Exemption from compulsory health insurance: who can apply

The obligation is the rule, exemption the exception

If you live in Switzerland, you must sign up with a health insurer for basic health insurance within 3 months (Art. 3 para. 1 of the Federal Health Insurance Act, KVG). This requirement to take out insurance applies regardless of nationality, age and health, and also to people with a residence or short-term permit of at least 3 months (Art. 1 para. 2 of the Health Insurance Ordinance, KVV). The Federal Council may provide for exceptions (Art. 3 para. 2 KVG). It has listed them exhaustively in Art. 2 KVV.

The law distinguishes two kinds of exception:

For most newcomers from abroad, the second group is the relevant one. Important: an exemption is not a price comparison. If you do not belong to one of the listed groups, you must take out insurance in Switzerland, even if your foreign policy would be cheaper.

Who is not subject to the obligation at all

Under Art. 2 para. 1 KVV, the following are among those excluded:

• People who are in Switzerland only for treatment or a spa cure (let. b).
• People who, because of their work in an EU or EFTA state, are subject to that state’s law even though they live in Switzerland (let. c), and people receiving foreign unemployment benefit under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (let. d).
• People without a Swiss pension who receive a pension from an EU state, Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom (let. e).
• Family members of these people who are covered by their foreign insurance (let. f and g).
• Federal employees who are subject to military insurance (let. a).

In addition, people with diplomatic privileges and employees of international organisations are not required to take out insurance under Art. 6 KVV, but can take it out on application. Workers posted to Switzerland from the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom for up to 24 months remain in the system of their home country with an A1 certificate (FOPH).

Who can be exempted on application

Accompanying family members are spouses, children up to 18 and children in education up to 25 (Art. 3 para. 2 KVV, to which Art. 2 para. 4 and 5 KVV refer).

There are two routes for students: if you come from the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom and do not work in Switzerland, you stay in your home system and use the European Health Insurance Card. Students from other countries need an exemption under Art. 2 para. 4 KVV. Details on both cases are in the article International students and in the glossary under international students.

Step by step: applying for an exemption

1. Check your group. Do you belong to one of the groups in the table above? If not, there is no exemption, and you sign up with an insurer. How to do this is explained in the article Health insurance within three months.
2. Get confirmation from your foreign insurer. You enclose with your application written confirmation from the responsible foreign body, with all the required information (Art. 2 para. 2, 4, 7 and 8 KVV). Ask your insurer to confirm explicitly which benefits it covers in Switzerland, from when and until when.
3. Find the responsible office. Applications are decided by the responsible cantonal authority (Art. 10 para. 2 KVV). The FOPH keeps a list of these offices. As a rule, the canton of residence or stay is responsible; for short-term workers, the canton of the place of work.
4. Apply within the 3 months. The three-month deadline runs from the day you take up residence or register with the municipality (Art. 7 para. 1 KVV). Apply early enough that, if you are turned down, you still have time to sign up with an insurer.
5. Wait for the decision and keep it. The decision is your proof towards the municipality. Note the date on which the exemption expires.
6. Plan for the end. For students, the exemption ends after a maximum of 3 years. An extension of up to 3 years is only granted on application (Art. 2 para. 4 KVV).

Equivalent cover: what the authority checks

Almost every exemption on application requires you to be insured to an equivalent level for treatment in Switzerland, for the whole period the exemption is valid. The benchmark is basic health insurance: outpatient and inpatient treatment, medicines, maternity, accidents unless insured otherwise.

Check your policy for these points before you apply:

• Maximum amounts per case or per year, as found in travel insurance and many student policies. Basic health insurance has no such cap.
• Exclusions, for example for pre-existing illnesses or for maternity. Basic health insurance accepts you without reservations.
• Terms shorter than your stay, or policies that have to be renewed every year.
• Cover only in your home country or only for emergencies in Switzerland.

The cantonal office sets the detailed requirements. Ask there before taking out a new foreign policy.

What an exemption is worth: premiums compared

If you take out insurance in Switzerland, you pay a premium based on municipality, age, deductible and model. For comparison with a foreign policy: premiums 2026, municipality of Basel, young adults born in 2002, with accident cover; source FOPH:

The premium calculator shows the premiums for your municipality. The FOPH publishes next year’s premiums at the end of September.

The premium subsidy also belongs in the comparison: the cantons reduce the premiums of insured persons on modest incomes (Art. 65 para. 1 KVG), and for young adults in education with lower and middle incomes by at least 50 % (Art. 65 para. 1bis KVG). This also applies if you hold a permit of 3 months or more and meet the canton’s conditions (Art. 106 KVV). There is no such subsidy for a foreign policy. You can find the rules of your canton under Premium subsidy.

Sample calculation: a master’s degree in Basel

Example with fictitious people. Priya, 24, comes from India to Basel for a two-year master’s degree. She does not work and has a private international student insurance policy. She registers with the municipality on 01.09.2026; her deadline runs until 01.12.2026.

The figures show why many students look into exemption. They also show the risk: if you submit an inadequate policy, you are turned down and then have to sign up quickly.

If the application is refused or the exemption ends

If the authority refuses, you are required to take out insurance and sign up with an insurer of your choice. Every insurer must accept you for basic health insurance, without health questions. You can find the overview of all insurers with key figures under Health insurers.

The same applies when the exemption expires, for example after 3 or 6 years of studies, or when you no longer meet the conditions, for example because you start a job in Switzerland. If you do not take out insurance in time, the canton assigns you to an insurer (Art. 6 KVG). If the insurance starts late, it only applies from the day you join, and if the delay is inexcusable, a premium surcharge of 30 to 50 % is added (Art. 5 para. 2 KVG, Art. 8 KVV). What applies then is explained in the article Registered too late.

Common mistakes

• Submitting a travel insurance policy. It usually only covers emergencies or has maximum amounts. Cover at the level of basic health insurance is required.
• Treating exemption as a way to save money. Only the groups in Art. 2 KVV can be exempted. Being cheaper is not enough.
• Applying at the end of the deadline. If you are turned down, there is then no time left to sign up on time.
• Forgetting the extension. For students, the exemption ends after 3 years unless a new application has been made.
• Overlooking a side job. Students from the EU or EFTA who work in Switzerland must take out insurance here (FOPH).

All topics around moving to Switzerland are collected in the theme New in Switzerland. How the Swiss system works if you do take out insurance is explained in the article The Swiss health insurance system.