2027 review season. Two different deadlines: most supplementary contracts must be cancelled by 30 September, basic insurance by 30 November. We read both — and only move what should move. Supplementary by 30 Sep · basic by 30 Nov.
New residents usually have three months — and enrolled on time, cover and premiums run from your arrival day, so waiting saves nothing. The real work is the sequence: accident cover, franchise, model, and whether supplementary is applied for now or left alone.
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Your details
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Direct answer
Deadline
Swiss basic health insurance is mandatory for residents. The federal rule is three months after taking up residence. In practice, bring your registration paperwork and we verify the exact canton timeline.
Enrolled on time, coverage — and premiums — run from your arrival day. Waiting saves nothing.
First move
Basic insurance gets you compliant. After that, the real choices are franchise, model, accident coverage, family setup, and whether supplementary makes sense.
Supplementary
Supplementary insurance is medically underwritten. Future health events can affect acceptance, so we check early whether it is worth applying now or skipping — and every health question gets answered fully, including treatment abroad.
Where are you in the move?
Most insurers accept applications before you arrive — the policy simply starts on the day you take up residence. Gather the six facts below, run the comparison, and land with the decision already made. Only the cantonal registration itself waits for arrival.
Cantonal registration in your first 14 days, then the three-month sequence. You have time — and because cover and premiums run from arrival anyway, there is no rush-bonus and no waiting-bonus. Use the time to get the five choices right.
The deadline is real but not close enough for panic. Check the timeline, settle franchise and model, and enrol — acceptance is mandatory, so the only risk left is choosing a setup that doesn't fit. That's what the review checks.
If the delay has no valid excuse, cover begins only when you enrol — the gap is uninsured — and a surcharge applies (Art. 5 KVG). Don't wait for the canton to act. What actually happens, and the way back.
Some categories can stay outside KVG — but only with a cantonal exemption decision, applied for within the same three months. Don't assume; verify your case before paying double or missing the window.
01 · What to bring
The first consultation should not start with product names. It should start with the facts that decide the legal deadline, the premium architecture, and whether optional cover is still worth applying for.
| Fact | Why it matters | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Registration date | Confirms the 3-month deadline we need to work against | Bring Gemeinde/canton registration confirmation |
| Accident coverage | Employees over 8 hours/week are usually covered by employer accident insurance | Bring employment contract or HR confirmation |
| Family members | Every resident needs their own basic policy; children are separate | Bring spouse/child arrival and registration dates |
| Franchise and model | Controls premium and access path to doctors | Tell us your expected doctor usage and GP needs |
| Supplementary timing | Optional, underwritten, and harder after health events | Bring any existing medical context honestly |
| International cover | Some people need exemption or IPMI review instead of domestic setup | Bring current policy if you may be exempt |
This is the setup table we use before comparing insurer names.
02 · The first three months
Two kinds of dates live in a newcomer's first months, and they deserve different weight: the deadlines federal and cantonal law set, and the planning rhythm we recommend from a decade of arrivals. Each step below says which it is.
First 14 days Required · cantonal law
Keep the Gemeinde or canton paperwork. We use it to verify the federal three-month insurance deadline against the canton.
Weeks 1–4 Recommended by us
We sequence insurer, franchise, model, accident cover, and supplementary timing — early, while every option is still open. This is our planning advice, not a legal stage.
Weeks 2–4 Recommended by us
Supplementary is underwritten (Art. 4 VVG) — future diagnoses or treatment can affect acceptance, so applying early protects the option. Answer every health question fully, including treatment abroad. There is no official deadline; this timing is our experience.
Within three months Required · Art. 3 KVG
Acceptance is mandatory under Art. 4 KVG. Enrolled on time, cover and premiums run retroactively from your arrival day — then we check card, AHV, payment setup, and the Hausarzt network before the deadline closes.
If missed The law · Art. 5 & 6 KVG
An unexcused late enrolment means cover begins only when you enrol — treatment in the gap is yours to pay — plus a premium surcharge for a limited period (Art. 5 KVG). The canton can also assign you to an insurer (Art. 6 KVG). Don't wait for that letter.
