I recently arrived in Switzerland to join my boyfriend. I am an EU-national. Shortly after arriving, I became pregnant. I need to get a permit to get health insurance, but the gemeinde won't accept my boyfriend supporting me. They say to get a permit for my health insurance I need to find employment, at least be seeking it.

I have found a job very quickly, and I am likely to be offered it. However, I have been feeling very tired while pregnant and there's no financial necessity for me to work.

If I accept the job and get a permit, it will become obvious to the employer that I am pregnant due to the baby beginning to show. I understand that there's no employment protection for the first 3 months including for pregnant women.

Until my boyfriend gets a permanent job in Switzerland (he has just finished his secondment), what should I do? Are there any downsides to taking this job? Will it affect my residency? If I don't tell them I'm pregnant can they ask?

Most important priority is for me to get a permit so that I can get health insurance.

Student permit maybe? Sign up at some school. Or get married maybe?

I'm not so sure you'll get health insurance to cover your pregnancy (anyone feel free to correct me if wrong) since you're already pregnant. I was thinking maybe the pregnancy coverage wouldn't kick in until 12 months after the start of the policy (for your sake I hope I'm wrong).

In my case ( again Im not an expert) pregnancy was covered under basic insurance - and I was 7 months pregnant when we came to Zurich. You can check out Sanitas for their policies.

You hoped right, you are wrong . This would apply in the UK with the like of BUPA but in Switzerland the basic cover is mandatory both ways.

[quote=sleeping42;168035]If I don't tell them I'm pregnant can they ask? /quote]

Yes, they could ask. It's better if you tell them.

I would question the refusal of the local community to accept your boyfriend supporting you - did they give reasons?

Anyway, as an EU national you have an easy out. Register as self employed and you will get a B permit.

Well, I really hope that you find insurance, but I think you might need to consider the financial worst case scenero, in which you have to pay out of pocket. The good news is that it's not really that bad.

The average cost of health care during pregnancy and childbirth is around CHF 16 000-- which is a whole lot of money to be sure, but it's less than a lot of other things. Usually you can work out a financing agreement with the clinic/hospital.

Of course it's a lot better to have insurance in the unlikely case that something should go wrong. I just want to give you some reassurance that the financial burden without it isn't completely bank-breaking.

For whatever we suggest, they always seem to say no. It could be because my boyfriend, although an EU national too, was on a secondment and is only getting a permanent job now.

However, I don't know how the Gemeinde official could have known that and they did not appear to check.

He refused to let me register, saying I had to have a contract with a Swiss employer first. It's only once we had phoned the immigration office in the canton capital, and he confirmed that they had to give me an L-permit while I was seeking work, that they let me register. Then they found the form immediately. All I had to do was pay 20 Fr.

Thanks for the good advice, everyone.

This is once I can honestly say it feels good to be wrong.
The closest I came to a similar situation was when my X was about 7 months pregnant with our daughter. She had half-private hospital coverage at the time and upgraded it to private just 2 months prior to giving birth, I was amazed the insurance company accepted the upgrade without batting an eye lash..!

Does this mean you have to start your own company and register this company officially? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but if it is, it is quite a thing to set up for her, right?

I think you are right ,these can be the way to get insurance.