Hello,

I have a question regarding the mandatory health insurance in Switzerland.

Would it be possible to take out a 3 month travel insurance plan from Canada instead of immediately having to sign up with a health insurer in Switzerland?

I read on comparis.ch that if you move to Switzerland, you must register within 3 months of arrival. But during those 3 months, would I be covered by my Canadian purchased travel insurance?

Any advice or help is much appreciated.

Kevin

Not 100% sure but i think when you do get insurance you have to back pay for the first 3 months you were here. I am pretty sure i had to at least...

If you can prove you were covered by another type of insurance within those first 3 months, you won't have to pay the Swiss insurance retroactively.

Most travel insurance that you can get in Canada is meant to "compliment" your provincial health insurance plan in case you have an accident or get sick when you are traveling.

If you are leaving Canada to move to CH, and you want to "cut your ties" to Canada for tax reasons, you will need to announce to your health insurance plan that you are leaving. Not sure about BC but ON cuts you off immediately. This would rule out the standard CDN travel insurance.

All that to say, you might be looking for a "stand-alone" insurance product rather than one that works with your CDN plan.

for the first 3 months u can use any insurance u like.
after 3 months u will need a compulsory swiss insurance unless u have expat status and u ask for exemption