Swiss Interim Accident Insurance Question and Answers

Before you take an unpaid holiday, time off between jobs, or an extended maternal leave, you should take the time to review your accident insurance coverage. There are two options for insuring yourself against accidents: Either you can activate the accident coverage available with mandatory health insurance, or you can get interim accident insurance from your former employer’s accident insurance provider.

What is interim accident insurance?

Interim accident insurance is a voluntary insurance that extends your employer-based insurance for accidents outside of your workplace for up to six months.

What does interim accident insurance cover?

Interim accident insurance covers accidents that occur after your employment ends. You do not need interim accident insurance if you immediately move to a different Swiss employer or if you receive unemployment benefits from Swiss unemployment insurance.

Interim accident insurance can be used to extend the accident insurance that you received while you were employed for up to a maximum of six months. Together with your employment-based accident insurance, which continues to cover you for 31 days after you lose your employment, you can remain insured for up to seven months.

Interim accident insurance is identical to your employer's non-occupational accident insurance (NOAI). This insurance covers accidents that occur outside of your workplace, both in Switzerland and abroad.

When do I need interim accident insurance?

There is no requirement to get interim accident insurance. Whether or not you get this insurance is completely up to you. However, you should only consider getting interim accident insurance if you are not already insured somewhere else. If you are unemployed and are receiving benefits from Swiss unemployment insurance, then getting interim accident insurance is completely unnecessary because you already get accident insurance from Suva through the unemployment insurance office.

Do I need accident insurance?

Yes. Insurance for the medical costs resulting from accidents is mandatory for all residents of Switzerland. As an employee of a Swiss employer, getting accident insurance is often unnecessary because in most cases you automatically receive accident insurance through their Swiss employer. The insurance premiums are deducted directly from your salary.

You can meet the requirement for mandatory accident insurance in the following ways:

• Employer-based accident insurance: If you are employed by a Swiss employer more than eight hours per week, then your employer is required to take out accident insurance for you. This insurance covers medical costs and emergency medical transportation for accidents. It also covers loss of income if you are temporarily unable to work after an accident, and it pays out a disability pension if you become permanently disabled in an accident. It also pays out pensions to your surviving dependents if you are killed in an accident.
• Accident insurance from the unemployment office: If you receive unemployment benefits from Swiss unemployment insurance, then you are insured against accidents by insurance provider Suva. This insurance also applies during the waiting period for unemployment benefits, and for periods during which your unemployment benefits are on hold. This accident insurance provides the same comprehensive coverage as employer-based accident insurance.
• Accident insurance from mandatory health insurance: Children, people who are not employed and do not receive unemployment benefits, and employees who work less than eight hours per week, should get insured against the medical costs of accidents using the accident coverage available with mandatory health insurance. This insurance only covers medical expenses and a small part of the cost of emergency medical transportation.
• Voluntary accident insurance: If you are self-employed, you can get voluntary accident insurance for you and for your family members who work with you from a private insurance company. The coverage included in these private insurance offers is generally similar to employer-based accident insurance. But terms and conditions can vary between individual insurance offers.
• Interim accident insurance: You can get interim accident insurance to extend your employer-based accident insurance for up to six months. This insurance includes the same comprehensive coverage that you get with employer-based accident insurance.

You should be aware that the accident coverage that you get with mandatory health insurance is based on the law governing basic, compulsory health insurance (KVG/LAMal). The other accident insurances are based on the law governing employer-based accident insurance (UVG). Employer-based accident insurance has much more extensive coverage than the accident cover from mandatory health insurance.

Is there a deadline for getting interim accident insurance?

You have to take out interim accident insurance within 31 days from the time your employment ends. If you want to extend your interim accident insurance term, you have to pay the premium before the current insurance term expires.

If you miss the deadline, you cannot get interim accident insurance. In that case, you will have to activate the basic accident coverage from your mandatory health insurance in order to meet your legal requirement to have accident insurance.

How can I get interim accident insurance?

You can only get interim accident insurance from your (former) employer’s accident insurance provider. You cannot choose between different insurance providers.

Your Swiss employer is legally required to inform you about the option of interim accident insurance when your employment ends. Normally, your employer gives you an informational leaflet about accident insurance. You can ask your employer which insurance company provides your employer-based accident insurance.

Each provider of employer-based accident insurance has its own process for getting interim accident insurance. Many insurers let you apply for interim accident insurance online. Some let you pay the insurance premium online as well – using a credit card or Twint, for example. Some insurers send you a bill. In many cases, the informational leaflet that you get from your employer includes the information required to pay the insurance premium. Once you pay the insurance premium, the application process is complete. You do not have to fill out or submit an application form.

What should I pay attention to when getting interim accident insurance?

Most insurance providers let you get interim accident insurance for as little as one month, and then extend it as needed for a minimum of one additional month at a time. Suva is an exception to this rule, as it requires you to pay the entire premium for the full insurance term upfront in full. Suva does not give you the option of extending the insurance term.

As soon as you begin working for an employer at least eight hours per week, you will get employer-based accident insurance from your new employer. In that case, the interim accident insurance will be terminated ahead of schedule. Insurance premiums that you have already paid will not be reimbursed.

What should I do if I become unemployed?

When you receive Swiss unemployment insurance benefits, then you get accident insurance from Suva through the unemployment office. In this case, you do not need to get interim accident insurance or activate the accident coverage from your mandatory health insurance.

After your entitlement to unemployment benefits expires, you remain insured against accidents by Suva for 30 days. If you do not find a new job within that period, you can get interim accident insurance from Suva for up to six additional months. If you choose not to do this, you will have to activate the accident coverage from your health insurance in order to meet the mandatory accident insurance requirement.

What are the advantages of getting interim accident insurance?

Interim accident insurance provides a simply way to extend your accident insurance after your employment ends. In many cases, you can sign up for interim accident insurance online.

The biggest advantage of interim accident insurance is that you benefit from the comprehensive employer-based accident insurance coverage (UVG). Unlike mandatory health insurance (KVG), there is no deductible or coinsurance payment. While the accident coverage from mandatory health insurance is often cheaper than interim accident insurance, it only covers medical expenses, and you have a deductible and coinsurance payment. Interim accident insurance, on the other hand, also includes loss-of-income insurance, a disability pension, and pensions for surviving dependents, in addition to insurance for medical expenses. That sets it apart from the accident coverage from mandatory health insurance.

How much does interim accident insurance cost?

Employer-based accident insurance providers charge flat monthly premiums for interim accident insurance. The insurance premium always covers one calendar month. Most insurance providers charge either 40 or 45 francs per month (see the table below). Suva is more expensive, with premiums of either 65 or 70 francs per month. Insurance providers with exceptionally affordable premiums include the Unfallversicherung Stadt Zürich and the FRV, at 25 francs per month.

Insurers charge the exact same insurance premium to all of their interim accident insurance customers, regardless of their municipality, age, or gender.

Insurance companies that offer employer-based accident insurance are required to offer interim accident insurance. Your former employer’s accident insurance provider has to give you interim accident insurance if you want it.

More on this topic:
Swiss accident insurance explained
Swiss disability pensions explained
Compare Swiss mandatory health insurance offers now
Compare Swiss business bank accounts now