To switch basic health insurance on 1 January 2027, the notice of cancellation must reach your current health insurer by 30 November 2026 at the latest, according to priminfo.admin.ch, the website of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Private insurance, from household contents insurance to supplementary insurance, follows a different rule: the Federal Insurance Contract Act (LCA) provides for three months' notice and a right to cancel at the end of the third year at the latest.
Cancelling insurance in Switzerland therefore starts with knowing which law governs the contract. Compulsory health care insurance falls under the Federal Health Insurance Act (LAMal), supervised by the FOPH. Other contracts fall under the LCA, revised on 1 January 2022, and under their general terms and conditions of insurance (GTC).
The channel through which you take out the policy does not change these deadlines: online insurance in Switzerland follows the same rules as insurance sold through a branch.
Until when can you switch basic health insurance?
The timetable starts with the premium announcement. According to priminfo.admin.ch, health insurers must inform their policyholders of the new premiums before 31 October for the following year. Article 7 of the LAMal, in the version in force on 1 July 2026, requires them to announce premiums at least two months in advance and to remind policyholders of their right to switch insurer.
This announcement opens the window. Under the same Article 7, policyholders may then switch insurer for the end of the month preceding the new premium, subject to one month's notice. For a premium applicable from 1 January, the cancellation therefore targets 31 December and must arrive before the end of November.
What counts is when the letter arrives, not when it is sent. Priminfo writes "by 30 November" in some places and "before 30 November" in others. To remove this doubt, the FOPH recommends sending the written cancellation by registered mail or A-Plus mail before 15 November. The canton of Geneva, on its page about changing health insurer, advises sending it by registered mail no later than 22 November.
A second deadline exists during the year. Article 7(1) of the LAMal allows policyholders to switch insurer for the end of a half-year, with three months' notice. According to the canton of Geneva, this change on 1 July is only available with the ordinary deductible, i.e. CHF 300 for adults and CHF 0 for children; the letter must be sent by 22 March at the latest.
How do you switch insurer without losing cover?
Cancellation and registration should be done at the same time, priminfo advises. All health insurers must accept a new policyholder for basic insurance, without a health questionnaire, regardless of age or state of health.
The law prevents any gap in cover. Under Article 7(5) of the LAMal, membership with the former insurer only ends once the new insurer notifies it that it covers the person without interruption. If the new insurer fails to give this notice, it must make good the resulting loss, in particular the difference in premium.
Debts block the switch. According to priminfo.admin.ch, a policyholder cannot change insurer if they have not paid what they owe their insurer before 31 December. The rule covers amounts for which they received a reminder before 30 November.
As for the form, the FOPH publishes official template letters on priminfo.admin.ch, one for cancelling basic insurance and the other for registering with another insurer.
Deductible and insurance model: what deadlines?
To change your deductible without changing insurer, priminfo asks you to inform your insurer before 15 November, whether the deductible goes up or down. A special model, such as the family doctor model, can be left with effect from 1 January; from the ordinary model, you can choose one at any time.
What happens to supplementary insurance when you switch insurer?
Supplementary insurance is a separate contract, governed by the LCA and not by the LAMal. Priminfo points out that its cancellation deadlines differ from those of basic insurance and refers to each insurer's contractual terms.
Under Article 7(7) and (8) of the LAMal, the former insurer can neither require the policyholder to cancel their supplementary policies as well, nor cancel them solely because the policyholder is switching insurer for basic insurance.
In this area, only the customer has the right to cancel. Article 35a(4) of the LCA reserves ordinary cancellation and cancellation after a loss in supplementary insurance to social health insurance to the policyholder alone. Collective daily sickness allowance insurance is the exception: both parties retain these rights.
Cancelling a supplementary policy remains a weighty decision. Priminfo warns that once the contract has been cancelled, it is not easy to take out another, especially from age 55 or in poor health. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), which supervises these contracts, states in an article of 5 November 2025 that insurers must provide clear information on the contract, the premiums and the cancellation deadlines.
How do you cancel insurance governed by the LCA?
The LCA sets a common minimum for private contracts. Under its Article 35a, consulted on Fedlex as of 1 January 2024, a contract may be cancelled for the end of the third year or of any subsequent year, with three months' notice. The rule applies even if the contract was concluded for a longer term.
The parties may agree on cancellation before the end of the third year, but the notice periods must then be identical for the insurer and for the customer. Life insurance is excluded from this right of ordinary cancellation.
