The LAMal is Switzerland’s compulsory basic health insurance scheme. It guarantees access to essential health care for all Swiss residents. However, in certain well-defined cases, as an international civil servant, you may be exempt from this obligation. You must meet the legal conditions, and therefore have health insurance equivalent to the LAMal. So, with your international organization, you will be exempt from the LAMal.
Mondassur therefore offers you business insurance solutionsabroad that meet Swiss requirements. Our international contracts provide comprehensive protection if you work for an international organization.
Do you qualify for exemption from the KVG/LAMal as an international civil servant?
If you are an international civil servant (diplomat, employee of an international organization, etc.) working in Switzerland, you may be exempted from the obligation to join the KVG/LAMal. However, you must meet certain conditions:
- Part of an international organization recognized by Switzerland
- Health insurance
- That your coverage is considered equivalent to that offered by the LAMal (in terms of care, hospitalization, etc.).
This exemption is not automatic: you must make a formal request within 3 months of your arrival or change of status.
You are therefore not obliged to pay KVG/LAMal contributions. You may be covered by health insurance in Switzerland such as those offered by Mondassur.
Which health cover should you choose, depending on your residence permit in Switzerland?
There are several types of residence permit for international civil servants in Switzerland. Depending on your status, your employer and your family situation.
Understanding the different residence permits in Switzerland
As an international civil servant, or as personnel affiliated with an international civil servant, you can obtain the following permits:
- DFAE legitimation card (types B, C, D, E, G, L, P, S) issued to diplomats, senior officials, experts and scientific personnel. The latter allows residence in Switzerland and is not subject to KVG/LAMal, if private insurance covers the same field as the latter.
- Ci permit issued to spouses or partners and children of DFAE cardholders. This permit also allows the holder not to be subject to the LAMal and to have private international health insurance. It also allows you to work in Switzerland.
- Permit H for consultants, trainees and volunteers who are not civil servants but working for an international organization. Exemption from LAMal is possible if the insurance taken out covers at least the same level as LAMal.
- B permit, issued if you wish to have ordinary Swiss status. KVG/LAMal is compulsory, unless you were covered during your assignment with the international organization, in which case coverage is maintained.
Adapting your insurance to your status and licence
The LAMal covers basic medical care in Switzerland: consultations, treatments, hospitalization in a general ward, maternity care, certain medicines, home care and partial medical transport.
Our international health insurance plans offer cover in line with Swiss requirements. They are perfectly adapted to all your needs, with essential cover and customizable options:
- Hospitalization: coverage of medical expenses for hospital stays, with no fixed network. You are therefore free to choose the healthcare establishment.
- Routine medical care: consultations, examinations, treatments
- Prescription drugs: reimbursement according to prescription
- Maternity: pregnancy follow-up, childbirth, etc…
- Pre-existing conditions: covered with the insurer’s prior agreement
- Medical repatriation: in the event of a medical emergency abroad
As an option, you can add additional benefits tailored to your needs. These include dental and optical cover, wellness cover (which takes care of post-operation care, for example), and mental health cover.
Families of international civil servants: health insurance obligations
If you are an international civil servant in Switzerland, your partner and dependent children (up to the age of 25) may also be exempted from compulsory health insurance (LAMal). To do so, they must reside in Switzerland with a Ci permit and benefit from health insurance equivalent to LAMal. As mentioned above, Mondassur guarantees an insurance policy that complies with Swiss requirements.
You must submit an official request for exemption within 3 months of their arrival in Switzerland or any change in their situation. If they fail to do so, the authorities may automatically affiliate them to the KVG. If you work for an international organization, your family may be eligible for exemption from KVG/LAMal.
On the other hand, if one of your family members starts work in Switzerland, or does not benefit from equivalent coverage, he or she will have to join the KVG like any other resident.
