# Cross-border workers: LAMal or insurance where you live?

> Do you live in France, Germany, Italy or Austria and work in Switzerland? Right of option, 3-month deadline, calculations and steps, with the sources.

https://premimatch.ch/en/cross-border-workers/ · Source: Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), [2027 premium data](https://opendata.swiss/fr/dataset/health-insurance-premiums) published on 29.09.2026. Page updated on 16.10.2026. · https://premimatch.ch/en/cross-border-workers.md

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Cross-border workers

# You work in Switzerland and live abroad: which health insurance?

If you live in France, Germany, Italy or Austria and work in Switzerland, you can ask, within 3 months, to stay in the health system of your country instead of Swiss basic health insurance (LAMal, called KVG in German). This choice is final, except in specific cases. This page brings together the rules, the deadlines, the figures and the steps, with the source of each piece of information. It calculates and explains; it does not advise. The decision is yours.

Sources consulted on 5 October 2026. Rules and figures change: dates are given, and 2027 amounts that are not yet published are flagged as such.

## Where do you live?

One page per country: your deadline, what each route provides, what it costs, your family and the steps, all in one place.

- [**I live in France** Urssaf contribution, CPAM, carte Vitale, choice form.](https://premimatch.ch/en/cross-border-workers/france/)
- [**I live in Germany** Statutory insurance (GKV), your fund’s additional contribution, form S1.](https://premimatch.ch/en/cross-border-workers/germany/)
- [**I live in Italy** National health service, law 213/2023, request for exemption.](https://premimatch.ch/en/cross-border-workers/italy/)
- [**I live in Austria** Right of option, form, 3-month deadline.](https://premimatch.ch/en/cross-border-workers/austria/)

### I live in another country

There is no right of option for cross-border workers who live in another EU state, or in Iceland, Norway or the United Kingdom: Swiss insurance applies (FOPH table of August 2023). Cross-border workers who live in Liechtenstein come under the insurance of their country of residence. For any other state, the FOPH can give information.

## What applies to everyone

- **If you do nothing, Swiss insurance applies to you.** The obligation follows the place of work: anyone who works in Switzerland, and their family members without paid work, must be insured in Switzerland unless exempted or an exception applies. If you are not affiliated within 3 months, the authority assigns you to a Swiss insurer. [Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), in German](https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/krankenversicherung-grenzgaengerinnen-und-grenzgaenger-in-der-schweiz)
- **The deadline is 3 months.** The request must be filed within that period with the authority of the canton where you work. The starting point varies by source: see the page for your country (question “When do the 3 months start?”).
- **The choice is final** for as long as your cross-border work continues without interruption. It reopens only in specific cases.
- **Saying nothing is not choosing.** According to the Federal Supreme Court, staying in your country’s system without having asked for the exemption does not count as exercising the right of option.
- **The Swiss premium depends on the country of residence**, not on your salary or your canton of employment. In your country’s system, the contribution generally depends on your income: the page for your country puts the two amounts side by side (except for Austria, whose contributions are not dealt with here).

## Sources

Every statement on this page rests on one or more sources; the nature of each is indicated. Open them to check: the rules may have changed since the date above.

