Are you planning on leaving Switzerland and moving to another country? 

If you are leaving Switzerland and moving to another country, there are a number of important things that you should know about your health insurance, deregistering from living in Switzerland and your eligibility for international health insurance cover.  

To help you on your journey out of Switzerland, we have created a guide to health insurance for people leaving Switzerland and moving to another country.

1. Leaving Switzerland
1.1 Short-Term: travelling between countries
1.2 Long-Term: expatriate, relocating or returning to home country

2. Deregistering from Switzerland & Health Insurance
2.1 Deregistering & Keeping Swiss Health Insurance
2.2 Deregistering & Terminating Swiss Health Insurance

3. Supplementary Swiss Health Insurance
3.1 What happens to my supplementary Swiss health insurance?
3.2 Suspending your supplementary health insurance

4. International Health Insurance
4.1 What is International Health Insurance?
4.2 What does international health insurance cover?

5. Application Process: from Swiss to International

6. Free-Vesting: exclusive benefit for people with supplementary health insurance (VVG)
6.1 What is required?

1. Leaving Switzerland

1.1 Short term: travelling between countries

If you are travelling between countries and don’t plan on staying in a country for more than 120 consecutive days, then you can maintain your basic Swiss health insurance (KVG). This will provide cover for health/medical emergencies. However, for short-term travel, it is recommended that you invest in a quality travel insurance with sufficient cover for medical emergencies and accidents.
See here for travel insurance >> 

1.2 Long term: expatriate, relocating or returning to home country

If you stay in another country for more than 120 consecutive days, you will no longer be eligible to receive coverage from your basic Swiss health insurance. 

If you are relocating permanently or semi-permanently, you are required to deregister from living in Switzerland and notify your Swiss health insurance provider. 

More information about deregistration and health insurance can be found in section 2. If you are relocated by your employer in Switzerland, with a Swiss employment contract, you will be eligible to maintain your basic Swiss health insurance for up to 6 years.

2. Deregistering from Switzerland & Health Insurance

If you are planning on leaving Switzerland permanently or for an extended period of time, you are required to deregister from your kanton/municipality no earlier than 30 days before departure. You can deregister in person at the city hall or kanton/district office. It is not possible to deregister online. The confirmation of deregistration can then be presented to your Swiss health insurance provider. The insurance company will terminate your policy according to the defined departure date on the confirmation of deregistration. If you are a Swiss citizen, leaving Switzerland, and wish to keep your basic Swiss health insurance, please refer to section 2.1 for eligibility criteria.

2.1 Deregistering & Keeping Swiss Health Insurance

If you are not a Swiss citizen, you are not eligible to maintain your basic Swiss health insurance when departing Switzerland. 

If you have a supplementary Swiss health insurance (VVG), you can refer to section 6 for more information about easily transferring to an international health insurance without an additional health-check. 

For Swiss citizens: Approximately one-third of Swiss health insurance providers are capable of offering basic health insurance to Swiss citizens living abroad, even after deregistration. Premiums for these policies differ from the basic policies in Switzerland and there are specific conditions that apply, relating to geography and employment/visa status. Swiss health insurers can only provide cover for select EU & EFTA countries.

For more information regarding any conditions relating to basic Swiss health insurance, please contact your Swiss health insurance provider. ASN is an international broker and service provider for international insurance solutions.


2.2 Deregistering & Terminating Swiss Health Insurance

Whether you are or are not a Swiss citizen, and you wish to terminate your basic Swiss health insurance, this will be possible after deregistering from living in Switzerland. As previously mentioned, you can deregister from your kanton/municipality no earlier than 30 days before departure. 

You can deregister in person at the city hall or kanton/district office. Please note that it is not possible to deregister online. You will then need to present the confirmation of deregistration to your Swiss health insurance provider. The insurance company will terminate your policy according to the defined departure date on the confirmation of deregistration. 

Before leaving Switzerland, it is advised that you secure a new health insurance to avoid any time period without cover. For more information about health insurance that is recognised worldwide, please see the information about international health insurance under section 4.

| Leaving Switzerland? Get a free quote for international health insurance here >>

3. Supplementary Swiss Health Insurance 

3.1 What happens to my supplementary Swiss health insurance?

Once you deregister from living in Switzerland, you will be able to keep your supplementary Swiss health insurance for no longer than 12 months. Once the contract ends, you will not be eligible to reapply for supplementary Swiss health insurance. 

