New in Switzerland? The 3-month health insurance deadline.

The full transcript.

0:00 The date that starts at registration

New in Switzerland? How long do you have to take out health insurance, and what if you miss the deadline? The short answer: three months from registering with your commune. Enrol in time, and cover starts on your registration date. The clock does not start when you arrive. It starts when you register with your commune, in your first 14 days. A baby born here needs its own policy, within three months of the birth. Say you register today, and you enrol two months from now. Your cover still starts today, so there is no gap. Your premiums start today too. So waiting saves nothing, and rushing earns nothing. Use the time to get your choices right.

0:50 What happens if you miss it

Now the trap. Miss the three months without a valid excuse, and cover starts only on the day you enrol. Treatment in the gap is yours to pay, and a premium surcharge applies for a limited period. Never act, and the canton can assign you an insurer. If you are late, don't wait for that letter: enrol today.

1:13 Every basic insurer must accept you

Enrolling is the easy part. Every basic insurer must accept you, whatever your nationality or health, and the benefits are identical everywhere. Insurers typically confirm within days, and most will take your application before you even arrive.

1:31 What to do in your first weeks

So, what to do in your first weeks. Register with your commune, and keep the paperwork. Pick your model, deductible and accident cover; if you work 8 hours a week or more for one employer, your employer already insures accidents. Compare premiums for your postcode. Then apply, well inside the three months.

1:56 Basic now, supplementary with care

Supplementary insurance is different. It is optional, and the insurer asks about your health, so it can exclude a condition or decline you. Our advice: decide it in your first weeks, while every option is open. That is advice, not a legal deadline. Answer every question fully, including treatment abroad. And sometimes the honest answer is to skip it.

2:23 Your first Swiss insurance review

If you'd like someone to read your own contracts with you, book your first Swiss insurance review. It's free, 45 minutes, in English, with Robert or Nicole. The link is in the description.