--- title: "Student Health Insurance: How to pay 80 CHF instead of 400 CHF?" url: https://www.ibani.com/en/guides/student-health-insurance-switzerland-savings lang: en date_modified: 2026-09-30 author: "Brice DELHOME" --- ![Student Insurance Switzerland](https://www.ibani.com/images/assurance-maladie-etudiant-suisse.png) # Student Health Insurance: How to pay 80 CHF instead of 400 CHF? 5 min read | 13 February 2026 | Updated on 30 September 2026 Guide 2026 Author: [Brice DELHOME](https://www.ibani.com/en/author/brice-delhome) ๐Ÿ“Œ In short: cutting your student health insurance costs in Switzerland - **Health insurance is compulsory for students:** anyone residing in Switzerland for more than 3 months must have basic health insurance (LAMal), which costs between 350 and 500 CHF per month depending on the canton. If you do nothing, the canton enrolls you automatically and sends you the bill. - **EU/EFTA students who do not work in Switzerland:** the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) lets you request an exemption from the cantonal service (SAM in Geneva, OVAM in Vaud); your care then remains covered by your home country. - **Non-EU/EFTA students, or students without a usable EHIC:** foreign-student insurance plans recognized by the cantons cost around 65 to 100 CHF per month, compared with around 380 CHF for standard LAMal. They are reserved for students under 30 without a job and cover essential care in Switzerland. - **The exemption does not happen by itself:** you must send the canton the exemption request, with your insurance certificate and your enrollment certificate, within 3 months of your arrival. A student job or a paid internship can cancel the exemption. **It's the #1 shock upon arriving in Switzerland: health insurance is mandatory and extremely expensive (between 350 and 500 CHF per month depending on the canton). For a student budget, this is often impossible.** Fortunately, there are legal solutions for international students (EU and Non-EU) to drastically reduce this bill, sometimes down to less than 100 CHF per month. Warning: doing nothing is illegal. You must obtain an official **exemption**. Here is the procedure to save thousands of francs. ## 1\. Is LAMal health insurance compulsory for a student? Anyone residing in Switzerland for more than 3 months must take out basic health insurance (LAMal). If you do nothing, the canton will automatically affiliate you with an expensive insurance and send you the bill. However, the federal Health Insurance Ordinance ([KVV/OAMal, art. 2](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1995/3867_3867_3867/fr#art_2)) provides exceptions for people staying in Switzerland for education or training, including students, provided they have equivalent cover. ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ EU/EFTA STUDENTS: FREE (WITH CONDITIONS) If you come from a European Union country (France, Germany, Italy...) and you **do not work** in Switzerland: - You can use your **European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)**. - **Cost:** Free (covered by your home country). - **Action required:** Send a copy of your EHIC to the cantonal service (SAM/OVAM) to request an exemption. ## 2\. Which insurance should a student from outside the EU/EFTA choose? If you come from a third country (USA, Asia, UK, Latin America...) or if you cannot use the European card, you do not have to pay the LAMal at 400 CHF. Private insurers offer "Foreign Student Insurance" (compliant with Swiss VVG/LCA standards) which covers exactly what the law requires, but at a rate adapted to young people. | Comparison | LAMal Insurance (Standard) | Student Insurance (e.g., Swisscare) | | --- | --- | --- | | **Monthly Price (Estimated)** | ~380 CHF | ~65 to 100 CHF | | **Annual Deductible** | 300 to 2,500 CHF | Often low (e.g., 300 CHF) | | **Coverage** | Complete (Unlimited) | Limited to essential care in Switzerland (Sufficient for permit) | | **Eligibility** | Everyone | Students (under 30, unemployed) | \*Examples of insurers recognized by cantons: Swisscare, Scorestudies, Academic Care. (ibani is not affiliated with these services). ## 3\. How do you apply for an exemption from LAMal? Subscribing to cheap insurance is not enough. You must **prove** to the canton that you are covered to avoid paying LAMal. This is the "Equivalence Request". ### Key Steps: 1. Subscribe to the student insurance (you will receive a certificate). 2. Receive the letter from the Canton (SAM in Geneva, OVAM in Vaud) asking you to insure yourself. 3. Return the "Exemption Request" form with your certificate and your certificate of enrollment. 