For more information about transferring from a supplementary Swiss health insurance to an international health insurance, please refer to section 6.

3.2 Suspending your supplementary health insurance

With most Swiss health insurance providers, you have the option of suspending your supplementary Swiss health insurance from up to 2 - 6 years. 

If you plan on returning to Switzerland, you can contact your health insurance provider and ask them to suspend your policy. If you suspend your policy, you are still required to pay a percentage of your premium. This percentage is defined by the insurance provider, and you have the ability to define the payment terms, e.g. monthly, quarterly, etc. 

Once you return to Switzerland, your supplementary health insurance can resume under the original terms and conditions of the policy agreement, as they were before your departure.

If you are concerned about not being eligible for supplementary Swiss health insurance when you return, due to age or health conditions, it is recommended that you suspend your existing policy and transfer to an international health insurance while abroad. This will allow you to maintain optimal cover before and after returning to Switzerland. For more information about transferring to an international health insurance read section 6.

4. International Health Insurance

4.1 What is International Health Insurance?

International health insurance, sometimes referred to as expat health insurance, is private medical insurance recognised on a global scale. This means you are always covered, whether you are in your country of residence or travelling to multiple countries. International health insurance offers you the most comprehensive level of cover if you intend to move to another country.

With international health insurance, you benefit from private status and gain access to the best private medical facilities and specialists. You have the capacity to add or remove benefits, according to your personal needs. Such benefits include dental, optical, maternity, physiotherapy, alternative medicine, etc.

You also receive a higher quality of service and global support, with access to multilingual helplines and 24/7 customer care.

If you are leaving Switzerland permanently or for an extended period of time, international health insurance is the ideal solution for you.

| Get a free quote for international health insurance here >>

4.2 What does international health insurance cover?

Even with the most basic level of international health insurance, you benefit from the following:

• Globally recognised cover
• Private status
• Free choice of doctors, hospitals & clinics
• Free second opinion or consultation with a doctor or specialist
• Access to a global network of world-class medical providers
• Lifetime renewability
• 24/7 Multilingual helplines & customer support
• Worldwide security

Depending on the insurance provider, you have the ability to select between a variety of packages with varying levels of cover. Benefits in comfort to premium level packages include:

• In-patient & out-patient treatment and surgery: including treatment of chronic illness & medication
• Routine & annual check-ups with your preferred doctor or specialist: including oncologist, podiatrist, cardiologist, gynaecologist, urologist, etc.
• Maternity: pregnancy and birth
• Repatriation and evacuation
• Rehabilitation
• Physiotherapy
• Alternative medicine
• Optical
• Dental
  
  

| Leaving Switzerland? ASN is dedicated to providing thousands of people around the world with international insurance solutions. You can request your free quote for international health insurance here >>

5. Application Process: from Swiss to International

Anyone can apply for international health insurance. In comparison to basic Swiss health insurance providers, private and international health insurance providers are not obligated to grant cover to an applicant. They also have the right to apply surcharges and loadings if you suffer from pre-existing conditions, exclude certain services or reject the application completely. This may occur for elderly applicants with age-related conditions. For those with supplementary Swiss health insurance, the capacity to transfer from a Swiss health insurance to international health insurance is much easier and does not require an additional health-check during the application process. Please see section 6 on Free-Vesting.

6. Free-Vesting: an exclusive benefit for people with supplementary health insurance (VVG)

If you have supplementary Swiss health insurance, you have the ability to transfer to international health insurance without an additional health-check during the application process. Regardless of pre-existing conditions, applicants with supplementary health insurance are guaranteed cover.* This is a special benefit known as Free-Vesting, and it is exclusive to ASN, as the result of special agreements that ASN established between select international health insurance providers and Swiss insurance companies. 

*Conditions may apply and consultation with an ASN insurance specialist is required. 

Please use this contact form to find out if you are eligible for Free-Vesting >>
 

6.1 What is required?

In order to benefit from Free-Vesting, you must have an existing outpatient or inpatient supplementary health insurance (VVG) with a select Swiss health insurance. This enables you to easily transfer to an international health insurance plan. Existing illnesses are covered by international health insurance under the same conditions.

You must submit a quote request to ASN here >>

Please indicate in the form if you have supplementary insurance and which Swiss health insurance provider you are currently with.

Do you need help finding the right international health insurance? You can contact us anytime. Our insurance experts are happy to advise you and help find the right solution that will suit your needs. Contact us today >>