMal, "Obligation d'assurance en cas d'activité lucrative ou de domicile en Suisse"
  • SEM, "FAQ – Libre circulation des personnes" (modified 06.07.2026)
  • SEM, factsheet "Séjour en Suisse sans activité lucrative" (SP_08/23)
  • Office fédéral des assurances sociales (OFAS), "Numéro AVS"
  • Your Europe, "Healthcare cover during temporary stays" (last checked 16/09/2026)
  • NHS Business Services Authority, "Am I entitled to healthcare cover in Switzerland?" (British GHIC card)
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The European framework

These European rules also apply in Switzerland.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Health insurance required for visas and permits: what EU rules ask (short and long stays)

For a Schengen short-stay visa, you must show travel medical insurance covering urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation (including in case of death), valid in all Schengen countries, with at least €30,000 of cover (Visa Code, Article 15). For long stays, the EU directives ask for sickness insurance covering the risks normally covered for nationals of the destination, for example for students, family members, Blue Card holders and long-term residents. The exact proof, and whether you must buy private insurance or can join the public system, depend on the destination.

Who decides
Consulates (Schengen visas); the immigration authority of the destination (long stays)
Costs
Set by insurers; Schengen visa insurance must cover at least €30,000 (Visa Code, Article 15)

Before you act

  • No promise. The consulate or immigration authority decides whether your insurance is acceptable. This page is general information, not legal advice.
  • Scams. Buy insurance only from a real, identifiable insurer, and check the policy before paying. A fake or inadequate insurance certificate can lead to refusal of your application.
  • Ask a professional (the insurer, the consulate or a lawyer) if you have a chronic illness, are pregnant, or are over the age limits of standard policies.
  • Be honest in insurance forms about your health and your plans.

Steps

  1. Short stay with a visa: buy travel medical insurance that meets Article 15 of the Visa Code (below) for the whole trip; for a multiple-entry visa, it must cover the first trip, and you sign a statement that you know you need insurance for later trips. Exceptions: the requirement may be considered met where adequate cover can be presumed from the applicant's professional situation (for example seafarers, Article 15(6)), and holders of diplomatic passports are exempt (Article 15(7)).
  2. Visa-exempt short stay: insurance is not among the entry conditions listed in the Schengen Borders Code (Article 6), but medical care abroad can be expensive: travel insurance is your choice.
  3. Long stay: read the destination's list for your route. Denmark and Ireland did not take part in the five directives below and are not bound by them (see the recitals of each text), so their rules are purely national. In the other EU countries, the directives ask for insurance "for all risks normally covered for nationals" for:
    • students and researchers, valid for the whole planned stay (Directive (EU) 2016/801, Article 7(1)(c));
    • family reunification, for the sponsor and the family, if the country requires it (Directive 2003/86/EC, Article 7(1)(b));
    • Blue Card and seasonal workers, for periods not already covered through the job (Directive (EU) 2021/1883, Article 5(1)(e); Directive 2014/36/EU, Article 5(1)(b) for stays up to 90 days and Article 6(1)(b) for stays over 90 days);
    • EU long-term residents, for themselves and for dependent family members (Directive 2003/109/EC, Article 5(1)(b)).
  4. After arrival: ask whether your permit gives access to the public health system, and from when (see the destination's health fiche).

Documents

  • An insurance certificate in the name of each person, with dates, cover, amount and territory.
  • For a Schengen visa: proof that the cover is valid in all Schengen countries and is at least €30,000 (Article 15(3)); for a visa with limited territorial validity covering several Member States, the cover must be valid at least in the Member States concerned.

Costs and timelines

  • Price: set by insurers. The Visa Code asks you to take insurance, in principle, in your country of residence, or in another country if that is not possible (Article 15(4)).
  • Check: consulates verify that claims against the insurer can be recovered in an EU country (Article 15(5)).

Common pitfalls

  • Cover too low or not valid everywhere. For a Schengen visa: at least €30,000 and valid in all Schengen countries.
  • Wrong dates. The insurance must cover the whole stay or transit (Article 15(3)).
  • Travel insurance for a long stay. A short-trip policy may not meet the "all risks normally covered for nationals" standard required for long-stay permits, and what each country actually accepts varies: ask the immigration authority directly before you buy.
  • Gaps between the visa and the permit. Keep cover until you are registered in the public system or have the insurance the permit requires.

What changes by profile

  • Workers may be covered through their job; the Blue Card and seasonal directives ask for insurance only for periods not covered by, or resulting from, the work contract.
  • Retirees and people living on passive income follow national rules for national visas (for Portugal, see PT-VISA-TIERS-050).

Official links

  • Visa Code (consolidated), Article 15: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02009R0810-20240628
  • Commission, applying for a Schengen visa: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/visa-policy/applying-schengen-visa_en
Official sources (9) ›
  • European Commission, « Applying for a Schengen visa » (medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death), page dated 2 December 2025
  • Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), consolidated text of 12 October 2025 (latest consolidated version in the Publications Office database on 23 October 2026), Article 6(1) (entry conditions for short stays: no insurance condition)
  • Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), consolidated text of 28 June 2024 (latest consolidated version in the Publications Office database on 23 October 2026), Article 15 (travel medical insurance)
  • Directive (EU) 2021/1883 (EU Blue Card), Article 5(1)(e) (sickness insurance) and the recitals on the position of Denmark and Ireland
  • Directive (EU) 2016/801 (students and researchers), Article 7(1)(c) (sickness insurance, valid for the duration of the planned stay; same text in the consolidated version of 17 November 2021) and the recitals on the position of Denmark and Ireland
  • Council Directive 2003/86/EC (family reunification), Article 7(1)(b) (sickness insurance for the sponsor and his or her family) and the recitals on the position of Ireland and Denmark
  • Directive 2014/36/EU (seasonal workers), Article 5(1)(b) (stays up to 90 days) and Article 6(1)(b) (stays over 90 days) (sickness insurance), and the recitals on the position of Ireland and Denmark
  • Council Directive 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), consolidated text of 12 June 2026 (latest amendment: Regulation (EU) 2024/1347, which leaves Article 5(1)(b) unchanged), Article 5(1)(b) (sickness insurance, for the person and dependent family members)
  • Council Directive 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), text as adopted, recitals 25 and 26 (position of Ireland and Denmark)

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

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