New to Geneva or Vaud: your first 90-day insurance checklist

Days 1–14: establish the official arrival date

Your registration date anchors several later steps. Geneva asks anyone settling in the canton to notify the Cantonal Office for Population and Migration within 14 days. In Vaud, arrival in a new commune must be reported to the residents’ registration office within eight days; a landlord’s notification does not replace yours. Check the procedure for your nationality and permit before beginning work. Keep the registration confirmation, employment contract, lease and identity documents together.

Within three months: arrange basic health insurance

A resident normally has three months from taking up residence to obtain compulsory basic health insurance. Each adult and child needs an individual policy. If you enrol on time, cover and premiums are backdated to the beginning of the insurance obligation, so reserving the premiums from day one avoids an unwelcome catch-up bill. If registration is late without a valid reason, cover starts only from enrolment and a premium surcharge may apply. The canton may assign an insurer if the obligation is not met.

Do not assume the standard rule covers every international situation. Cross-border workers, posted workers, students and some pensioners may follow coordination rules or need an exemption decision. Ask the competent cantonal authority before relying on foreign cover. For ordinary Swiss basic insurance, authorised insurers must accept applicants without exclusions, waiting periods or a health questionnaire. Compare the approved 2027 premiums using the official Priminfo calculator, with the same postcode, deductible, care model and accident setting.

Coordinate employer accident cover with LAMal

Employees are covered for occupational accidents through compulsory accident insurance. At eight hours or more per week with the same Swiss employer, this also covers non-occupational accidents. You can then ask your basic health insurer to suspend its accident component, provide proof of full LAA/UVG cover and receive the corresponding premium reduction. The change is not automatic and takes effect no earlier than the first day of the month after the request. If you are not employed or work under eight hours for each employer, keep accident cover in basic health insurance unless the competent insurer confirms another arrangement.

Read the pension certificate, not only the payslip

For 2026, compulsory occupational pension cover generally applies to employees already subject to AVS/AHV who earn at least CHF 22,680 a year from an employer. Risk cover begins after age 17; retirement savings begin from 1 January after age 24. Contracts of no more than three months and some other situations are outside the mandatory scheme. Ask HR for the pension plan rules and certificate: the insured salary, employee deduction and death or disability benefits can differ from the headline salary. Only after this employer protection is clear should you assess a pillar 3a contribution or separate income protection.

Build the household layer separately

Basic health, employer accident insurance and the pension fund do not replace household contents, personal liability, legal protection or motor cover. Start with the exposures rather than a bundle: the value of belongings, liability for damage to other people or rented property, legal disputes you could not comfortably fund, and any vehicle. Check the lease and cantonal requirements, deductibles, insured sums, exclusions and claim contacts. Review existing foreign policies in writing before cancelling them, especially where territorial cover or a move notification matters.

Review health insurance · Understand employee accident and sickness cover · Review household and personal liability · Explore pillar 3a

Use a simple 30–60–90 day file

By day 30, keep proof of arrival, permit steps, employment and family details in one folder. By day 60, shortlist basic health options, confirm the accident setting and collect the pension certificate. Before day 90, submit health-insurance enrolment, save proof of receipt and document any exemption request. Then list each policy with its purpose, annual premium, deductible, start date and notice rules. A short review can identify unanswered questions without assuming that every newcomer needs the same products. For help organising the file in English or French, book a no-obligation first call.

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