English-Speaking Insurance Brokers in Switzerland: How We Compare Them

Introduction: The “Step Two” of Your Swiss Relocation

Securing a dream apartment in Zurich, Zug, or Geneva is a major milestone. However, in the eyes of the Swiss authorities, signing your lease is only “Step One.” “Step Two” is ensuring you have compliant household, liability, and health insurance.

The Swiss insurance market is complex. For expats, the challenge is not finding insurance. It is deciding whom to ask, and how to tell a good adviser from a salesperson. At Prime Relocation we handle the logistics of your move. For insurance we explain the steps and, if you want, introduce you to an adviser. This guide sets out the criteria for comparing English-speaking brokers, so that you can apply them to any firm.

Disclosure

Expat Savvy is Prime Relocation’s preferred insurance partner. Advice is given by Lang & Partner GmbH. Prime Relocation is a relocation agency, not an insurance broker, and receives no payment for introductions.

Looking for 2027 premiums and the switching deadline? They are in our guide to Swiss health insurance for expats in 2027.

What Brokers Compare: The Insurers

Remember the golden rule: basic insurance (KVG) benefits are legally identical at every insurer. What differs is price, model, service quality, language support and above all the supplementary products. Large insurers that many expats ask about include SWICA, Helsana, CSS, Sanitas, Concordia and KPT. We do not rank insurers here. If you want to look at one insurer in depth, our preferred partner publishes reviews such as the SWICA review (Expat Savvy). Premiums depend on your premium region, age, deductible and model: use the official calculator at priminfo.admin.ch or Expat Savvy’s 2027 premium calculator, which lists every insurer for your postcode in English, and see the official 2027 figures in our health insurance guide.

Supplementary & Private Insurance: Where the Real Differences Are

Since basic coverage is standardized, the products that genuinely change your experience of Swiss healthcare are supplementary (VVG):

• Semi-private / private hospital insurance: free choice of doctor and hospital across Switzerland, one- or two-bed rooms. Some products extend private hospital coverage worldwide, which can matter for executives who travel.
• Dental insurance: dental work is not covered by basic insurance; supplementary dental plans are worth evaluating on arrival.
• Outpatient extras: glasses, alternative medicine, prevention and fitness contributions.
• International plans: for globally mobile executives, private international medical plans can complement or replace local supplementary coverage.

Expat Savvy’s comparison of 11 Swiss insurers puts their 2027 premiums side by side and explains where supplementary cover makes the difference.

⚠️ Important: Supplementary insurance is medically underwritten: insurers can and do reject applicants based on health history. If you want supplementary cover, apply while you are healthy. Waiting even a year can permanently close doors.

How to Choose a Broker: Our Criteria

These are the five points to check with any adviser, including our preferred partner. You can run the check yourself in an afternoon.

1. FINMA register entry. Registered insurance intermediaries are listed in the FINMA register. Search for the firm and note the date you checked.
2. Tied or non-tied. The register shows whether an intermediary is tied to one or more insurers or non-tied (can offer products of many insurers). Rely on the register entry, not on a website claim.
3. English-speaking advice. Your contracts will be in German, French or Italian, depending on the canton. Ask whether the advice and the documents are available in English, and test it with a first enquiry in English.
4. How they are paid. Most Swiss brokers are paid by the insurer when a contract is concluded; some charge the client a fee. Ask the adviser to confirm in writing how they are paid.
5. In writing. Ask for the recommendation, the alternatives considered and the reasons in writing before you sign anything.

Advisers We Looked At

The firms below are listed because readers ask about them. This is not a ranking and not a recommendation. Descriptions are what each firm says about itself. We have not yet published checks of their FINMA register entries or pay models, so use the five criteria above before you decide.

Expat Savvy: our preferred insurance partner

Expat Savvy offers a digital needs assessment for newcomers, covers health insurance and pension topics and advises in English, according to its website. It is Prime Relocation’s preferred insurance partner; advice is given by Lang & Partner GmbH. Prime Relocation receives no payment for introductions (see the disclosure above). Ask the firm to confirm its register entry, its tied or non-tied status and how it is paid.

SIP.ch

SIP.ch describes itself as a specialist in international private medical plans, for people who need cover that stays with them outside Switzerland.

