Short-term residents

What are short-term residents?

Short-term residents are foreign nationals who live in Switzerland with a permit for a limited period, usually the L permit. The permit is time-limited and often tied to a specific job. Typical examples are seasonal work, project assignments or fixed-term employment. There are also people from EU and EFTA states who work in Switzerland for no more than three months and need no permit for this, only a notification (notification procedure).

For health insurance, what counts is not the name of the permit but how long it is valid and whether you work in Switzerland. If you stay longer, you belong in basic health insurance under the Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) like every other resident. If you only work here briefly, you must also take out insurance, but you can prove equivalent cover from abroad instead.

Short-term residents are to be distinguished from residence permit holders with a B permit, who stay longer, from cross-border commuters, who live abroad, and from international students, for whom separate exemption rules apply.

How it works

The most important deadline is the three-month deadline to take out insurance. If you meet it, your insurance applies retroactively from the day you registered with the municipality (Gemeinde). You then also owe the premiums from that day. If you miss the deadline, your insurance only starts when you join. You pay for any treatment in between yourself. If the delay is inexcusable, the insurer also charges a premium surcharge of 30 to 50% of the premium, for twice the length of the delay, up to a maximum of five years. If you do not take out insurance at all, the authority assigns you to a health insurer.

As a short-term resident, you are insured in the normal way: the same benefits, free choice of health insurer, deductible and insurance models as everyone else. The premium depends on where you live in Switzerland. Your insurance ends on the departure date you reported, at the latest on the day you actually leave the country.

Exceptions are possible for employees from Germany, Austria, France and Italy who return to their country of residence at least once a week. They work like the right of option for cross-border commuters. Other exemptions are decided on application by the cantonal authority.

Legal basis

Art. 1 para. 2 of the Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV) lists who is required to take out insurance without being domiciled in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB): let. a foreign nationals with a short-stay or residence permit valid for at least three months, let. b employees with a short-stay permit of less than three months without equivalent cover, let. f persons with a permit under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons or the EFTA Convention valid for three months or more, and let. g persons under the notification procedure for up to three months without equivalent cover.

Art. 7 KVV governs the start and end of insurance: a three-month deadline from registration (para. 1), insurance from arrival for permits of less than three months (para. 2), from the start of work under the notification procedure (para. 2bis), and the end with the reported departure or the departure from the country (para. 3 and 3bis). Art. 8 KVV sets the premium surcharge for joining late. Art. 106 KVV gives persons with a permit valid for three months or more an entitlement to a premium subsidy if they meet the canton’s conditions.

Example: eight months in Bern

Ana is 30 years old (born in 1996) and comes from Portugal. She has a fixed-term job in Bern and receives an L permit for the period from 1 March to 31 October 2026. On 2 March 2026 she registers with the municipality.

The monthly premiums in the municipality of Bern (Region 1) for people born in 1996, with accident cover, are as follows in 2026 (premiums 2026, source FOPH):

What this means for you

1. Check how long your permit is valid. At least three months means compulsory insurance with a deadline; less than three months means compulsory insurance from arrival, unless you have equivalent cover.
2. Compare early. The three-month deadline is tight. Compare the premiums for your municipality in the premium calculator and sign up in time. The insurers’ contact details are in the profiles under health insurers.
3. Choose a suitable deductible. For a short stay with few doctor’s visits, a higher deductible lowers the premium. But factor in the share of costs you may have to pay yourself.
4. Check for a premium subsidy. If your wage is low, you can apply to your canton. You will find information under premium subsidy.
5. Report your departure. Deregister with the municipality before you leave and send the confirmation to your health insurer. More on this under place of residence and in the entry on moving away.

Common mistakes

• Relying on insurance in your home country. With an L permit valid for three months or more, the Swiss requirement applies, even if you are insured at home.
• Counting the deadline from arrival instead of registration. What counts is registration with the municipality; for short permits, arrival.
• Joining after the deadline and expecting retroactive cover. If you join late, your insurance only starts when you join.
• Forgetting to deregister. Without a reported departure, the insurer keeps charging premiums until your departure is proven.

You will find more terms on living abroad and cross-border commuting in the glossary.