Moving house: what happens with your health insurance?

When your premium changes, you will receive a new policy.

The premiums due in each premium region depend on the cost of claims there. The cantons/half-cantons constitute the main regions . In addition, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has defined a maximum of three inter-cantonal premium regions within cantons where the cost of claims varies widely: city, agglomeration and rural. These regions are binding for all health insurers. As every health insurer has to calculate the premiums per region, your premium changes when you move from one canton to another or from one premium region to another within the same canton. In some cases, this can happen even if you move house within the same village. 

The premium regions are based on the cost of claims. The cantons/half-cantons constitute the main regions . In addition, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has defined a maximum of three inter-cantonal premium regions within cantons where the cost of claims varies widely: city, agglomeration and rural. These regions are binding for all health insurers. As every health insurer has to calculate the premiums per region, your premium changes when you move from one canton to another or from one premium region to another within the same canton. In some cases, this can happen even if you move house within the same village. 

If you change premium region when you move, your premium will change and you will receive a new invoice for your new place of residence. It is quite possible that your new invoice will differ from the previous one. However, this is only due to the change of residence and has no influence on your insurance cover. 

As a rule, basic insurance can only be terminated at the end of a year subject to a one-month notice period. If you have taken out the Basic standard model with an annual deductible of CHF 300, you can also terminate your contract at the end of a calendar semester (June 30 or December 31), i.e. twice a year, subject to a three-month notice period. 

The options for saving money on your premiums are the same throughout Switzerland. For example, you can exclude accident cover from your insurance when you are insured through your employer, choose an alternative insurance model, increase your deductible and much more. Here , you will find valuable money-saving tips and information on health costs.

For basic insurance, the premium regions are classified by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and these are binding for all insurers. The cantons/half-cantons constitute the main regions . Within cantons where the cost of claims varies widely, the FOPH has also defined a maximum of three premium regions.

For supplementary insurance, the premium regions depend on each insurance plan and the classification is different. For example, there is only one premium region for some products. It is therefore possible that only your basic insurance premium will change.

You can inform us of a change of address by post, email, in the chat or via the Sanitas Portal. Please remember to inform us in writing of any changes of name, address or contact details within 30 days.

In accordance with the general terms of insurance for KVG/HIA, notification must be made in writing (post, email, chat or in the Sanitas Portal); a signature is not mandatory.

You must inform the new local authority within 14 days of changing your place of residence. The date of registration with the local authority can vary from customer to customer in any given month. We are obliged to treat our customers equally and therefore always change your address on the 1st of the month in which you register with your new local authority. This equal treatment also allows us to ensure that the premiums are always calculated and issued in the same way (regardless of whether the new premium is higher or lower), thus avoiding any discrepancies.

The insured person is obliged to inform the health insurer of their current place of residence. This information is not automatically provided by an authority.

Generally speaking, you may still go to hospital in your previous place of residence.

In the following cases, there are no additional costs for you: 

• The hospital in your previous place of residence is in the same canton as your new place of residence. 
• The hospital in the previous place of residence is a listed hospital (on the cantonal hospital list of the canton of residence) in the new canton of residence. For medical reasons, the insured person undergoes treatment in a hospital that is not on the hospital list of their canton of residence because no listed hospital in their canton of residence offers the required service. In this case, a commitment to cover costs from the canton of residence is required in advance.
• In an emergency, you receive treatment in a hospital that is not on the hospital list of your canton of residence.
• You have taken out supplementary hospital insurance that covers hospital treatment outside your canton of residence. 

You may incur additional costs in the following cases: 

• You receive treatment in a hospital that is not on the list of hospitals in your canton of residence or ...
• ... you choose a contractual hospital without one of the two medical reasons listed above (emergency or service is not offered by any listed hospital in the canton of residence).

Yes, you have a free choice of family doctor. However, please note that, under the terms of our CareMed and NetMed basic insurance models, you must always contact your family doctor first for medical advice (in accordance with the terms of insurance). If you are no longer able to do so as a result of your move, we recommend that you change your family doctor. 

The new premium may be higher or lower depending on where you move. If you’ve already paid the premium for your previous place of residence, this payment will be offset against the premium for your new place of residence. This means that if the premium is higher at the new place of residence, the missing amount will be offset against the new invoice. If the premium is lower at your new place of residence, the excess amount paid will be deducted from the new invoice and you will receive an adjusted invoice.

Yes, an adjustment can be made retroactively. Please note that you may have to make additional payments if you’ve moved to a region with a higher premium. Of course, if you move to a region with a lower premium, we will refund you the overpayment.

The entitlement expires five years after the end of the calendar year for which the contribution was owed.

The insured person or health insurer has the right to reclaim any premiums paid in excess or in arrears.

If you are of legal age, please let us know your new home address in writing (by post, email, chat or in the Sanitas portal). A signature is not mandatory. Otherwise, the notification can also be made by your parents.

Please inform us in writing (post, email, chat or via the Sanitas portal) within 30 days of the date of your separation, any changes to your bank account details and the premium payment method, as well as your new home address(es). A signature is not mandatory.

Please inform us within 30 days of the date of your separation, any changes to your bank account details and the premium payment method – as well as who pays the premiums for which persons and your new home address(es). You have to do so in writing by post, email, chat or in the Sanitas Portal. A signature is not mandatory.

Contact us in good time so that you can be sure that you will continue to have insurance cover in accordance with the law. Whether you are still subject to the compulsory insurance requirement in Switzerland after moving abroad depends on a number of factors – e.g. whether you move to an EU/EFTA state or another country and your employment situation (e.g. place of work, pension entitlement) or your personal status (e.g. on secondment, cross-border commuter). To terminate your basic insurance, please send Sanitas confirmation of deregistration from your local authority.

To calculate the correct premium, it is the place of residence of the insured person that applies, i.e. the address where you stay at the weekend.

Moving into a retirement home normally also changes the person’s legal domicile, so the premium is calculated based on the location of the retirement home. The following applies on moving to a retirement home: The new address is the legal domicile when the person’s centre of life has moved there and the residence is permanent (e.g. the person chose to move to the home and has given up their previous home). By contrast, if a person with dementia or comprehensive guardianship is admitted to a care home, their previous place of residence remains the same, because they do not move of their own volition. To decide whether the legal domicile changes, the circumstances must be checked on a case-by-case basis.

On changing place of residence, the nearest advice centre is automatically selected. This means that if you change your address, the advice centre you contact for support may also change.