In principle, persons leaving Switzerland to live abroad are no longer subject to the compulsory health insurance requirement. People in certain categories must however maintain their Swiss health cover, while others have the option of doing so by means of a private contract.
Leaving Switzerland to live abroad
When a person takes up domicile abroad, their obligation to maintain Swiss compulsory health insurance ends when they leave Switzerland. Exceptions apply for certain groups of people (pensioners, cross-border commuters, posted workers, etc.) by virtue of the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU, the EFTA Convention and other international social-security agreements.
Voluntary health insurance
When a person previously covered under a compulsory healthcare policy leaves Switzerland to live in a non-EU/EFTA country, his or her insurers can continue to provide cover under a private contract governed by Swiss insurance law. In practice, only a few insurers offer this option to their policyholders.
EU member states
Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Croatia*, Latvia, Lituania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus.
* The AFMP has been extended to Croatia on 1 January 2017. The Regulations (CE) No 883/2004 and 987/2009 are therefore applicable to the relations between Switzerland and Croatia.
Members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland
Last modification 13.08.2018
Contact
Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Health and Accident Insurance Directorate
Section Legal Supervision of Health Insurance
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003
Berne
Switzerland
Tel.
+41 58 462 21 11