Confirmation of cancellation

What is a confirmation of cancellation?

The confirmation of cancellation is the letter from your current health insurer that states from when you are no longer covered by its basic health insurance. Many people expect it shortly after sending their notice. In basic health insurance, however, the process works differently: the old insurer may only release you from the insurance once it is certain that you are insured with a new insurer without interruption.

That is why, in practice, there are often two letters. First, some insurers only confirm that they have received your notice. The actual confirmation that you are leaving follows once the new insurer has sent its notification. Legally, it is this second letter that counts.

Different rules apply to supplementary insurance under the Insurance Contract Act (ICA). There, the insurer confirms the cancellation according to its general terms and conditions, regardless of any switch in basic health insurance.

How it works

Switching basic health insurance takes four steps:

1. Notice: You cancel with the old insurer in time. For a switch on 1 January, your notice must arrive by 30 November. The safest way is by registered mail.
2. Application: You apply to the new insurer. It must accept you for basic health insurance, without health questions.
3. Notification from the new insurer: The new insurer informs the old one that you are insured with it without interruption from the date of the switch. According to the FOPH, it must also inform you of this in writing.
4. Confirmation from the old insurer: Only now does the old insurer inform you from when you are no longer insured with it. This is the confirmation of cancellation within the meaning of the law.

If step 3 is missing, you remain insured with the old insurer and continue to pay premiums there. This protects you from a gap in cover. At the same time, you may end up paying twice if the new insurer is already sending you bills. For this case, the law provides for compensation.

A second reason for a missing confirmation is unpaid amounts. If debt enforcement proceedings have been brought against you for unpaid premiums or co-payments, you can only switch insurer once everything has been paid. For the switch for 2026, the FOPH set out the rule: premiums, co-payments or default interest for which a reminder was sent by 30 November, as well as debt enforcement costs, must be paid by 31 December.

Legal basis

Art. 7 para. 5 KVG governs the transition: the insurance relationship with the previous insurer only ends once the new insurer has notified it that the person is insured with it without any interruption in cover. If the new insurer fails to send this notification, it must compensate for the resulting loss, in particular the difference in premium. As soon as the previous insurer has received the notification, it informs the person concerned from when they are no longer insured with it.

Art. 7 para. 6 KVG covers the reverse case: if the previous insurer prevents the switch, it must compensate for the loss. Art. 7 para. 7 and 8 KVG protect your supplementary insurance: the old insurer may not force you to cancel it as well, and it may not cancel it solely because you switch. The block when payments are overdue is set out in Art. 64a KVG.

Example: switching on 1 January 2027

Marco, 41, cancels his basic health insurance by registered mail on 10.11.2026. The tracking shows delivery on 11.11.2026.

What this means for you

• Keep your documents together: Keep the tracking number of your notice, the acknowledgement of receipt and the new policy in one place.
• Ask in December: If, by mid-December, you have heard nothing from either the new or the old insurer, ask the new insurer whether it has sent the notification.
• Check for unpaid bills: Pay all premiums and co-payments for which you have received a reminder before the end of the year, otherwise the old insurer will block the switch.
• Know the deadlines: All dates are under deadlines, and switching health insurer shows the process step by step. More on the process under switching health insurer.
• Prepare your letter: The cancellation letter generator creates your notice with all required details.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for the confirmation before applying. The confirmation only comes after you have applied to the new insurer. If you wait, you miss the switch.
• Confusing the acknowledgement of receipt with the confirmation of cancellation. A letter saying “We have received your notice” says nothing yet about when your insurance ends.
• Simply paying premiums twice. If both insurers bill you for the same month, first find out which notification is missing. The Office of the health insurance ombudsperson mediates free of charge.
• Assuming your supplementary insurance has been cancelled as well. The confirmation of cancellation for basic health insurance does not end any supplementary insurance.

You can compare premiums for the new year in the premium calculator.