Insurance for Expats in Switzerland: What You Need Upon Arrival
Health insurance: mandatory from day one
The most important deadline for new arrivals: you have three months to sign up with a Swiss health insurer – but coverage applies retroactively from your first day. Miss the deadline and the municipality assigns an insurer to you, usually not the cheapest. Comparing pays off: premiums for the same basic insurance differ massively between providers.
Nearly mandatory: personal liability and household
Not legally required but practically indispensable: most landlords demand personal liability insurance before signing, and it covers damage you cause to others – from just a few francs per month. Household insurance protects your belongings against theft, fire and water.
- Health insurance: mandatory, deadline 3 months from arrival
- Personal liability: usually required by landlords
- Household: protection for your belongings in the rental
- Accident: covered via employer or health insurance
What expats often overlook
Three classic traps: the existing foreign insurance lapses before Swiss coverage is in place. The health insurance premium is not budgeted (CHF 300 to 500 per person per month is realistic). And for families: every family member needs their own health insurance – including newborns, within three months.
We set up your insurances too
As part of our relocation support we organise health insurance, liability and household at the same time: comparisons, registrations, deadlines – you only sign. Free initial consultation, reply within 24 hours.