Healthcare in Zurich: compulsory insurance, the S1 and finding a doctor who speaks English

Swiss healthcare is superb, but nobody hands it to you: within three months of arriving you must buy your own basic health insurance, and you'll pay towards most bills on top.

The short version

• Everyone living in Switzerland must have basic health insurance (Grundversicherung), bought from a government-approved insurer within three months of arriving, unless the UK funds your healthcare [1][2][5].
• It isn't free at the point of use: you pay a yearly deductible (the franchise, from CHF 300 for adults), then 10% of further bills up to CHF 700 a year [1][4].
• In 2027 the average adult premium in the canton of Zurich is CHF 477 a month (about £435), up 5.7% on 2026 [6].
• UK State Pensioners can usually have their Swiss healthcare paid for by the UK with an S1 [1].
• The GHIC is for visits and study, not for living here [1][3].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = CHF 1.0976).

How Swiss healthcare differs from the NHS

Back home in Blighty, you register with a GP and the bill is settled through tax and National Insurance. Switzerland works the other way round. Each adult buys their own policy, pays a monthly premium per person (not per household, and not linked to income), and shares the cost of treatment through the franchise and a 10% co-payment [4].

GOV.UK puts it plainly: everyone who lives in Switzerland must register as a resident and get health insurance, choosing from a list of government-approved providers [1]. There's no company scheme to fall back on. A job brings accident insurance, not health insurance, so budget for the premium from day one.

The basic insurance is the same by law whichever insurer you pick. Insurers must accept everyone for it, whatever their age or health [5]. What differs is the price, the franchise you choose and the model (free choice of doctor, or a cheaper model where you go through a family doctor or a telephone service first). Our guide to Swiss health insurance, basic cover and the franchise goes through that choice in detail.

Your first three months: getting covered

The FCDO's Living in Switzerland guide says that unless you have UK-funded healthcare, you must buy insurance with a Swiss health insurer within three months of arriving [2]. The Swiss government's own site says the same, and adds that you're already insured during those three months once you sign up in time [5]. The canton checks that people who register as residents have cover, so it isn't something you can quietly skip.

1. Register at your Kreisbüro (in the city of Zurich) or your Gemeinde, as you'd have to anyway for your permit.
2. Compare premiums on priminfo.ch, the federal comparison site. Enter your postcode, ages and the franchise you want, and it lists every insurer's price, including the cheaper models [6].
3. Apply to the insurer you choose. It can't turn you down for basic cover [5].
4. Get your card. Show your insurance card at every appointment [1].
5. Check accident cover. If you work more than eight hours a week for an employer, you're covered by compulsory accident insurance through work and don't need accident cover on your health policy [4].

What it costs in 2027

The Federal Office of Public Health announced the 2027 premiums on 29 September 2026. Across Switzerland the average premium rises 5.0% to CHF 412 a month (about £375) [6]. Zurich is a little below the national average for adults, but rising faster:

These averages come from the federal table of cantonal premiums and take in all franchises and models [6]. Your own premium depends on your exact postcode, your age, the insurer, the franchise and the model, so treat the table as a guide. On those averages, a couple with two children would pay around CHF 1,210 a month (about £1,100). If money is tight, the canton of Zurich pays premium reductions to lower earners, explained in our insurance guide.

UK State Pensioners and the S1

If you're retiring to Zurich on a UK State Pension, the UK may pay for your Swiss healthcare. Under the UK–Switzerland social security convention, which took effect on 1 November 2021, eligible UK nationals living in Switzerland can have their healthcare funded by the UK [1].

• Who qualifies: Swiss residents getting a UK State Pension or another exportable UK benefit, who are UK, Swiss or EU nationals (or refugees, stateless people, or dependants or survivors of these) [1].
• How to apply: ask NHS Overseas Healthcare Services for an S1 application form by phone on +44 (0)191 218 1999 [1].
• Registering it: register the S1 with the Gemeinsame Einrichtung KVG, Switzerland's central health insurance institution. You then get an insurance card and are treated on the same basis as a Swiss citizen [1].
• Keeping it: you'll be sent new S1 forms from time to time, and each must be registered to keep your cover. Tell Overseas Healthcare Services if your address or circumstances change [1].
• Dependants: if you're covered as the dependant of a State Pensioner, that cover ends once you start claiming your own UK State Pension [1].

