Hi everyone

I relocated to Switzerland with the intention to stay and have now done all the formalities - B Permit, etc except for Health Insurance, namely because I can't decide on a package and assumed I had 3 months to do so.

My job has not worked out and now I am considering all options including, rather sadly, leaving Switzerland.

What happens if I end up leaving before the 3 month period? I know I would have to de-register, does anyone know what happens with regards to Health Insurance? Will I still have to pay retro-actively or would I then have been considered a tourist again therefore not liable for the compulsory insurance?

Thanks..

You've already registered as resident here - you can't then backdate your status to tourist.

Reading peoples experiences on this forum, your health insurance is backdated to when you registered here and you'll have to pay up until you leave the country.

It happened to my boss and he was assigned a health insurance by the authorities then had a whopping great bill to pay.

Thanks. That sucks. Add to the total sunk costs of my poor decision making I guess!

Yes, you still have to have insurance.

Source (in German, sorry)

Basically it says you have to be insured if:
- you take up residence in Switzerland
- you are issued a Swiss work permit valid for three months or more
- you work in Switzerland for less than three months, but your insurance from home does not cover everything that the Swiss basic policy does
- other cases too, but these are the most relevant bits. There's a list of exceptions afterward but none of them apply to your situation.

This is where having some sort of information in your profile helps. If you can argue that you were covered by your home insurance for the time you were here you may get away with not having to pay Swiss insurance.

Well, I came from the UK. I never de-registered from my GP in the UK since I still own a flat there but I doubt the Swiss would consider NHS "adequate" insurance. Though I guess should things move in that direction I could always try.

This has been discussed on here. See if searching digs up some answers for you. It's worth trying. Or you can start calling the insurance companies to find the cheapest of the cheap & tell them your situation. They could well have a heart attack. But luck might be smiling on you.

Good luck with your decision.

This year, SanSan was one the cheapest in Zug. It is only something like CHF 114 a month for the highest deductible. Go with Hausarzt or Telemed option and it will be even less.

Not much considering you could have rented a flat and be up for paying until someone else takes it from you.

What did not work out?
If you are willing to share that here-

Because, might be a selfish comment based on the fact we know nothing about your context, but:

leaving before 3 months although you had a job will certainly make the employer "cold" about recruiting a foreigner...

Also for your own interest know that if you accepted a "relocation allowance" you will be liable to repay everything (as per your contract) which can mean a lot of CHF!!!

If it's less than 3 months, then don't mention it, just go as quietly as possible. I can't imagine it's on their checklist.

If I hadn't been a foreigner they probably wouldn't have screwed me so badly. I accepted a verbal promise of something pretty substantial that wasn't honoured because was told "trust us its the Swiss way" ie we're not putting it in the contract.

Now I am told by headhunters that the "Swiss way" would have been to get it in writing in the contract and that unfortunately my employer is one of the ones they steer clear from (heard of their bad reputation from various local sources).

What happened is not for public discussion. I also got zero relocation assistance whatsoever, they didn't even pay for my flight over. So, the costs are well and truly mine to carry. When I say cost I mean financial, emotional and psychological. It is not a decision I made lightly.

I was tempted to leave without paying the health insurance given the large outlay of cash I spent trying to relocate - but I don't want to jeopardise my chances of ever coming back. I like it here. Wrong time, wrong job, that's all.

I did. And I am. Hence why I am desperately trying to limit any further financial damage!