How to find an independent insurance advisor in Switzerland.
Swiss law regulates two kinds of insurance intermediary: tied agents, who work for one insurer, and independent intermediaries registered with FINMA under Article 45 VAG, who work across the market. Here is how to tell them apart — and check anyone, us included.
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In brief
For basic insurance alone, often not. Benefits are identical at every insurer by law (Art. 25 KVG), and you can compare premiums yourself. An independent advisor earns their keep where the decisions are hard to undo: supplementary cover and its age curve, a family's setup, and reading a contract before you sign.
- Check the register.
- Independent intermediaries must be on the FINMA register, with an F-number; tied agents have not been listed there since 2024. Ours is F01067278.
- Ask how they are paid.
- Independent intermediaries must disclose commission (Art. 45 VAG). The standard model is commission from the insurer when a contract is issued; the client pays nothing for advice. Here is how we are paid.
- Ask for it in writing, in English.
- A written summary after the review, not only a call.
- Expect “stay” as an answer.
- An advisor who only recommends switching is selling. We recommend staying in most reviews.
We are Robert Kolar (health, 20+ years in Swiss insurance) and Nicole Bohne (life and 3a, FINMA F01536402), founded by Benjamin Amos Wagner in 2017 — 3,500+ expat households advised, 4.8 from 60 Google reviews.
Health insurance help in Switzerland — who works for whom.
| Tied agent | Independent advisor (Art. 45 VAG) | Comparison portal / priminfo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works for | One insurer | You, across the market | Nobody in particular — a price list |
| Registered with FINMA | No (not listed since 2024) | Yes (independent) | Varies — check the register |
| Reads your contract | Their own only | Yes | No |
| Supplementary underwriting and age curve | Their products only | Across insurers | No |
| Cost to you | Free | Free first review; commission disclosed | Free |
Finding an advisor — step by step.
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Understand the regulated framework
Swiss insurance intermediation is regulated under Article 45 VAG (Versicherungsaufsichtsgesetz). Two registration categories: tied agents (gebundener Vermittler) work exclusively for one insurer; independent intermediaries (ungebundener Versicherungsvermittler) work across the market. Independent intermediaries must register with FINMA; tied agents typically register through their employer.
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Verify FINMA registration on the public register
finma.ch publishes the public register of all FINMA-supervised insurance intermediaries. Search by name, registration number, or company. Look for the registration number (typically F-prefix, e.g., F01067278), the registration status (active vs cancelled), and the registration category (independent vs tied). Without registration, the firm cannot legally intermediate Swiss insurance contracts.
Tip Expat Savvy registration: F01067278. The register page lists registered languages, supervised legal entity, and operational scope.
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Look for English-language operations
Most Swiss insurance intermediaries operate in German first; some in French. English-speaking independent advisors are rare — the registered population is small. Specifically search for advisors who: list English on their FINMA register entry, target the expat / international segment, and have published English-language content (website, blog, FAQ in English). The Swiss-German market is well-served; the English-speaking market is structurally underserved. Ask for the written summary in English — meetings in English with German paperwork fail at the contract-reading stage.
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Ask about commission disclosure
Under Art. 45 VAG, intermediaries must disclose how they're paid. Standard model: commission from the insurer when a contract is issued; the client pays nothing for advice. Some advisors charge fee-for-service in addition to or instead of commission — verify before booking. Honest disclosure includes: percentage range of commission per product type, when commission is earned (acceptance vs activation vs first premium received), and conflicts of interest.
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Verify operational scope and specialisation
Independent advisors typically cover health insurance (basic + supplementary), pension (3rd pillar, BVG), life insurance advice, household, liability, and accident — but specialisations vary. Confirm the advisor handles your specific case type: expat / international situations, cross-border, self-employed, executive packages, etc. Ask about Robert vs Nicole equivalent specialisations — the firm's specialist alignment matters more than the brand alone.
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Ask about the review process and written summary
Quality reviews include: written summary within a defined window (we deliver in 3 working days), contract reading service before any signing, objection-honesty (advisor recommends 'stay' when stay is right, not just 'switch' for commission), and independent verification of cantonal-region tariffs, IPV eligibility, and federal-law application. Without these markers, the review is a sales call.
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Decline if the answers don't satisfy
An honest advisor welcomes the verification questions. Pressure to sign quickly, vague disclosure, missing FINMA registration, no written summary process — all red flags. Restraint is the advisor difference: a good advisor recommends stay over switch when the math says so, recommends 'no, you don't need this supplementary' when no is right, and refers to specialised advisors (pension, cross-border tax) when the case warrants.
