LAMal (compulsory health insurance) and student exemption
Within 3 months of taking up residence
Anyone who becomes liable for compulsory Swiss health insurance must take it out within three months of that date (for example, the date you take up residence in Switzerland). If you enrol on time, cover and premiums are back-dated to the start of the obligation. If you miss the three-month deadline, cover generally starts only from registration and a premium supplement can apply unless you have a valid reason for the delay.
For students: within 3 months of taking up residence, either take out Swiss LAMal with an authorised insurer, or apply for the Vaud exemption (dispense) if you qualify , do not leave this open-ended. If you take out LAMal, note that Vaud law in principle excludes from premium subsidies foreigners living alone here who had to prove sufficient financial means for their permit (most international students), except as a time-limited hardship case (LVLAMal art. 12 para. 1 and 3, art. 13, BLV 832.01; see LAMal premium reduction).
Sources:
- FOPH FAQ Requirement to take out insurance (Sept 2025): FAQ Take out insurance (PDF) , “You have to take out health insurance within three months of becoming liable for compulsory insurance (e.g. of the date you take up residence …)”
- Overview for foreign students: FOPH – Health insurance: Foreign students in Switzerland
The default rule
People who take up residence in Switzerland are generally required to take out compulsory health insurance (LAMal / KVG) with an authorised Swiss insurer. Premiums and cost-sharing then follow the normal Swiss system.
Students from EU / EFTA / United Kingdom
Under the free-movement / social-security agreements, students from EU/EFTA/UK who are in Switzerland for education/training are not required to take out Swiss LAMal as long as they are not working and remain covered by their home-country system. They can receive treatment in Switzerland with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
If they start working in Switzerland, they must take out Swiss health insurance (place-of-work principle).
Source: FOPH foreign-students page; same point in the FOPH FAQ above (“You do not have to take out insurance” for non-working EU/EFTA/UK students).
Do you still need to file a Vaud dispense if you have an EHIC? (re-checked 2026-10-05)
- FOPH (federal): EU/EFTA/UK students in Switzerland for education or training are not required to take out Swiss LAMal if they don't work, and can get treatment here with their EHIC. A separate point: students with private insurance apply to the cantonal authority for an exemption. (FOPH)
- Vaud (canton): people in Switzerland for training (students, pupils, trainees) may request a dispense (exemption). An EHIC copy is accepted as proof of equivalent cover, together with proof of your status (for example a certificate of studies). OVAM (Office vaudois de l'assurance-maladie) is the office that checks everyone in Vaud is insured. (Vaud dispense request, Vaud insurance obligation) Vaud's rules say a dispense request must be made within three months of arriving in the canton (RLVLAMal art. 15c). (RLVLAMal, RSV 832.01.1)
- What neither page says: FOPH and Vaud don't say that every EHIC holder must file the Vaud form. They also don't say an EHIC alone, with no contact with the canton, is enough for OVAM's records.
- Practical recommendation (campus guidance, not FOPH or Vaud): within 3 months of arriving, file Vaud's online dispense request with a copy of your EHIC and your EPFL enrolment certificate, so OVAM has your exemption on record. EPFL's own health-insurance page says: "The copy of the European Health Insurance Card should then be sent for registration to the OVAM. This office will issue the exemption from taking out Swiss insurance" (EPFL – Health insurance). The ALSL student association's Tips & Tricks page says the same. That is a student association's advice only (ALSL Tips & Tricks).
- If you start working in Switzerland, the EHIC route ends and you must take out Swiss insurance (FOPH, above).
Students and trainees from other countries
Students/trainees from outside EU/EFTA/UK can apply for exemption from Swiss compulsory insurance if they have private insurance with cover equivalent to a Swiss basic insurer. Applications go to the competent cantonal authority.
FOPH states exemption can be granted for three years, renewable for another three years; after that, Swiss insurance is required.
Before you leave home: ask your home insurer to stamp and sign Vaud’s equivalence control form (available via the Vaud dispense service), and keep proof of student/trainee status. File the Vaud request within the three-month window above.
Sources: FOPH page above; Demander une dispense … | État de Vaud
Applying in Canton of Vaud
Vaud offers an online service to request a dispense (exemption) from the insurance obligation for foreigners residing in the canton, when equivalent cover is proven (e.g. EHIC copy, or Vaud’s equivalence control form stamped/signed by the foreign insurer, plus proof of student/trainee status).
Start here: Demander une dispense de l'assurance maladie pour les étrangers résidents dans le canton | État de Vaud
FOPH publishes a list of cantonal bodies authorised to grant exemptions (PDF linked from the FOPH foreign-students page , check the latest file on that page).
Important: rules differ by nationality, work status, and whether cover is truly equivalent. Do not assume you are exempt until the cantonal authority confirms (where a request is required). Starting paid work can change the answer overnight (especially for EU/EFTA/UK students).
Household contents and liability insurance (sometimes required for housing) are separate from LAMal health insurance.
Dental care is mostly not covered by LAMal: see Dental care and LAMal.
Vaccinations: since 1 January 2026, vaccinations in the Swiss vaccination plan are paid by LAMal without the franchise (the 10% co-payment still applies): see Vaccinations in Vaud.
Accident cover: LAMal covers accidents as far as no accident insurance pays. Keep accident cover included in your LAMal policy unless you work at least 8 hours a week for one employer (then that employer's accident insurance, LAA, also covers leisure accidents). See Accident insurance for students.
Pregnancy and birth: what LAMal pays and the maternity allowance: see Pregnancy and maternity basics in Vaud.
Physiotherapy: LAMal pays only with a doctor's prescription: see Physiotherapy and basic health insurance (LAMal).