Health insurance: Diplomats and international organisation staff

Staff members of permanent missions and international organisations, and their family members, are not obliged to obtain health insurance.  

Family members working in Switzerland

Non-working family members of persons enjoying privileges under international law in Switzerland are not required to take out compulsory health insurance. They can be covered by the international organisation’s insurance scheme together with the principal beneficiary. Since 1 January 2016, persons who exchange their legitimation card for a Ci permit, in order to exercise a remunerated activity, have no longer been required to obtain compulsory health insurance. However, this rule does not apply to nationals of an EU/EFTA country or the United Kingdom (UK) who have remained in their home country’s social security system and who are excluded from it on account of their remunerated activity in Switzerland. The rule concerns in particular family members of third country nationals.

Change taking effect on 1 January 2018 (amendment of Art. 6 KVV)

Holders of a residence, permanent residence or cross-border commuter permit, or of a legitimation card H, and Swiss nationals can be exempted from compulsory health insurance if they are covered by an international organisation’s insurance scheme together with the principal beneficiary (see the list below) and have equivalent insurance cover for treatments in Switzerland. This also applies if these persons are covered together with a principal beneficiary who no longer works for an international organisation but is still covered by the organisation’s health insurance scheme.

The application for exemption must be submitted within three months after the grounds for exemption arise, i.e. after enrolment in the international organisation’s insurance scheme.

Further information

For detailed information on the situation of staff members of permanent missions (PM) and international organisations (IO) with regard to the Health Insurance Act (KVG), please consult the website of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) (see link below).

Further information

Health insurance: Diplomats and international public servants abroad

Diplomats and international public servants living abroad remain subject to Swiss compulsory health insurance.

Last modification 05.07.2023

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Contact

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
Health and Accident Insurance Directorate
Governance Supervision Section
Schwarzenburgstrasse 157
3003 Bern
Switzerland
Tel. +41 58 462 21 11
E-mail

Print contact

https://www.bag.admin.ch/content/bag/en/home/versicherungen/krankenversicherung/krankenversicherung-versicherte-mit-wohnsitz-in-der-schweiz/versicherungspflicht/internationale-diplomateninnen-beamtinnen.html