Health Insurance

Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Law for compulsory health care is called LAMal. LAMal requires that anyone who resides in Switzerland to be enrolled with an acknowledged Swiss Health Insurance provider. To comply with LAMal, Franklin University Switzerland has established a contract with SWICA, a well-known Swiss health insurance provider, to cover sickness related expenses for all Franklin students who are not residents in the EU and holding a EHIC. Please note, in Switzerland dental care is not included in the compulsory health care. See more details about the Medical Invoice Processing for Students with the Franklin SWICA Health Insurance Plan.

We strongly recommend that all students who are non-EU/EFTA residents enroll with SWICA Student Care (Option 1). The policy and the costs for full coverage can be reviewed in either Swiss francs or US dollars depending upon a student's account with the University. 

Non-EU/EFTA residents

SWICA Student Care is the health insurance policy created especially to satisfy Franklin students’ needs and Canton Ticino requirements providing quality health insurance coverage that qualifies for a Swiss Exemption from the compulsory LAMal requirement.

For further information on the policy, download the SWICA Student Care overview and the SWICA Medpharm overview. View a comparison of these two health insurance policies. 

SWICA Student Care (Option 1), provides quality health insurance coverage at a lower cost than SWICA Medpharm (Option 2) which includes the basic universal coverage set by the LAMal and complementary therapy methods.

Only Non EU/EFTA resident students who apply for a Swiss Residency Permit for study purposes are eligible to select SWICA Student Care. To be able to proceed with the Swiss Residency Permit, students need to enter Switzerland following all the legal entrance requirements by having the Swiss visa affixed in their passport. Read the Swiss Student Immigration information for more details. Upon arrival to campus, students are asked to sign the official Swiss form (TI 6.3A) which will be sent to the local governmental office of Canton Ticino in order to be legally insured with the SWICA Student Care policy. SWICA Student Care does NOT include coverage for complementary therapy methods.

Students at Franklin have the right to apply for an exemption from the compulsory Swiss health insurance but they must submit documents and proof that they benefit from a high quality private health insurance that will provide full coverage globally during their Franklin studies. Please note: travel insurance does not meet this requirement.

The request for an exemption must be submitted prior to the student's arrival at Franklin and precludes students from enrolling with SWICA Student Care, which is the less expensive option. Application and approval by the Cantonal Department of Health Insurance may take up to six months. If the request for an exemption is denied, the student will be enrolled with SWICA MEDPHARM PROVITA (option 2) starting from the date of their entrance in Switzerland for the duration of their stay at Franklin - a student's account will be charged accordingly.

To help inform the decision-making process, the University has compiled the Exemption from Compulsory Swiss Health Insurance overview, to help families understand what it means to apply for exemption and to be exempt while residing in Switzerland and attending Franklin. The document must be read, signed and submitted with a student’s exemption documentation. To apply for an exemption, a student must arrange for their private insurance provider to complete Form TI 6.3, and the original must be completed in full by the student's private insurance provider and sent to the Office of Student Life. Please note: travel insurance is not equivalent to mandatory health insurance in Switzerland. 

EU/EFTA residents

Students who are EU/EFTA residents are encouraged to carefully review the instructions and forms related to the correct use of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) while residing in Switzerland as a student.

Swiss Residents

This includes Swiss citizens and individuals with family or student permit Category L/B/C

Please contact your Swiss health insurance provider and ask for a copy of their official "Insurance Confirmation Enrollment Letter". Send a copy of this letter to Elena Verì-Sartori, the Coordinator - Student Health Insurance and Administrative Services at Franklin before you arrive on campus. Please note that enrollment letters must be provided by Swiss students and students who are not Swiss but who currently hold a student or family Swiss permit (categories L, B, and C).

Additionally, if you are a foreign student moving to Ticino from another Swiss canton and school, please inform your current private health insurance provider of your new address in Ticino. Students who currently have insurance policies in Switzerland must maintain their coverage and manage their medical bills directly with their current provider. For more information about maintaining and canceling an existing Swiss health insurance policy, please contact Elena Verì-Sartori in the Office of Student Life.

Forms Summary

These forms must be completely filled in and signed. Photocopies, scanned copies, nor faxes will not be considered valid by the authorities in Ticino. As soon as possible, please send the original completed forms to the attention of the Health Insurance Coordinator in the Office of Student Life at Franklin University Switzerland. The form must arrive to FUS before the student arrival in Switzerland.

TI 6.1 – EU/EFTA resident student with European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

TI 6.2 – EU/EFTA resident student with Private insurance only. (Complete absence of the public insurance)

Exemption FUS - Non EU/EFTA residents holding a high quality private health insurance.

TI 6.3 – official Swiss the private insurance provider must complete and return to student.

Complete and sign the appropriate forms and return them with a copy of your insurance card (front-back) to the Office of Student Life. Please note that photocopies and/or faxes will not be considered valid means of submitted the request by authorities in Ticino. 

EU/EFTA residents with public insurance (Team EU/Card)
Form TI 6.1

EU/EFTA residents with private insurance
Form TI 6.2

Non-EU/EFTA residents with private insurance
Overview of exemption from Compulsory Swiss Health Insurance
Form TI 6.3