03 · Two contracts
Two contracts, two laws, two different rules. Most newcomers conflate them. Federal-law clarity first; the choice architecture follows.
Basic — KVG
Required for every Swiss resident under Art. 3 KVG. Catalogue of covered medical care identical at every insurer (Art. 25 KVG). 50+ Swiss basic insurers; you choose freely (Art. 41 KVG). Children pay a reduced premium; family Franchise cap available under Art. 64 §4 KVG.
Supplementary — VVG
Hospital supplementary (semi-private, private, worldwide). Outpatient supplementary (complementary medicine, prevention, dental). Travel and emergency abroad. All underwritten individually (Art. 4 VVG) — reviewed early, decided honestly.
Mandatory is mandatory; optional is genuinely optional. We say "don't take the supplementary you don't need" more often than the market suggests we should.
04 · The setup
Your canton and address, your age, your household, and your employment are facts — they define the tariff grid you shop in (Art. 61 KVG; premium regions within cantons; cantonal IPV subsidies). Everything else is a choice, and every choice interacts with the others. We sequence them in the first review.
Choice 01
Federal benefits identical (Art. 25 KVG). Choice runs on premium, model availability per canton, claim-handling reputation, and supplementary product range. Most newcomers default to the largest insurer in their canton; the largest is rarely the cheapest.
Choice 02
Six legal adult tiers under Art. 64 KVG: 300, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,500. Children: 0–600. The right tier depends on actual care usage and the household's risk appetite. We routinely see newcomers default to 300 — often the most expensive path for a healthy adult, though never a universal rule.
Choice 03
Standardmodell, Hausarzt, HMO, Telmed, Pharmed. Model discounts move premiums materially within the same insurer — names and rules differ per insurer. English-language model availability varies by canton; Hausarzt means committing to a network GP, so verify availability before signing.
Choice 04
Employed 8+ hours a week with one employer? Your employer already insures you against accidents (UVG), and accident cover can be suspended from your basic policy on proof of employment — the median Zürich saving is CHF 421/year (2026 tariffs, our index). Not employed, self-employed, or under 8 hours? Keep it in. Newcomers routinely pay twice without knowing.
Choice 05
The one genuinely optional layer, and the one with underwriting. Reviewed early, decided honestly — sometimes the answer is no supplementary at all. The full logic sits one section down.
05 · The optional layer
Supplementary cover is a separate, voluntary contract with a health questionnaire (Art. 4 VVG). Two things are true at once: applying early can protect the option — because a diagnosis next year can close doors that are open today — and every question must be answered fully and accurately, including treatment abroad. Both halves matter. We help with both.
Apply early. Answer everything.
The early timing is our advice from a decade of arrivals, not a legal deadline. The full answers are the law.01
Hospitalisations, surgeries, medication, mental-health treatment, chronic conditions — explicitly including treatment in Switzerland and abroad. Incomplete or inaccurate answers can void the contract later (Art. 6 VVG), usually exactly when you need it.
02
Underwriting assesses your health as it stands on application day. A diagnosis, treatment, or pregnancy that arrives later can mean exclusions, surcharges, or refusal — for cover you could have had cleanly before. Timing protects options; it never replaces disclosure.
03
Decide the supplementary question in your first weeks — decide, not necessarily buy. Detailed mechanics in our pre-existing-conditions reference.
04
We assess your situation honestly and tell you before you apply. Where standard terms aren't realistic, we propose alternatives: an insurer whose underwriting treats your condition more favourably, an adjusted product tier, or international (IPMI) routes. And where supplementary simply isn't worth it, the Private Client Report says so in writing.
06 · The review & your report
For newcomers, the useful review is not a product list. It is the deadline, accident cover, franchise, model, and the supplementary question — in the right order, and then in writing.
Your registration paperwork against the canton — the exact date your three months end, and what's already covered retroactively.
Accident cover in or out, every family member's own policy, and whether an exemption case applies before anything else is decided.
