Insurance number

What is the insurance number?

The insurance number is the number that allows your health insurer, doctor’s practice, pharmacy and hospital to identify you unambiguously. In basic health insurance, this is your AHV number, the number of the old-age and survivors’ insurance (AHV), known in English as the OASI number. The law requires the health insurance card to show the name of the insured person and the AHV number. So when people speak of the “insurance number”, they usually mean this 13-digit number.

The AHV number is assigned by the Confederation’s Central Compensation Office (ZAS). It is used as a personal identifier not only by the AHV but also by other social insurances and authorities. It is generated at random and reveals nothing about you: neither your date of birth, nor your sex, nor where you live.

In everyday life, however, you will come across several numbers that are easy to mix up:

• AHV number: 13 digits, starts with 756, stays the same for life. This is the insurance number in the strict sense.
• Card identification number: a separate number of the card itself, which changes with every new card.
• The insurer’s FOPH number: the identification number of the insurer, assigned by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). It is also printed on the card and tells the practice and the pharmacy which insurer to bill.
• Customer or policy number: an internal number of your insurer. It appears on your insurance policy and in letters, where it is sometimes also called “insurance number”.

For supplementary insurance there is no legal obligation to use the AHV number. Insurers usually work with their customer and policy numbers there.

How it works

Structure of the AHV number

The AHV number consists of 13 digits and is usually written in groups, in the format 756.XXXX.XXXX.XX.

Digits	Content
1–3	756, the country code of Switzerland under ISO 3166
4–12	a random number that has never been assigned before
13	check digit under the EAN-13 standard, calculated from the first 12 digits

The check digit helps detect typing errors. If you swap two digits, the check digit will in most cases no longer match, and a system will reject the number.

When you get a number

Since 2008, an AHV number has been created automatically for every child born in Switzerland when the birth is registered at the civil registry office. Foreign nationals receive one through the migration office when they settle in Switzerland. If you join basic health insurance and do not yet have a number, you receive one through the health insurer if needed. According to the ZAS, you do not have to give the number yourself when you register with a health insurer, because the insurer has access to the information or can request that a number be allocated.

What is on the health insurance card

The insurer must print the following data on the card: surname and first name, AHV number, date of birth, sex, name and FOPH number of the insurer, card identification number and expiry date. The back may carry the European Health Insurance Card. The insurer may also store electronically, for example, your address, your insurance model or the exclusion of accident cover. Details of supplementary insurance only with your consent.

Doctors and pharmacists may only store emergency medical data such as blood group, allergies or medication on the card with your consent. When handing over the card, the insurer must inform you in writing of your rights.

What the number is used for

The practice, pharmacy and hospital read the card to assign the bill to the right person and the right insurer. Your insurer uses the number to link bills, statements of benefits and correspondence to you. The health insurance card can also serve as a means of identification for the electronic patient record.

Legal basis

Art. 42a para. 1 of the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) allows the Federal Council to issue every insured person, for the duration of their basic health insurance, with an insurance card showing their name and AHV number. Under para. 2 the card is used for billing, and under para. 2bis it can be used as a means of identification for the electronic patient record under Art. 7 para. 2 of the Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPDG). Para. 4 provides that medical data are only stored on the card with your consent.

The details are set out in the Ordinance on the Insurance Card for Compulsory Health Insurance (VVK). Art. 1 VVK requires insurers to issue a card to everyone who is required to take out insurance. Art. 3 para. 1 VVK lists the printed data, including the AHV number in let. b. Art. 4 VVK governs the data stored electronically, Art. 6 VVK the optional medical data and Art. 12 VVK the insurer’s duty to inform.

The AHV number itself is governed by the Federal Act on Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance (AHVG). Under Art. 50c para. 1 AHVG, every person who is domiciled or habitually resident in Switzerland receives an AHV number. Under para. 3, its composition must not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the person. The Central Compensation Office describes the exact structure with country code 756 and check digit.

Example: switching insurer on 1 January

Samir, 41, is switching his basic health insurance with effect from 01.01.2027. He gave notice in time and signed up with the new insurer. In December he receives a new card.

Number	old card	new card
AHV number (insurance number)	756.XXXX.XXXX.XX	unchanged
Card identification number	number of the old card	new number
The insurer’s FOPH number	number of the old insurer	number of the new insurer
Customer or policy number	number of the old insurer	new number from the new insurer
Expiry date	older card	new date

How switching works step by step is explained under switch health insurer, and a template for your notice is under cancellation letter. In the cancellation letter, it is best to give your customer or policy number so that the old insurer can find you straight away.

What this means for you

1. Take the card with you to every treatment. The insurer must inform you that you have to use the card when you receive benefits. Without the card, it can take longer for the bill to be assigned correctly.
2. Tell the numbers apart. For cancelling, questions about bills and the customer portal, you usually need your insurer’s customer or policy number; for the practice and the pharmacy, the card.
3. Check the data on the card. If your name, date of birth or insurer are wrong, tell your insurer. Wrong data lead to bills going to the wrong place.
4. Make a conscious decision about emergency data. Blood group, allergies or medication only go on the card if you agree. Have them deleted before you return a card.
5. Share the number sparingly. Your insurer, employer, the authorities and healthcare providers need it. Comparison sites and quote requests do not. For a comparison in the premium calculator, your place of residence, year of birth and deductible are enough.

You will find the profiles of all insurers with their contact details under health insurers. You can save your calculations and comparisons in your customer account. The statement of benefits shows you which services a bill includes; your insurer will issue a confirmation of insurance if you need one.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up the customer number and the AHV number. In a letter to your insurer the customer number helps; on the doctor’s practice form, the AHV number is what is asked for.
• Showing the old card after switching. The bill then goes to the old insurer and is rejected.
• Treating the number as secret. The AHV number is an identifier, not a password. Knowing it does not give anyone access to your data.
• Giving the number everywhere. It is still personal data. Only give it where the law requires it or where it is needed for billing.
• Not reporting a lost card. Your insurer will issue a new one.