Health Insurance After Arrival: the 90-Day Kit

Basic insurance after arrival without a false start: 90-day plan, model comparison and ready application and switch templates.

Checked on 21 August 2026 by Jens Herbst, BoVitaWe keep every document current and check it regularly against the sources.

Who is this document for?

For newcomers becoming subject to mandatory insurance, and for anyone who wants to compare models and premiums properly once.

What is inside

  • KVG basics explained simply
  • 90-day plan week by week from arrival
  • Model comparison: standard, family doctor, HMO, telmed, pharmacy
  • Ready application template with master data table
  • Insurer-switch template (30 November deadline) and special cases (students, cross-border, S1, family reunification) plus premium reduction IPV

How to fill it in

  1. 1Start the 90-day plan in your arrival week; the obligation applies retroactively from arrival.
  2. 2Use the model comparison to pick the model first, the insurer second.
  3. 3Fill the master data table once; it feeds the application and any later switch.

Frequently asked questions

For newcomers subject to mandatory insurance and for households switching model or insurer; the special cases (students, cross-border, S1, family reunification) are covered separately.

Basic insurance must be taken out within 3 months of arrival and applies retroactively from entry; the 90-day plan is timed exactly to that.

Ordinarily per year-end with notice by 30 November; the included switch template is built for that deadline.

Depending on canton and income, the canton pays part of your premium; the kit explains where and how to apply.

Yes, free by email.

If the template alone is not enough

In-depth guideSwiss health insurance after moving, the 90 day rule and 7 common mistakes to avoidThe article goes deeper than the document: deadlines, examples and where to turn.

What this document is based on

Every provision is checked against the wording of the consolidated version. The links lead straight to the federal statute.

  • KVG Art. 5 · Beginn und Ende der Versicherung

    On a TIMELY join the insurance starts at birth or on taking up residence in Switzerland, so it covers retroactively. On a LATE join it starts only when you actually join: treatment in the gap stays private. An inexcusable delay adds a premium surcharge, under KVV Art. 8 between 30 and 50 per cent, charged for twice the length of the delay.

    KVG Art. 5 Abs. 1 und 2, SR 832.10 · Status 01.07.2026

  • KVG Art. 7 · Wechsel des Versicherers

    You can switch with three months' notice to the end of a calendar semester. When the new premium is announced, a one-month notice applies to the end of the month preceding the new premium, in practice by 30 November for 1 January. On confirmations: under para. 5 the NEW insurer must notify the previous one of uninterrupted cover. The insured person is not obliged to do so, and their notice is valid without any attachment.

    KVG Art. 7 Abs. 1, 2, 5 und 6, SR 832.10 · Status 01.07.2026

  • KVG Art. 64 · Kostenbeteiligung

    Cost sharing consists of the deductible plus 10 per cent of costs above it. The annual cap of CHF 700 applies ONLY to that 10 per cent share, not to deductible and share combined; for children it is CHF 350. Children pay no ordinary deductible at all. From the 13th week of pregnancy until 56 days after birth there is no cost sharing whatsoever, general illness treatment included.

    KVG Art. 64 Abs. 2, 4 und 7 Bst. b, SR 832.10 · Status 01.07.2026

  • KVV Art. 100 Abs. 2 · Wechsel in ein Modell mit eingeschraenkter Wahl

    Switching from a policy without restricted choice of provider into one with restricted choice, meaning a family doctor, HMO or Telmed model, is possible AT ANY TIME. Only choosing a HIGHER deductible is tied to the start of the year (KVV Art. 94 para. 1).

    KVV Art. 100 Abs. 2, SR 832.102 · Status 01.08.2026

  • KVV Art. 91 Abs. 3 · Abstufung der Praemien nach Altersgruppen

    Premium age bands are set by YEAR OF BIRTH. The category therefore changes on 1 January of the calendar year in which someone turns 19 or 26, not on their birthday.

    KVV Art. 91 Abs. 3 zu KVG Art. 61 Abs. 3, SR 832.102 · Status 01.08.2026

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