Pregnancy and maternity basics in Vaud
What basic health insurance pays during pregnancy and birth, who gets the federal maternity allowance, the main job protections, and the first admin steps after the birth. For premiums and choosing an insurer, see Health insurance (LAMal).
Key facts
- No franchise or co-pay from week 13 to 8 weeks after birth. Pregnancy-specific services are always free of cost-sharing; from the 13th week, general medical care is too, even for illness unrelated to the pregnancy (FOPH).
- Seven check-ups and two ultrasounds are paid in a normal pregnancy, plus a CHF 150 contribution to a birth preparation course (FOPH).
- Maternity allowance: 14 weeks (98 days) at 80% of earnings, at most CHF 220 per day. Only for mothers who were working (or in certain equivalent situations) before the birth (AVS/AI memento 6.02).
- Insure your baby within 3 months of the birth; cover then starts from the birth (FOPH).
- Free counselling: PROFA's perinatal service offers free talks from early pregnancy until the child is 6 months old.
1. What basic insurance (LAMal) pays
Basic insurance (assurance obligatoire des soins, AOS) covers, on top of normal illness cover (FOPH):
- check-ups by a doctor or midwife (sage-femme) during and after pregnancy: seven in a normal pregnancy, more if the pregnancy is at risk;
- two ultrasounds in a normal pregnancy (weeks 12 to 14 and weeks 20 to 23);
- the first-trimester screening test;
- the birth at home, in hospital or in a birth centre (maison de naissance), if the hospital or centre is on your canton's hospital list;
- a CHF 150 contribution to a birth preparation course or a preparation talk with a midwife;
- three breastfeeding counselling sessions;
- midwife home visits after the birth, and a post-natal check between the 6th and 10th week.
Cost-sharing (participation aux coûts). Your insurer may not charge franchise or co-pay on these maternity services. From the 13th week of pregnancy until 8 weeks after the birth, general medical care is also exempt, including treatment of illnesses that have nothing to do with the pregnancy (FOPH). Before week 13, care for illness (including pregnancy complications) is billed normally.
Premiums, franchise choice and premium reductions are on Health insurance (LAMal) and LAMal premium reduction.
2. Federal maternity allowance (APG)
The maternity allowance (allocation de maternité) is paid under the loss-of-earnings scheme (APG).
- Amount: 80% of your average earnings before the birth, at most CHF 220 per day, for up to 14 weeks (98 days) from the day of birth. It ends early if you go back to work, even part time (memento 6.02, edition 1 Jan 2025).
- Status at the birth: you must be employed, self-employed, unemployed with unemployment benefits (or enough contribution time), unable to work and receiving benefits based on a previous salary, or have a valid work contract.
- Insurance and work period: compulsorily insured under the AVS for the 9 months before the birth (shorter for premature births), and in paid work for at least 5 months in that period. Periods in the EU, EFTA or UK count.
Students: if you are not working, you usually do not meet these conditions. A student job can count if the conditions above are met. Ask your AVS compensation office (caisse de compensation) before the birth. The CHF 220 maximum has applied since 1 January 2025 and is unchanged in the law as of June 2026 (LAPG art. 16f); the conditions are in LAPG art. 16b.
The one-off birth allowance is a different benefit: see Family allowances for student parents.
Leave for the father or the mother's wife: see Paternity and other-parent leave.
3. Job protection (employees)
From the Code of Obligations (CO, art. 336c) for dismissal, and the Labour Act (LTr, art. 35a) for working time (SECO):
- Your employer may not dismiss you during the whole pregnancy and the 16 weeks after the birth (after the probation period).
- You may not be employed during the 8 weeks after the birth; from week 9 to 16 only if you agree.
- In the 8 weeks before the birth, you may not work between 20:00 and 6:00.
- Pregnant employees can stay off work or leave work on simple notice. Whether you are paid then depends on your contract.
4. After the birth: civil status and the baby's insurance
- Birth registration: the hospital or birth centre must report the birth to the civil status office (état civil) within three working days; for a home birth, the midwife or doctor does it (vd.ch). Bring copies of both parents' ID documents to the maternity ward; the vd.ch page lists the other documents, and the special rules for foreign nationals and unmarried parents.
- First names: announced to the civil status office together with the birth (vd.ch).
- Health insurance for the baby: take out basic insurance within 3 months of the birth. Cover then starts from the birth, and premiums are due from the birth too. If you are late, cover starts only when you sign up and a premium surcharge can apply (FOPH).
- Also tell your commune (contrôle des habitants) and, if relevant, your consulate: see Register with your consulate.
5. Free counselling in Vaud
- PROFA perinatal counselling (Conseil en périnatalité): free one-hour talks with a counsellor midwife and/or a perinatal social worker, from the start of pregnancy until the child is 6 months old. Partners welcome. Phone 021 631 01 50. It is part of the cantonal child (0 to 4) and parent health programme.
- Unplanned pregnancy, contraception and sexual health: PROFA's sexual-health centres, see Sexual health in Vaud.
- EPFL students: EPFL's Social consultation helps pregnant students and student parents with study and budget steps: see Family and partner permits.
- Childcare: register early, often during pregnancy: see Childcare and daycare in Vaud.