The form is flexible. Cancellation is made in writing or by any other means that allows proof by text. An e-mail falls into this category, including for a contract concluded before 1 January 2022, as noted on our page about online insurers.
Three other LCA rules govern the term:
- Tacit renewal: under Article 47, a tacit renewal clause may only extend the contract by one year at most each time.
- Revocation: under Article 2a, the customer may revoke their proposal or acceptance within 14 days, in writing or by text; posting it on the last day is sufficient.
- Good cause: under Article 35b, the contract may be cancelled at any time for good cause.
Can you cancel after a claim or a premium increase?
After a claim, the LCA opens a right of cancellation. Under its Article 42, when a partial loss gives rise to compensation, both the insurer and the customer may withdraw from the contract at the latest when payment is made. Cover then ends 14 days after the cancellation has been notified to the other party.
This right may come at a cost. If the customer cancels during the year following the conclusion of the contract, the insurer keeps the premium for the current period, the same Article 42 specifies.
For a premium increase, everything depends on the applicable law. In basic insurance, Article 7(2) of the LAMal grants the right to switch with every announcement of a new premium. For a private contract, the LCA leaves this point to the GTC.
A Q&A page from the former Federal Office of Private Insurance, updated in 2007 and archived by FINMA, describes the practice in supplementary health insurance: a premium adjustment clause, notice 25 to 30 days before the increase and a right of cancellation under the GTC. If the customer does not react, the increase is deemed accepted. This page predates the 2022 revision: the contract's GTC are authoritative.
Cancellation deadlines by type of insurance
| Type of insurance | Law | When to cancel | Notice or deadline | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic insurance, switch on 1 January | LAMal, Art. 7(2) | After the announcement of new premiums | Letter received by 30 November at the latest (sending advised before 15 November) | Written letter, registered or A-Plus mail advised by the FOPH |
| Basic insurance, switch on 1 July | LAMal, Art. 7(1) | For the end of a half-year | 3 months | Written letter; in Geneva, reserved for the ordinary deductible |
| Basic insurance deductible | LAMal | For 1 January | Before 15 November (priminfo) | Inform the insurer |
| Supplementary health insurance | LCA, Art. 35a(4) | According to the GTC, at the latest at the end of the 3rd year | 3 months for statutory cancellation | In writing or by text; only the customer can cancel |
| Household contents, liability, vehicle, legal protection insurance | LCA, Art. 35a | Expiry date in the GTC, at the latest at the end of the 3rd year and then every year | 3 months | In writing or by text, including e-mail |
| After a compensated partial loss | LCA, Art. 42 | At the latest when the compensation is paid | Cover ends 14 days after notification | Notification to the other party |
| Life insurance | LCA, Art. 35a(3) | No statutory ordinary cancellation | According to the contract | According to the contract |
| Any LCA contract, good cause | LCA, Art. 35b | At any time | None | In writing or by text |
The household contents, liability (third-party liability), vehicle and legal protection contracts are those that Allianz Suisse cites for cancellation after three years. 2clics also follows Swiss insurtech news.
Key figures
- 31 October: deadline for informing policyholders of the following year's premiums (priminfo.admin.ch);
- 2 months: minimum notice period for announcing new basic premiums (LAMal, Art. 7, version as of 1 July 2026);
- 30 November 2026: last day for a cancellation of basic insurance effective 1 January 2027 to be received; it is a Monday;
- 15 November: sending date recommended by the FOPH for the cancellation letter;
- 3 months and 3 years: notice period and maximum term before the right of ordinary cancellation under the LCA (Art. 35a, as of 1 January 2024);
- 14 days: revocation period for an LCA contract, and period until cover ends after a cancellation following a claim;
- 1 year: maximum duration of a tacit renewal (LCA, Art. 47).
Sources
- Fedlex: Federal Insurance Contract Act (LCA), SR 221.229.1
- Art. 7 LAMal, change of insurer (Fedlex text reproduced by JuriUp)
- FOPH, priminfo.admin.ch: changing health insurance
- FOPH, priminfo.admin.ch: supplementary insurance
- Republic and Canton of Geneva: changing health insurer
- FINMA: protection of policyholders in supplementary health insurance (5 November 2025)
- FINMA archives, former FOPI: frequently asked questions on supplementary health insurance (2007)