Tax Savings & the 3rd Pillar: General Information

Insurance and tax planning are two sides of the same coin in Switzerland. The following is general information, not advice:

• Pillar 3a: in 2026 you can deduct up to CHF 7,258 (employed with pension fund) from taxable income. In a high-tax canton such as Zurich or Geneva that is typically CHF 1,800 to 2,500 of annual tax saved, depending on your situation. Expat Savvy’s Pillar 3a tax-saving estimate gives an indicative figure for your income band and canton.
• Bank vs. insurance 3a: mixed life-insurance 3a contracts are long-term and rigid, with surrender costs if you leave Switzerland. Bank-based 3a solutions are typically more flexible. Compare the costs and conditions of each offer and get written advice before you sign; Expat Savvy’s guide to bank and insurance 3a sets out when each fits.
• Pension-fund buy-ins: mid-career arrivals often have a contribution gap; voluntary buy-ins are deductible, subject to a blocking period for capital withdrawals.

For the full picture, including the CHF 120,000 income threshold that changes your tax filing, read our Swiss expat tax savings guide.

Other resources

• Insurance checklist for new arrivals in Switzerland (insurance-guide.ch): insurance-guide.ch publishes guides to Swiss insurance for people new to Switzerland.
• PrimAI health insurance app (primai.ch, German): an app for Switzerland that reads your policy with AI and shows the official FOPH premiums.

Frequently asked questions

Why would I use an insurance broker in Switzerland?

A broker compares insurers and products for you. Most Swiss brokers are paid by the insurer when a contract is concluded, so clients normally pay nothing directly. You can also go straight to an insurer or use the official premium calculator at priminfo.admin.ch. Whoever you choose, check the FINMA register and ask how they are paid.

How do I choose a Swiss health insurer as an expat?

There is no single insurer that suits everyone: basic insurance benefits are legally identical, so the differences are premium, model, service and supplementary products. Compare premiums for your own premium region, age, deductible and model in the official calculator at priminfo.admin.ch, then look at service and language.

Is supplementary (VVG) insurance worth it in Switzerland?

It depends on what you want covered. Semi-private or private hospital cover, dental and worldwide cover are the products expats ask about most. Insurers can reject VVG applications based on medical history, so if you want supplementary cover, apply in your healthy first months in Switzerland.

Do Swiss insurance brokers speak English?

Some do, but many local brokers work mainly in German or French. Expat Savvy, Prime Relocation’s preferred insurance partner, advises in English, according to its website. Whoever you consider, ask before you book whether advice and documents are available in English, and ask for the recommendation and its reasons in writing.

Is there a fee for using an insurance broker?

Most Swiss brokers are paid by the insurer when a contract is concluded, so you normally pay nothing directly. For basic insurance, the sector agreement that the Federal Council made binding for all insurers (in force since 1 September 2024) caps what an insurer may pay an intermediary at CHF 70 per insured person; supplementary insurance has a separate, higher limit. Ask any adviser, including our preferred partner, to confirm in writing how they are paid.

How do I check whether a broker is registered?

Search for the firm or person in the FINMA register of insurance intermediaries at finma.ch. The entry shows whether the intermediary is tied to one or more insurers or non-tied. Compare this with what the broker tells you and note the date you checked.

Does Prime Relocation earn money when I use Expat Savvy?

No. Prime Relocation receives no payment for introductions to Expat Savvy. Prime Relocation is a relocation agency, not an insurance broker: we explain the steps and, if you want, introduce you to an adviser, and we do not arrange insurance for you. Advice is given by Lang & Partner GmbH. Ask them in writing how they are paid.

Should I open my Pillar 3a with a bank or an insurance company?

This is general information, not advice. Bank and app-based 3a solutions are typically more flexible than mixed life-insurance 3a policies, which are long-term contracts with high surrender costs if you leave Switzerland. Compare the costs and conditions of each offer and get written advice before you sign.

Conclusion: Don’t Compromise on Compliance

In Switzerland, insurance is not just a financial choice. For health insurance it is a legal obligation. Rushing into a plan with a random adviser can lead to years of overpaying or to gaps in coverage. Use the criteria above for any broker you consider, ask how they are paid, and get the recommendation in writing.

Our settling-in services cover the rest of your move. For insurance we explain the steps and, if you want, introduce you to an adviser; we do not arrange insurance for you.

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