Holidays and stay abroad

If you spend your holidays abroad, you remain subject to compulsory insurance in Switzerland and are covered by your Swiss health insurance. This usually also applies if you leave Switzerland for a semester abroad or a trip around the world and are not gainfully employed abroad. 

However, as soon as you live in another country or work abroad for an extended period of time, you need to clarify carefully where you are subject to compulsory insurance. Contact us via message in mySympany or web form. Clarification is also required if you are working in a part-time job, for example during a semester abroad in the EU. In the EU, EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and the United Kingdom (UK), compulsory insurance is usually based on the place-of-work principle. 

The provisions on compulsory insurance vary greatly depending on your personal situation and country of residence. Various factors are decisive, such as place of residence, employment and pension benefits, as well as agreements between Switzerland and the country of residence. More about compulsory insurance ›

If you are subject to compulsory insurance in Switzerland, the basic insurance abroad covers basic services in an emergency. For further benefits – such as return transports – you need the more comprehensive insurance cover of a foreign health insurance and/or a supplementary insurance. 

In the EU, EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and the United Kingdom (UK), Swiss policyholders with basic insurance are entitled to necessary medical treatment that cannot be postponed until their intended return. The requirements are: 

• that you are treated in a public hospital or a medical practice that charges according to the relevant social tariff,
• that you present the back of your insurance card – the European Health Insurance Card – and
• that the European Health Insurance Card is accepted.

The list of services, co-payment and the terms of payment comply with the laws and rules of the country in which the treatment takes place . There is no Swiss co-payment. Tips and advice for emergencies in each country ›

If the European Insurance Card is not accepted, this could result in gaps in cover and additional costs for you. This might be the case if emergency treatment is carried out in a private hospital. In this case, only a maximum of 90% of the costs that would have been incurred for treatment in Switzerland is insured.

If you are staying in a country outside the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom (UK), you will receive a maximum of twice the amount that basic insurance would cover for treatment in Switzerland in the event of an emergency. For hospital stays, a maximum 90 %* of the costs that would be incurred in a Swiss hospital is insured. Costs that exceed the above ceilings are not covered. 

* In the Canton of Zug, only 2% of the costs will be covered in 2026 and 2027. Important information for policyholders in the Canton of Zug: Hospital treatment abroad ›

It is essential to purchase travel health insurance if you are travelling outside the EU/EFTA or the UK. However, it also makes sense within Europe. Depending on the country in which you are travelling, the costs for medical treatment can vary, and in some cases are considerably higher than in Switzerland. tourist und tourist subito offer you secure protection against uncovered costs. In addition to treatment costs, international health insurance also covers return transport to Switzerland, extra return journeys, visits, advance payments to a hospital and assistance in translation. Depending on the length of your trip and your existing supplementary insurance, Sympany offers you a choice between permanent or short-term international health insurance:

• Permanent international health insurance tourist: This is ideal for regular, but shorter holidays of up to 42 days per year. tourist can be taken out with Sympany in combination with a supplementary outpatient insurance or a supplementary hospital insurance.
• Short-term international health insurance tourist subito: This can be taken out individually (without other supplementary insurance policies) for 10 to 365 days. You can sign up for it online until shortly before your trip begins and it will only take you five minutes.

The hospita supplementary hospital insurances cover the costs of emergency hospital treatment as a supplement to basic insurance – until transport home is possible (maximum one year). Supplementary hospital insurance will cover the costs up to the same amount and for the same hospital ward as in Switzerland. With hospita private or hospita semi-private, you benefit from more privacy in a single or double room, and with hospita global, you can also have elective treatment in a private hospital ward abroad.