4. **Important:** You have 3 months after your arrival to do this. For students from a country outside the EU/EFTA/United Kingdom, the exemption is granted for 3 years and can be extended by up to 3 years, according to the [Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)](https://www.bag.admin.ch/en/health-insurance-foreign-students-in-switzerland). โš ๏ธ WARNING IF YOU WORK If you take a student job (more than a few hours) or a paid internship, the exemption may be cancelled and you will have to switch to standard LAMal (more expensive). Find out before signing an employment contract. ## 4\. How to pay your insurance without bank fees? Even if you reduce the bill to 80 CHF per month, you must pay this amount in **Swiss Francs (CHF)** to the insurer. If you use your foreign bank account (in Euros or Dollars) to pay this monthly bill via international transfer: - Your bank will apply **exchange fees** (often 2 to 5 EUR min. per transfer). - On an 80 CHF bill, paying 5 EUR in fees represents a **6% monthly surcharge!** ### The ibani solution: Use your **ibani Swiss IBAN** to pay your bills (Rent, Insurance, Phone) like a local. 1. Transfer a lump sum (e.g., 1000 EUR) to your ibani account. 2. The money is exchanged at the market rate, plus a margin of 0.40% to 0.15% depending on the amount. 3. Pay your Swiss bills for free in CHF from the app. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does a foreign student have to take out LAMal health insurance in Switzerland? Anyone settling in Switzerland must take out health insurance within 3 months. A student can, however, apply for an exemption if they have equivalent cover. Students from the EU, EFTA or the United Kingdom who do not work in Switzerland remain covered by their home country through the EHIC; others must present private insurance recognized by the canton. ### How much does health insurance cost for a foreign student in Switzerland? Standard LAMal insurance costs between 350 and 500 CHF per month depending on the canton. Insurance plans for foreign students recognized by the cantons cost about 65 to 100 CHF per month. They are reserved for students under 30 who are not employed and cover essential care in Switzerland. ### What is the deadline to apply for the exemption? The exemption request must reach the cantonal office within 3 months of arrival: the SAM in Geneva, the OVAM in the canton of Vaud. It must include the insurance certificate, the equivalence control form completed by the insurer, and the enrollment certificate. If you do nothing, the canton automatically enrols you with a LAMal health insurer. ### How long does the exemption last for a non-EU/EFTA student? According to the Federal Office of Public Health, the exemption granted to a student from a country outside the EU/EFTA/United Kingdom is valid for 3 years and can be extended by up to 3 years. It requires private insurance offering cover equivalent to that of a Swiss health insurer, and the application is made to the competent cantonal authority. ### Can a student job cancel the exemption? It can. A student who works in Switzerland generally becomes subject to compulsory Swiss health insurance, under the place-of-work principle recalled by the FOPH. A student job or a paid internship can therefore cancel the exemption and require standard LAMal insurance: check with the cantonal office before signing the contract. ## Official sources - [Health insurance: foreign students in Switzerland](https://www.bag.admin.ch/en/health-insurance-foreign-students-in-switzerland) โ€” Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), accessed 30 September 2026 - [Health Insurance Ordinance (KVV/OAMal), art. 2: exceptions to compulsory insurance (in French)](https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/1995/3867_3867_3867/fr#art_2) โ€” Fedlex, accessed 30 September 2026 - [Geneva (SAM): health insurance exemption for foreign students (in French)](https://www.ge.ch/affiliation-obligatoire-caisse-assurance-maladie/dispense-assurance-maladie-etudiants-etrangers) โ€” ge.ch, accessed 30 September 2026 - [Vaud (OVAM): applying for a health insurance exemption (in French)](https://www.vd.ch/prestation/demander-une-dispense-de-lassurance-maladie-pour-les-etrangers-residents-dans-le-canton) โ€” vd.ch, accessed 30 September 2026 - [Zurich (SVA): compulsory health insurance and exemptions](https://svazurich.ch/unsere-produkte/weitere-produkte/krankenversicherung--kvg-/compulsory-health-insurance/krankenversicherungspflicht-wer-hat-anspruch.html) โ€” SVA Zรผrich, accessed 30 September 2026 ## Save on your Swiss bills Don't let exchange fees spoil the savings made on your insurance. 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