Short-term residents (L permit): which health insurance applies

Briefly in Switzerland: which rule applies to you

As a short-term resident, you come to Switzerland for a limited period, usually with an L permit for a seasonal job, a project or a fixed-term contract. For health insurance, the name of the permit is not what counts, but two questions: how long is the permit valid, and do you work in Switzerland?

If you are subject to compulsory insurance, the same rules apply to you as to everyone else: free choice of health insurer, acceptance without a health questionnaire (Art. 5 let. i KVAG), the same benefits, and a premium based on where you live in Switzerland. How the system works is explained in the article The Swiss health insurance system.

Step by step: insured during your stay

1. Check how long your permit is valid. At least 3 months means compulsory insurance with a deadline from registration. Less than 3 months means compulsory insurance from the day you arrive, unless you have equivalent cover.
2. Register with the municipality and note the date. With a permit of 3 months or more, the deadline starts with this registration.
3. Check your insurance at home. With a short permit or under the notification procedure, equivalent cover for treatment in Switzerland is enough. Ask your insurer to confirm in writing what it pays in Switzerland.
4. Compare premiums and sign up. The premium calculator shows the offers for your municipality. As the start date, give the day you registered with the municipality, or the day you arrived or started work.
5. Exclude accident cover. If you work at least 8 hours a week for one employer, you are also insured against accidents in your free time through that employer (Art. 13 para. 1 UVV). You can then exclude accident cover from your health insurance (Art. 8 para. 1 KVG).
6. Deregister before you leave. Notify the municipality of your departure and send the confirmation to your insurer. Insurance ends on the notified date of departure, at the latest on the day you leave the country (Art. 7 para. 3 KVV).

The rules in detail

Taking out insurance late. If you have an L permit of 3 months or more and do not take out insurance within 3 months of registering, insurance only starts when you join (Art. 7 para. 1 KVV). You pay for any treatment before that yourself, and if the delay is inexcusable, the insurer charges a premium surcharge of 30 to 50 % for twice the duration of the delay (Art. 8 para. 1 KVV). Under the notification procedure, it is different: there, insurance starts on the first working day even if you join late (Art. 7 para. 2bis KVV), and you pay the premiums from then on. If you do not take out insurance at all, you are assigned to an insurer (Art. 6 KVG).

Right of option for weekly residents from neighbouring countries. According to the FOPH, exceptions are possible for EU employees resident in Germany, Austria, France or Italy who return to their country of residence at least once a week. They work like the right of option for cross-border commuters: on request, you opt for insurance in your country of residence (Art. 2 para. 6 KVV).

Exemption on request. If you are in Switzerland for education or training, for example as an intern or trainee, you can be exempted if you have equivalent insurance (Art. 2 para. 4 KVV). The exemption and the other groups are explained in the article Exemption from compulsory health insurance. The cantonal office is responsible; for short-term workers, the FOPH names the canton of the place of work.

Posting to Switzerland. If an employer from the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom sends you to Switzerland for up to 24 months, the law of your country of origin applies with the A1 certificate, including for health insurance (FOPH).

End of insurance. With an L permit, insurance ends on the notified date of departure, and in any case on the day you leave the country (Art. 7 para. 3 KVV). Under the notification procedure, it ends when your work in Switzerland ends, at the latest when you leave the country (Art. 7 para. 3bis KVV). If you move abroad, the insurer calculates the premium to the exact day (FOPH).

What basic health insurance costs for a few months

Premiums 2026, municipality of Lucerne (region 1), adults born in 1998; source FOPH:

The FOPH publishes the premiums for the following year at the end of September. If you have a low income, you can apply to the canton for a premium subsidy; with a permit of 3 months or more, you are entitled to one if you meet the cantonal requirements (Art. 106 KVV). The rules are set out under Premium subsidies.

Deductible for a short stay

The deductible is an annual amount: CHF 300 per calendar year (Art. 103 para. 1 KVV) or a higher level you have chosen. The law does not provide for a reduction if you are only insured for a few months. For a stay of a few months, a high deductible therefore only saves you a few monthly premiums, but if you fall ill, you bear the full deductible.

For adults whose insurance is set up for less than a calendar year, insurers may instead charge a flat rate for the deductible and retention fee: CHF 250 within 90 days if you use benefits (Art. 103 para. 5 KVV). The flat rate is an offer from the insurer, not an obligation. It cannot be combined with special types of insurance, so neither with an optional deductible nor with a GP, HMO or telemedicine model. Ask about it before you sign up.

Sample calculation: six months in a seasonal job in Lucerne

Example with fictitious people. Mateo, 28, comes from Spain and works full-time in a hotel in Lucerne from 01.04.2026 to 30.09.2026. He receives an L permit and registers with the municipality on 01.04.2026. His deadline runs until 01.07.2026. On 15.05.2026 he joins an insurer, with a CHF 2,500 deductible, without accident cover, at the lowest offer of CHF 307.10.

Which deductible works out for a short period depends on your expected costs. This is a calculation, not a recommendation. You can find the insurers’ contact channels and key figures in the health insurer profiles.

Special cases

Family. If your partner or children come with you, they each need their own basic health insurance with their own deadline. If you work in Switzerland as an EU or EFTA national with an L permit, according to the FOPH your non-working family members must also take out insurance in Switzerland. Details in the article Family reunification.

Extension or B permit. As long as you hold a permit of at least 3 months, you remain subject to compulsory insurance. Your policy continues; you do not need to take out a new one.

After you leave. Insurers can offer people who are no longer subject to compulsory insurance a continuation contract under the ICA (Art. 7a KVV). They are not obliged to do so. What applies when you move away is explained in the article Moving abroad.

Common mistakes

• Relying on your insurance in your home country. With an L permit of 3 months or more, the Swiss requirement applies, even if you are insured at home.
• Counting the deadline from your arrival. For permits of 3 months or more, registration with the municipality counts; for shorter permits there is no deadline at all.
• Paying twice for accident cover. If you are fully insured against accidents through your employer, you can exclude it.
• Choosing the high deductible for a short stay without doing the maths. The deductible is not reduced.
• Forgetting to deregister. Without a notified departure, you must prove the day you left the country to your insurer in another way; otherwise it continues to bill you for premiums.

You can find all topics relating to moving to Switzerland in the topic area New to Switzerland.