Travel & overseas health cover for expats in Switzerland
Your Swiss basic insurance only stretches so far abroad. For trips beyond Europe, long stays or worldwide living, travel and international cover close the gap - including the big one basic insurance never pays: repatriation. Here's what you need, and where.
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What your Swiss cover pays abroad
Swiss basic insurance only reimburses emergency treatment abroad up to about twice what the same care would cost in Switzerland - fine in Europe, far too little in high-cost countries.
Within the EU/EFTA, the EHIC on the back of your Swiss insurance card gives you access to public healthcare on the same terms as locals. For short trips in Europe that's often enough on its own, though you'll still have local co-pays and no repatriation.
Outside Europe - the US, Canada, parts of Asia - hospital bills can run several times the equivalent Swiss cost. The "twice the Swiss cost" ceiling of basic insurance leaves a large gap you'd have to pay yourself. A single serious admission in the US can wipe out a year's savings.
Planned (non-emergency) treatment abroad isn't covered at all under basic insurance - so medical tourism, elective procedures or scheduled care overseas needs its own arrangement. See our basic insurance guide for what KVG does and doesn't include.
Travel insurance vs international health insurance
These are two different products for two different needs.
Travel insurance - sold as annual multi-trip or single-trip policies - covers trip cancellation, medical emergencies abroad, lost luggage and, crucially, repatriation. It's built around trips: you live in Switzerland, you go somewhere, you come back. Ideal for holidays, business travel and short-term stays.
International private medical insurance (IPMI) is a very different animal: full worldwide health cover that runs either alongside or, in some setups, in place of Swiss basic insurance. It's designed for people who live globally, spend long periods in different countries, or want worldwide access to private hospitals and clinics.
Most expats need one or the other, not both. Travel policies are cheap and cover the common case; IPMI is more expensive but proper cover if your life is genuinely international.
Repatriation and assistance - the big one
Medical repatriation - flying you home or to proper care - can cost tens of thousands of francs, and basic insurance won't pay it.
A medically supervised flight from a remote destination back to Switzerland can run from CHF 20,000 to well over CHF 100,000 depending on distance and the level of care needed on board. This single benefit often justifies a travel policy on its own, even if you never claim for anything else.
Good policies bundle this together with:
- 24/7 medical assistance - a hotline that will coordinate hospitals, translators and payments with local providers on your behalf.
- Medical evacuation to a suitable hospital if local facilities can't provide the care needed.
- Cover for accompanying family - so a partner or child can stay with you, or be flown home.
Credit-card travel cover is often thinner than people assume: modest medical limits, weak repatriation cover, and conditions like "trip paid in full on the card". Read the fine print before relying on it for anything beyond a short European trip.
What you need, by situation
Match your cover to how often and how far you actually travel.
A quick guide by profile:
- Occasional European trips - your EHIC plus a light travel policy (or a solid credit-card cover you've actually read) is usually enough.
- Frequent or long-haul travel - an annual multi-trip policy with strong medical and repatriation limits pays for itself quickly and takes the friction out of every trip.
- Living partly abroad, frequent US trips, or a genuinely global lifestyle - consider IPMI alongside KVG so you have proper care in both places, not a patchwork of emergency-only cover.
- Families - a family travel policy usually covers children cheaply or free; check the age limits and cover per person, not just the headline.
If you already carry generous supplemental health insurance in Switzerland, check what it includes for travel - some supplemental products include a decent travel and repatriation component, which can save you buying a separate policy.
Is your KVG enough abroad?
Pick where and how you travel - we'll show whether basic insurance is enough or you need a top-up.
Choose one with strong medical and repatriation limits, and check the destination isn't excluded (some policies cap or exclude the US and Canada).
Whatever you choose, make sure medical repatriation is covered - basic insurance won't pay it.
Indicative, as of 2025.
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OpenTravel & overseas cover - your questions, answered
Does Swiss basic insurance cover me abroad?
Only for emergencies, and only up to about twice the Swiss cost of the same treatment. That's often fine within Europe with your EHIC, but far too little in high-cost countries - and planned treatment abroad isn't covered at all.
Do I still need travel insurance if I have Swiss health insurance?
Usually yes. Travel insurance adds trip cancellation, higher medical limits for non-European destinations, lost luggage, and - most importantly - medical repatriation, which basic insurance won't pay.
What's the difference between travel and international health insurance?
Travel insurance covers trips - emergencies, cancellation, repatriation. International private medical insurance (IPMI) is full worldwide health cover for people who live globally or spend long periods abroad.
What is repatriation, and why does it matter?
Repatriation is transporting you home or to appropriate medical care when you fall seriously ill or are injured abroad. It can cost tens of thousands of francs and isn't covered by basic insurance - which is why it's the benefit to prioritise.
Is my credit card's travel cover enough?
Often not. Card cover can have low medical limits, tight conditions and weak repatriation cover. Check the fine print before relying on it for anything beyond a short European trip.
I live partly abroad - what do I need?
Look at international private medical insurance alongside your Swiss cover, so you have proper access to care in both places rather than relying on basic insurance's limited overseas reimbursement.
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