Offers for newcomers to Switzerland
As the leading health insurance provider in Switzerland, we offer newcomers to Switzerland maximum cover at attractive conditions. We can show you how the insurance system in Switzerland works and which insurance package best suits your needs.
Health insurance is compulsory for all persons residing in Switzerland. That means you need to take out a basic insurance policy no later than three months after entering Switzerland. The benefits provided by compulsory basic insurance are defined in the Swiss Federal Health Insurance Act (KVG) and are therefore identical regardless of which health insurance company provides them.
The per-capita premium principle applies in Switzerland: everyone must pay premiums for health insurance. The premiums are independent of the individual’s income but vary according to age, gender, place of residence and health insurer.
Voluntary supplementary insurance allows you to insure benefits that cover additional needs that are not or are only partially paid for by compulsory basic insurance. This includes a greater level of comfort during hospital stays and contributions towards your gym membership.
Our products for immigrants
We offer standard basic insurance as well as various special types of insurance with more affordable premiums. In the standard option, the deductible is CHF 300 for adults and CHF 0 for children. To save on premiums, opt for a higher deductible or restrict your choice of service provider. We offer three such alternative insurance models.
COMPLETA outpatient supplementary health insurance allows you to close any major gaps in coverage under your basic insurance. It provides contributions towards complementary medicine, gym memberships, spectacle lenses, contact lenses, treatments abroad and much more.
HOSPITAL ECO pays out up to CHF 500 a day for up to 60 days in a calendar year for a planned hospital stay abroad.
Emergency hospital stays in EU/EFTA countries are covered by the basic insurance. However, it will only provide the benefits specified by law in the respective country. You must pay any additional costs yourself. One more reason to purchase HOSPITAL ECO. CHF 500 per day spent in hospital is normally enough to pay for a single-bed room and, possibly, private medical benefits.
If you require emergency treatment in a non-EU/EFTA country, your basic insurance will cover up to twice the cost of the same treatment in Switzerland. In certain countries (e.g. the USA, Canada or Japan), this is far less than what you will be expected to pay, so having supplementary hospital insurance is a good idea.
Statutory health insurance in Switzerland only reimburses you for the cost of repairing your teeth if they were damaged in an accident. We do not cover any other dental procedures. But DENTAplus dental insurance assumes some of the costs for tooth damage resulting from illness, for preventive check-ups, dental hygiene as well as the correction of misaligned teeth.
Good to know: DENTAplus covers you no matter where you are in the world, even in your home country, so you can continue using your local dentist.
Helsana Advocare PLUS also provides personal and motorists' legal protection. You will receive legal counsel and representation for legal problems. You receive up to CHF 300,000 per case for legal expenses.
Put together your personal insurance package now. Enter your gender, date of birth and your place of residence into our premium calculator and follow the instructions.
Special cases
Are you a cross-border commuter who has just moved your place of residence to Switzerland
If you already have health insurance in Switzerland because you commute, and you are now officially moving to Switzerland, then your cross-border commuter tariff will be adjusted for the basic insurance tariff applicable at your new Swiss place of residence. To do this, simply send your Swiss health insurer the residence certificate with your new address on it.
Are you moving to Switzerland but receive your salary solely from an EU/EFTA country?
If you move to Switzerland but still work in an EU/EFTA country, then, according to the "place of employment principle", you must be insured in the country where your employer is based. This also applies if you are self-employed. In this case, it is not possible for you to purchase health insurance in Switzerland.
Good to know
- If you choose a deductible for your basic insurance that is higher than the statutory minimum of CHF 300, you can save on premiums.
- Families receive attractive discounts from Helsana if all family members are insured under the same contract.
- If you are employed by the same employer for at least eight hours a week, you are insured against both occupational and non-occupational accidents. You can therefore exclude accident cover under compulsory basic insurance, reducing your basic insurance premium by 7%.
- To take out supplementary insurance, you must complete a health declaration. This enables the health insurers to estimate your insurance risk and to decide on whether an application should be accepted or rejected or whether pre-existing conditions are to be excluded from the insurance coverage. Important: If you wish to take out a new supplementary policy, cancel the contract with your current insurer only once you have been accepted by your new insurer.
- If you wish to change insurance companies, make sure to plan enough time ahead. The acceptance process may take a while. Make sure to meet cancellation deadlines.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. In Switzerland, as in most European countries, health insurance is compulsory. Article 3 of the Swiss Federal Health Insurance Act stipulates that healthcare insurance is compulsory for all persons resident in Switzerland. It provides basic needs in the event of illness, accidents and maternity.
Yes. After moving to Switzerland, you must register with the health insurer of your choice for compulsory basic insurance within three months. This registration period begins on the day you register with the residents registration office (issue date of your residence certificate or residents' permit).
After arriving in Switzerland, you have three months to register for basic insurance. However, your statutory insurance cover begins on the day you enter the country.
It makes no difference whether you apply for basic insurance on the first day you arrive or two months later: your insurance coverage will apply retroactively from your date of arrival. This means you will also have to pay the premium retroactively from the date you registered.
If you miss the three-month registration deadline, your insurance cover will no longer apply retroactively, but start when the policy is concluded. If there is no good reason for this delay, you will also be charged a premium surcharge.
No, for legal reasons, it is not possible to defer the start date of compulsory basic insurance.
Generally, your insurance cover in the country you were living in previously will expire as soon as you move to Switzerland and begin employment. However, this applies to legally prescribed insurance, not to private health insurance.
In Switzerland, the per-capita premium system applies. This means a health insurance premium will be charged for each person.
So if you settle in Switzerland with your family, you must register each family member for compulsory health insurance with the health insurance company of your choice.
If you take out DENTAplus supplementary dental insurance, you can continue to receive dental treatment in your homeland because the benefits provided under DENTAplus apply worldwide. This is subject to the conditions that the foreign dentist has training equivalent to dentists in Switzerland. The costs may not exceed the costs in Switzerland.
Once you take out compulsory basic insurance, you may only have operations performed in Switzerland. If you would like to have a specific operation performed abroad, you must take out supplementary hospital insurance. The HOSPITAL ECO supplementary hospital insurance policy, for example, provides you with up to CHF 500 for every day spent in hospital abroad (for up to 60 days per year). HOSPITAL Semi-Private or HOSPITAL Private supplementary hospital policies will pay even more.
If you require emergency treatment at a hospital or doctors during a temporary stay in an EU or EFTA country, make sure you show your European health insurance card there. Only this way will the costs incurred abroad be covered by your Swiss basic insurance.
If you require emergency treatment in a non-EU/EFTA country, your basic insurance will cover up to twice the cost of the same treatment in Switzerland. In certain countries (e.g. the USA, Canada or Japan), this cover will not be sufficient at all. For this reason, we recommend COMPLETA supplementary health insurance for travel outside of Europe. For longer stays abroad of up to twelve months, COMPLETA assumes the costs of all medically necessary treatments.
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