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Can I keep my French health insurance when I move to Switzerland?
No, in the vast majority of cases. The moment you move your residence to Switzerland, LAMal becomes compulsory and your French cover ends.
The much-discussed right of option between LAMal and the French social security system only exists for cross-border workers — that is, people who keep their home in France. If you are moving, it does not apply to you.
There are six grounds for exemption, for specific situations: posted workers, training, international civil servants, residence without gainful employment. All of them have to be claimed within three months of arrival, and the canton decides.
To apply for an exemption
After that, the canton signs you up to a Swiss insurer itself.
For exemption under the law
All of them require cover equivalent to LAMal.
Clearing up the confusion: cross-border worker or resident
This is where the whole misunderstanding comes from. Two very different situations raise the same question, and only one of them gives you a choice.
| Your situation | Do you have a choice? | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| You live in France and work in Switzerland (cross-border worker) |
Yes | Right of option between LAMal and the French social security system, to be used once only, within three months |
| You are moving to Switzerland (resident) |
No | LAMal compulsory, unless the canton grants an exemption |
In Europe, it is the country where you live or work that decides which health insurance system you belong to, not you. The cross-border worker is an exception negotiated between Switzerland and France, because they live on one side and work on the other. Someone who moves no longer has that foot in France.
The six grounds for exemption
| Who | On what condition |
|---|---|
| Posted worker Sent to Switzerland temporarily by a foreign employer | Being exempt from AVS and AI, and holding equivalent cover. Extends to family members |
| Student, pupil, trainee In training or further training in Switzerland | Cover equivalent to what Switzerland requires |
| International civil servant or diplomat And former international civil servants | Recognised status, with no further equivalence test |
| Person without gainful employment Holding a residence permit on that basis | Equivalent cover |
| Insured in a state with no agreement with Switzerland | Cover equivalent to what Switzerland requires |
| Foreign cover that is clearly better | Joining LAMal would clearly worsen your protection, and your age or state of health stops you taking out equivalent supplementary cover |
The grounds and how they are assessed come from federal law, but it is the cantonal health insurance office that handles the case and decides.
The canton compares your foreign policy with LAMal benefits, item by item, using an equivalence check form. An insurance policy that caps reimbursements, excludes treatments or imposes a waiting period will not pass.
And a French mutuelle on its own replaces nothing: it tops up a basic scheme. Without that scheme, it covers almost nothing.
How to apply for the exemption
-
Register with your commune
It is that registration that triggers the letter from the cantonal health insurance office, and starts the three-month countdown.
-
Fill in the equivalence check form
The canton provides it, often in French, German and English. Attach your foreign insurance policy and your certificate of cover, translated if need be.
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Send it before the three months are up
Some cantons deal with it in a few working days. If you have not replied by the deadline, the canton signs you up to an insurer of its choosing — often dearer than the one you would have picked.
File the exemption application and compare Swiss insurers at the same time. If the exemption is refused in the second month, you still have a few weeks to choose — instead of being signed up for you. Preparing both routes costs nothing, and it is the only way not to get stuck.
What about the French mutuelle?
You can keep it, nobody is stopping you. But ask yourself what it is for: a mutuelle reimburses what the social security system has left. With no French basic scheme, there is nothing left to top up.
Two cases where keeping it makes sense: you have ongoing treatment in France, or you are planning to move back soon. Otherwise it becomes a premium you get nothing for.
The three most common mistakes
- Believing the right of option applies when you move. It is only for cross-border workers, who keep their home in France.
- Waiting for the canton's answer without preparing anything. The three-month deadline runs while your case is being handled, not after.
- Keeping your French insurance "for now". Without a written exemption you are in breach — and the canton will sign you up itself, with a premium surcharge if the delay is judged inexcusable.
Posted worker, student, no gainful employment, or simply a new resident?
Heidi tells you whether an exemption is possible in your case.
Read next
- Retirement as a cross-border worker: AVS, the second pillar and the second right to choose
- Family allowances for cross-border workers: Switzerland or France?
- What happens to my second pillar when I leave my Swiss job?
- Unemployment as a cross-border worker: where to register, who pays and how much?
- G permit: conditions, going home and changing employer
- Quasi-resident status: who can apply, and by when?
- Who gets my taxes as a cross-border worker: France or Switzerland?
- How much do you take home in Switzerland as a cross-border worker?
- How many days of remote work can I do without losing my cross-border worker status?
- Do I have to file a tax return in my first year in Switzerland?
- Am I entitled to a premium subsidy for my health insurance?
- How does the Swiss three-pillar pension system work?
- How long do I have to join LAMal after arriving in Switzerland?
- What does LAMal cover, and what does it not cover?
- Which deductible should I choose for my Swiss health insurance?
Sources
- République et canton de Genève — Applying for an exemption from compulsory health insurance
- Institution commune LAMal — The duty to insure, exceptions and the right of option
- Form for choosing your health insurance system (France-Switzerland right of option)
Written by the Heidi team and updated on 7 November 2026. The grounds for exemption come from federal law, but how they are assessed and the documents required vary from canton to canton. The decision rests with the cantonal health insurance office.