Switch Health Insurer and Terminate: Deadlines and Procedure

1. By when can I switch insurer in Switzerland?

For basic insurance, the deadline 30 November applies, for supplementary insurance usually 30 September. Both switches run in parallel but require separate applications and follow the rules of the Swiss health insurance system.

Switch insurer: Deadline for basic insurance

You can switch basic insurance annually to 1 January. Decisive is the receipt of your termination at the insurer by 30 November, not the postmark. If 30 November falls on a weekend, your termination must arrive on the last working day before. Send the termination by mid-November at the latest by registered mail for secure receipt.

¹ Only standard model with minimum deductible CHF 300. Termination by 31 March, switch from 1 July.

Acceptance guarantee: Every insurer must accept new insured persons regardless of health status. The acceptance obligation is anchored in KVG and also applies during ongoing treatment.

Special termination right: With a premium increase, you may terminate within 30 days of notification (Art. 7 Para. 2 KVG). This deadline overrides the regular notice dates. A move, canton change or change to a different premium region, however, does not constitute a special termination right; the ordinary deadlines apply.

Prerequisite: Before switching, all open invoices and debt collections at the previous insurer must be settled. Only then is the switch released. Check your balance early. Even without switching, deductible and model can be adjusted at the existing provider as of 1 January.

Place of residence, premium region, age bracket, model and cost participation determine the difference between insurers. For an average person, the range between the cheapest and most expensive variant quickly amounts to several hundred francs per month. When switching to 1 January, you choose model and deductible newly at the same time.

When can I switch supplementary insurance?

For supplementary insurance, different rules apply than for basic insurance. The termination date results from the AVB of your product and lies for most providers on 30 September with effect from 1 January. There is no acceptance obligation. A new insurer may reject your application due to pre-existing conditions, age or ongoing treatment, or set policy restrictions.

Minimum term: Many supplementary insurance products have a contractual minimum term. Under VVG, termination is possible at the latest after the third contract year in any case.

With splitting, you can keep the supplementary insurance with the old insurer, even if basic insurance switches. A switch of basic insurance does not automatically terminate the supplementary insurance.

The premium differences between providers for hospital semi-private and dental supplementary quickly move in the three-digit francs range per year. Before signing, a look at benefits, waiting periods and co-payments of individual providers pays off.

2. Terminate insurer in Switzerland: How do I meet the notice period?

Decisive is the date on which the insurer receives your termination. The postmark is not decisive. Do not wait until the last working day before the deadline expires; otherwise you risk that your termination is invalid.

Written form: The KVG requires a signed termination text. A signed form by post, registered mail or as a scanned attachment by email fulfils this requirement. A pure phone termination is invalid.

Registered mail: Not legally prescribed, but the safest proof of delivery. Normal postal dispatch is not sufficient in case of dispute. For email termination, request written confirmation from the insurer.

Multiple insured persons: With a joint termination letter, every person over 18 years must sign individually. Even a joint letter requires all signatures.

Legally secure termination templates for download are available for you.

More about insurer termination

Download insurer termination template

Compando provides legally secure termination templates for download. The templates cover standard and special cases.

3. How does the termination of the insurer in Switzerland proceed?

When switching insurer, the procedure differs slightly between basic and supplementary insurance. Compando gives the instructions in a few steps.

Instructions for switching basic insurance

1. Compare different insurers, premiums, models and deductibles early.
2. Order one or more offers without obligation.
3. Choose the suitable offer and take out a new basic insurance.
4. Terminate your existing basic insurance on time by registered mail. The new basic insurance takes effect from 1 January.

Timing:

Switch supplementary insurance: how to proceed

1. Check notice period: With most providers, the deadline is 30 September. The minimum term ends at the latest after three contract years.
2. Compare different supplementary insurance and products within one insurer. Benefits and premiums differ partly significantly.
3. Order one or more offers without obligation.
4. Submit the insurance application and fill out the health questionnaire.
5. Only after receiving the unrestricted acceptance confirmation terminate the old supplementary insurance. Otherwise a coverage gap threatens for complementary medicine, glasses, fitness subscriptions or psychotherapy. Send the termination by registered mail.

Before 30 September, a close look at the conditions pays off. The tariffs for hospital semi-private or dental supplementary differ between Swiss providers often by several hundred francs per year with identical coverage.

4. When is switching insurer worthwhile in Switzerland?

Whether a switch is worthwhile for you depends on four factors: insurer, deductible, model choice and splitting. If you use all four levers together, you save up to CHF 4'200 per year.

Four factors, four savings potentials

For the deductible, only the extreme values are worthwhile: CHF 300 with higher healthcare costs, CHF 2'500 with predictably low healthcare costs. Deductibles between the two extremes save less premium than the additional risk costs.

When the switch is worthwhile and when not

Only the combination of insurer switch, model switch and suitable deductible adjustment brings the full savings potential of up to CHF 4'200 per year in saving on health insurance premiums. For a switch to 1 January, the termination of the previous insurer must be received by 30 November.

This article was first published on 15/01/2026