Swiss Health Insurance: the Three-Month Deadline and the Late Surcharge

Everyone who takes up residence in Switzerland must join a basic health insurer within three months (KVG Article 3). If you join within the three months, the cover starts on the day you took up residence, and you pay the premiums from that day. If you join later, the cover starts only on the day you join, nothing in the gap is covered, and unless the delay is excusable you pay a surcharge of 30 to 50 percent of the premium for twice the length of the delay, at most five years (KVV Article 8).

Of all the deadlines in your first weeks in Switzerland, this is the one that costs real money when you miss it. It is also the easiest to keep: one form, with any insurer you like, before the three months are over.

The rule, in one sentence

Every person who takes up residence in Switzerland must take out basic health insurance within three months. That is Article 3 of the federal health insurance law (KVG, LAMal in French). It applies whether you are employed or not, and the ordinance extends it to foreign nationals with a short-term or residence permit valid for at least three months.

Join in time: your cover is backdated

If you join within the three months, the insurance starts on the day you took up residence (KVG Article 5, paragraph 1). A doctor's bill from your second week is covered, even if you signed the policy in your eleventh week. The premiums also run from that day, so waiting does not save anything.

You choose the insurer yourself, among all insurers authorised to run basic insurance (KVG Article 4). The basic cover is the same everywhere by law, so the real choices are the premium, the deductible (franchise) and the model. The federal comparison at priminfo.admin.ch lists every premium for your postcode. How to choose is in our guide to Swiss health insurance.

Join late: a gap, then a surcharge

If you join after the three months, the insurance starts only on the day you join (KVG Article 5, paragraph 2). Anything that happens in the gap is yours to pay.

If the delay is not excusable, you also pay a premium surcharge. The ordinance (KVV Article 8) sets its shape:

• 30 to 50 percent of the premium, set by the insurer according to your financial situation.
• Charged for twice the length of the delay, at most five years.
• Below 30 percent if paying it would cause hardship, taking into account your situation and why you were late.
• No surcharge if a social assistance office pays your premiums.
• It follows you: if you switch insurer, the old one reports the surcharge and it stays binding for the new one.

An example, to give the scale: three months late on a premium of CHF 400 a month means a surcharge of CHF 120 to 200 a month, for six months.

Three months is enough time. The surcharge exists for people who let it run out.

If you do nothing at all

The cantons make sure everyone is insured, and the office your canton names assigns anyone who has not joined in time to an insurer (KVG Article 6). The commune knows you live there from your Anmeldung, so this is not a theoretical risk. If an assignment letter reaches you after you have already signed up, answer it with your policy confirmation straight away.

What to do this week

• Write down the date you took up residence. Your three months run from that day.
• Compare premiums for your postcode on priminfo.admin.ch, for your age group and the deductible you can carry.
• Apply with the insurer you chose and keep the confirmation. Your cover will start on your arrival date.
• If you think you are exempt (some people with foreign cover can be, on application), ask your canton's office early, before the three months are over.

Switching later

Once you are insured, you can change insurer at the end of a calendar half-year with three months' notice, or, when your insurer announces a new premium, with one month's notice to the end of the month before the new premium applies (KVG Article 7). For a new premium from 1 January, that means your notice must arrive by 30 November.

Checked on 17 October 2026 against the federal health insurance law (KVG, SR 832.10, Articles 3 to 7) and its ordinance (KVV, SR 832.102, Articles 1 and 8) on fedlex.admin.ch. This is general information, not legal advice for your case.