If your S1 registration is delayed and you need urgent treatment, ring Overseas Healthcare Services on the same number [1]. S1 holders also get a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for travel [1]. Our guide to the NHS when you live abroad and the S1 covers the UK side, and if you also work in Switzerland, different rules may decide which country pays.

The GHIC: for visits, not for living

A UK Global Health Insurance Card can be used in Switzerland by British nationals (and Swiss and EU citizens, refugees, stateless people and their family members) for necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay [3]. It's what you carry on a recce trip to Zurich or a weekend visit before the move. It doesn't cover private treatment or getting you home, so travel insurance still matters [3].

Once you live here, the GHIC stops being the answer. Two exceptions:

• Students from the UK should apply for a Student GHIC to cover necessary state care during their course, and a valid Student EHIC can be used until it expires [1].
• Posted workers sent to Switzerland temporarily by a UK employer may be covered by a GHIC, EHIC or S1, and may need an A1 certificate from HMRC showing they still pay UK National Insurance [1]. See our guide to working abroad for a UK employer.

Once you're insured in Switzerland, you may be entitled to a Swiss EHIC for trips around Europe [1].

Seeing a doctor in Zurich

What you'll still pay

Even with insurance, the bills keep coming for a while each year. You pay everything up to your franchise (CHF 300 at the lowest for adults, about £273), then 10% of the rest up to CHF 700 a year for adults (about £638) or CHF 350 for children [4]. A hospital stay adds CHF 15 a day (about £14), though children, young adults in education and women having maternity care don't pay that [1][4]. Dental treatment for adults is generally not covered by basic insurance, so a filling can sting twice.

Finding an English-speaking doctor

English is widely spoken in Zurich's surgeries, especially around the city centre, Seefeld, Enge and the lakeside towns where many international families live.

• Ask your insurer. If you choose a family-doctor or HMO model, your insurer gives you a list of practices to pick from, and many say which languages they speak.
• Use the FCDO list. The Living in Switzerland guide links to a list of English-speaking medical facilities [2].
• Ask other Brits. A recommendation from someone who's already sorted is the quickest route to a good GP.

Out of hours and emergencies

• 144 is the ambulance number for life-threatening emergencies [7].
• AERZTEFON, 0800 33 66 55, is the canton of Zurich's free medical helpline, staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For anything urgent but not life-threatening, medical or dental, its staff and doctors assess you and send you to the right place: a duty doctor, dentist, pharmacy or hospital [7]. Think of it as Zurich's answer to NHS 111. The call is free; the treatment is billed in the usual way [7].
• Hospitals. The city's big public hospitals include the University Hospital Zurich (Universitätsspital), the city-run Stadtspital Zürich and, for children, the University Children's Hospital (Kinderspital).

Before you leave the UK

Tell your GP surgery you're moving abroad, ask for a copy of your records and bring a supply of any regular medicine while your Swiss cover starts. If you're keeping a UK address, remember that NHS hospital treatment is based on where you live, not on your passport. The Switzerland travel advice was last updated on 11 August 2026 when we checked on 7 November 2026 [8].

Found a brilliant English-speaking GP in Wiedikon or Oerlikon? Share it in our community group for Brits in Switzerland.

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Healthcare in Switzerland (last updated 1 November 2021, still the current guidance at 11 November 2026)
2. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Switzerland (last updated 24 December 2025)
3. NHS: Apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)
4. ch.ch: Health insurance costs
5. ch.ch: Health insurance: taking out, changing, cancelling
6. Federal Office of Public Health (BAG): Krankenkassenprämien steigen durchschnittlich um 5,0 Prozent (29 September 2026, with the table of cantonal average premiums 2026/2027)
7. AERZTEFON: medical helpline for the canton of Zurich
8. GOV.UK (FCDO): Switzerland travel advice (updated 11 August 2026)

Keep reading

• Swiss health insurance: basic cover and the franchise
• Moving to Zurich as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• Cost of living in Zurich vs London and the UK average
• The NHS when you live abroad (and the S1 for pensioners in the EU)