Insurer, franchise, model, accident cover, supplementary — run against your household, your doctors, and your plans, not a price list.
Within 3 working days, everything in writing: what to set up, what to skip, the reasoning, and the next administrative step. Robert runs the health setup; Nicole joins if pension, 3rd pillar, or cross-border tax appears.
07 · Worked example
A family of four — both adults employed in Zürich, kids ages 7 and 11 — arrived from London in late January. Day 5 in Switzerland, before any medical events, they came to us. The first review covered five decisions in 45 minutes.
Registered by day 30.
By day 60, paediatrician and GP routes were mapped. The 3-month deadline was met with margin to spare.Aggregated from real client patterns, spring 2026 — no individual client identified. Zürich Region 2 tariffs; savings depend on household and usage, never guaranteed.
08 · Special cases
Four scenarios where the standard newcomer sequence needs adjustment. We handle each with a different first move.
Some executive packages include international medical insurance (IPMI) that meets Swiss equivalence requirements for KVG exemption under Art. 2 KVV. The exemption is not automatic — it requires application to the cantonal authority within 3 months of registration with documentary proof. For these cases we work with sip.ch, who specialise in international / IPMI insurance for executives. Misjudge the exemption and the household pays Swiss basic premiums alongside an international plan they don't need. Detailed walk-through in our IPMI vs Swiss supplementary piece.
Workers commuting daily from neighbouring countries (Germany, France, Italy, Austria) into Switzerland have specific cross-border insurance options under EU/EFTA agreements. The choice between Swiss KVG, home-country compulsory cover, or a private cross-border plan depends on family situation, income, and which side of the border medical care will primarily occur. We work with cross-border specialists on these cases.
Students with home-country health insurance meeting Swiss equivalence requirements may apply for KVG exemption (typically renewable each academic year). University-arranged international student insurance often qualifies. Verify equivalence with the cantonal authority before assuming exemption.
Two consequences, and the first is the expensive one: if the delay has no valid excuse, coverage begins only when you actually enrol — treatment in the uncovered gap is yours to pay — and a premium surcharge applies for a limited period (Art. 5 KVG). Separately, the canton monitors compliance and can assign you to an insurer if you don't act (Art. 6 KVG). The first move is always the same: enrol immediately, then plan a switch to the right setup at the next 30 November cancellation (Art. 7 KVG). Detailed mechanics in our cancellation-deadline reference.
09 · Portals vs setup
Comparis.ch and similar comparison portals are useful for premium comparison once you have decided your canton, age band, and Franchise tier. They are not a substitute for setting up your insurance for the first time. The structural difference: comparison portals do not read your contract, do not consult you on your expectations and needs, do not judge which supplementary setup makes sense for you, and do not run the lever calculations against your specific situation.
We use priminfo.ch — the federal premium portal — ourselves for cross-canton premium lookup. We use Comparis when a reader asks us to. Neither is a replacement for the first setup. The longer answer to what an independent Swiss insurance advisor is sits at our positioning piece.
10 · From our 2026 index
Every officially approved Zürich premium, 2016–2026. "Signing once and never reviewing" cost the decade's arrival cohorts between CHF 0 and CHF 1'766 a year — a lottery decided by which insurer happened to win your arrival year. The yearly review removes the lottery.
Slide to your arrival year — the full interactive index: regions, insurers, inflation
What clients say.
4.8 from 57 reviews on GoogleWhat I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.
Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.
After returning to Switzerland from abroad, Robert was a tremendous help consulting me about all the changes.
My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.
Highly recommend consulting Expat Savvy before making any online insurance comparisons.
Working with Ben was great. Very prompt and responsive. Would highly recommend to anyone.
Beide arbeiten Hand in Hand und haben die individuellen Anforderungen unserer Kunden immer im Blick.
She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.
After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.
I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.
Your first three months decide the insurance architecture you may live with for years. We read the setup, check the deadline, and send your Private Client Report — a written, in-depth analysis — within 3 working days of the review (read the actual sample).
Book your first Swiss insurance review