### The choice and Swiss law

- [OFSP](https://www.bag.admin.ch/fr/assurance-maladie-travailleurs-frontaliers-en-suisse) official page
- [BAG](https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/krankenversicherung-grenzgaengerinnen-und-grenzgaenger-in-der-schweiz) official page
- [UFSP](https://www.bag.admin.ch/it/assicurazione-malattie-lavoratori-frontalieri-in-svizzera) official page
- [Gemeinsame Einrichtung KVG](https://www.kvg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024_de_versicherungspflicht_optionsrecht-grenzgaenger.pdf) official page
- [OFSP, tableau « Assujettissement à l’assurance-maladie obligatoire de personnes résidant dans un État de l’UE/AELE ou au Royaume-Uni » (août 2023)](https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/fr/sd-web/o7v72vUcJvBA/wohnsitz-eu-unterstellung-kv.pdf) official page
- [Istituzione comune LAMal](https://www.kvg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024_it_diritto-dopzione-per-frontalieri.pdf) official page
- [Fedlex, annexe XI « Suisse » du règlement (CE) 883/2004 (accord sur la libre circulation, annexe II), point 3 b)](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2012/323/fr) legal text
- [Canton du Tessin, IAS, informations valables dès le 1.1.2026](https://www4.ti.ch/fileadmin/DSS/IAS/pdf/informazioni_periodiche/2026_Informazioni_periodiche_AM_obbligo_assicurativo_e_morosi_-_SCA.pdf) official page
- [Fedlex, OAMal (KVV): art. 2 al. 6, 7, 8, 101a, 103](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1995/3867_3867_3867/fr) legal text
- [Tribunal fédéral, ATF 147 V 387 (9C_30/2020 du 14.6.2021), texte sur bger.ch](https://www.bger.ch/ext/eurospider/live/de/php/clir/http/index.php?highlight_docid=atf%3A%2F%2F147-V-387%3Ade&lang=de&zoom=&type=show_document) court ruling
- [Canton Ticino, Istituto delle assicurazioni sociali](https://www4.ti.ch/dss/ias/prestazioni-e-contributi/scheda/p/s/dettaglio/assicurazione-malattia-obbligatoria-lamal) official page
- [Institution commune LAMal, « Optionsrecht im Allgemeinen » (octobre 2018)](https://www.kvg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024_de_optionsrecht-im-allgemeinen.pdf) official page
- [Assurance Maladie (ameli)](https://www.ameli.fr/assure/droits-demarches/europe-international/travailleur-frontalier-suisse) official page
- [CLEISS](https://www.cleiss.fr/faq/droit_d_option_des_frontaliers_france-suisse.html) official page
- [Canton de Genève (SAM)](https://www.ge.ch/assurance-maladie-frontaliers-residant-france) official page
- [Canton de Berne, fiche frontaliers (novembre 2021)](https://www.asv.dij.be.ch/content/dam/asv_dij/dokumente/de/kvg-obligatorium/Informationsblatt%20f%C3%BCr%20Grenzg%C3%A4nger%20ab%201.1.2022_de.pdf) official page
- [Accord entre les autorités suisses et françaises du 7 juillet 2016, art. 2 al. 2 (OFSP)](https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/fr/sd-web/RnlNq-pnkPqB/accord-juli-2016-mit-frankreich.pdf) official page
- [Fedlex, LAMal: art. 5, 6, 6a, 8, 61](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1995/1328_1328_1328/fr) legal text
- [Tribunal fédéral, 9C_801/2014](https://www.bger.ch/ext/eurospider/live/de/php/aza/http/index.php?highlight_docid=aza://10-03-2015-9C_801-2014&lang=de&type=show_document&zoom=YES) court ruling
- [OFSP, lettre d’information du 20 avril 2015 (arrêt 9C_801/2014)](https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/fr/sd-web/R9xqYWKilq-x/infoschreiben-optionsrecht-kv-urteil-bundesgericht.pdf) official page
- [OFSP, FAQ accord France du 7 juillet 2016 (juillet 2017)](https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/fr/sd-web/Ivc5HCvpoyhK/faq-abkommen-frankreich-7-juli-2016.pdf) official page
- [Institution commune LAMal](https://www.kvg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024_fr_droit-doption-des-frontaliers.pdf) official page
- [Canton de Genève, frontaliers résidant dans un État de l’UE/AELE/UK](https://www.ge.ch/assurance-maladie-personnes-residantes-dans-etat-membre-ue/aele/uk) official page
- [OFSP, bénéficiaires d’une rente suisse à l’étranger](https://www.bag.admin.ch/fr/assurance-maladie-beneficiaires-dune-rente-suisse-a-letranger) official page

## What this page does not do

- It gives no advice on which insurance to take and does not rank the systems.
- It does not replace the cantonal authority, your health insurer or fund, or legal advice.
- It does not deal with a country’s private insurance, supplementary cover, tax rules (except for France, where they are summarised) or the case of cross-border workers who live in other countries.
- It does not present 2027 amounts that are not yet published.

## Do you live in Switzerland?

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[Compare my 2027 premiums](https://premimatch.ch/en/)