What a health insurance advisor catches that a portal can't.
Our own four traps are the other half: the age-curve trap on supplementary (a new customer pays CHF 112 a month for semi-private at SWICA at 38, CHF 254 at 53 and CHF 334 at 65 — 2026 list prices from our Hospital Insurance Cost Index; the later you join, the more you pay), the three-month deadline for new residents, coverage that pays versus coverage that fights, and matching cover to your life rather than to a sales target.
Trap 01
The tied-agent disguise
Some 'advisors' present as independent but are tied agents working for one insurer. Only independent intermediaries are in the FINMA register — verify before believing the marketing.
Trap 02
The commission silence
Advisors who don't proactively disclose commission structure, payment timing, and conflicts of interest violate Art. 45 VAG transparency. Demand the disclosure before booking.
Trap 03
The switch-bias
Commission-paid advisors who only recommend switches profit on every contract issued. Independent advisors should recommend 'stay' regularly — restraint is the marker of fiduciary advice.
Trap 04
The language mismatch
An advisor whose written work is German-only but who speaks English in meetings will eventually fail the contract-read test. Look for advisors with English-language written content as evidence of operational depth.
These four are specific to this topic. The four we check in every review — from the age-curve trap to the 3-month deadline — are in the four traps deep-dive.
A real-pattern case.
Anonymised pattern
An illustrative example: an expat household contacted three insurance firms after receiving annual premium-increase notices. Firm A recommended switching basic insurer for ~CHF 30/month saving (commission earned on the new contract). Firm B recommended switching all three supplementary contracts for a 'modernised' package (large commission earned). Firm C — our review — recommended staying on basic and all three supplementary. Why: the basic-insurance saving was below the threshold to justify administrative friction; the supplementary contracts were 7+ years old and switching would have triggered fresh Art. 4 VVG underwriting on conditions developed since signing. Firm C earned no commission from the review. Eight months later the household saved ~CHF 600 by avoiding the unnecessary supplementary switches that Firm B's recommendation would have created.
Aggregated from real client patterns. Names anonymised; figures illustrative.
Beyond this guide — the 45-minute review.
The 45-minute review with Robert applies the four-lever framework regardless of recommendation outcome — most reviews end with us recommending stay or restructure on the existing insurer, not switch. We earn no commission on stay recommendations. The review includes contract reading before any signing, written summary within 3 working days, and FINMA registration F01067278 verification. The honest answer is the deliverable, not the contract.
Robert Kolar
Insurance advisor — health insurance specialist
20+ years in Swiss insurance. Reads the basic and supplementary contract for every review. The 45-minute review covers the four-lever framework applied to your address, age, household and existing coverage. German, English, Czech.
Common mistakes.
Confusing tied agent with independent
FINMA register distinguishes the categories. Verify before booking.
Skipping commission disclosure
Art. 45 VAG requires disclosure. Demand it.
Believing every recommendation is a switch
Independent advisors should recommend 'stay' regularly. Switch-only advice is a marker.
Operating language mismatch
English in meetings + German-only written work = eventual contract-read failure.
Missing the written-summary process
Quality reviews include written summaries. Without one, the review is a sales call.
Frequently asked — find an independent insurance advisor.
What is an independent insurance advisor in Switzerland?
How do I verify a Swiss insurance advisor is legitimate?
Are insurance advisors free in Switzerland?
What's the difference between a broker and an insurance advisor?
Can I find English-speaking insurance advisors in Switzerland?
Should I use my employer's recommended insurance advisor?
How much commission does a Swiss insurance advisor earn?
What questions should I ask before booking a review?
Is it worth using an insurance broker for Swiss health insurance?
Which insurance broker is recommended for expats in Switzerland?
Is a health insurance broker free in Switzerland?
Do I need an insurance broker in Switzerland?
Is there an English-speaking insurance broker in Zürich?
How do I find a FINMA-registered insurance advisor?
Finding an advisor, read properly.
Expat Savvy: FINMA-registered F01067278, independent under Article 45 VAG, English-speaking team. The 45-minute review applies the four-lever framework regardless of recommendation outcome — we recommend stay over switch in most cases. Free, 45 minutes, in English, with Robert. Restraint is the advisor difference.
Book your first Swiss insurance review