Frontalier France–Switzerland
Your health-insurance choice has a deadline. Know it to the day.
The 3-month window runs from the start of your work in Switzerland, from your move to France if you already worked in Switzerland, or from the grant of a Swiss pension. For Swiss and EU nationals, without a form within the window, the Swiss authority affiliates you to LAMal (Swiss health insurance) automatically; a frontalier of another nationality outside the EU/EFTA/UK is insured in Switzerland only on request (OFSP). The option is open to Swiss and EU nationals who live in France and work in Switzerland, or who draw Swiss pensions only. A pensioner who also draws a French pension is insured in France, without option. For British and EFTA frontaliers the OFSP says the insurance obligation follows the place of work (Swiss insurance); for other nationalities Swiss insurance applies « on request » within 3 months of the start of the G permit (OFSP). Stateless persons and refugees: not covered by this product, ask your CPAM.
The window counts from the later of the two dates.
Fact verified on 30/09/2026 — ameli.fr — Travailleur frontalier suisse (maj 30/04/2026), CLEISS — FAQ droit d'option des frontaliers France-Suisse, Formulaire « Choix du système d'assurance-maladie », version janvier 2024 (ameli.fr), p.1 et p.3, ge.ch — Droit d'option pour les frontaliers résidant en France (maj 05/05/2026), Code de la sécurité sociale, art. L. 380-3-1 (I et III — accord du 21 juin 1999), OFSP — Assurance-maladie : Travailleurs frontaliers en Suisse (lu le 30/09/2026), Règlement (CE) 883/2004, art. 2 §1, art. 11 §3 a) et art. 31 (CLEISS, texte consolidé) · Nothing is saved on this page.
The decision in 60 seconds
| LAMal 🇨🇭 | PUMa/CMU 🇫🇷 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost basis | Premium per insured person, « France residents » rate (~521 CHF/month adult, OFSP 2026 average) | 8% of your own N-2 income above 25% of the income-year PASS (€46,368) |
| Household | Each person pays their own premium | Covers the household at no extra cost |
| Care in the other country | In France too, once your S1 is registered with the CPAM | In Switzerland: emergencies and medically necessary care during a stay; planned care with an S2 |
Where to send the form — exactly
The choice form (« Choix du système d'assurance-maladie ») first goes to your CPAM, which stamps part 6 whatever you choose — and does NOT forward it. Whatever you choose, you then send the stamped form yourself to the office below for your canton of work (with your Swiss insurer's certificate if you choose LAMal); it must RECEIVE it within the window. A Swiss pension alone: the Institution commune LAMal in Olten.
You live in Switzerland and your family (not in paid work) lives in France? Your family members have their own droit d'option, with this same form.
🇫🇷 CPAM (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie) de votre lieu de résidence
Receives the form, completes and stamps part 6 whichever system you choose (you then send it yourself to the Swiss authority), registers you if you choose the French system and reimburses your care. The contribution is due from the date you meet the conditions (CSS art. D. 380-2).
If you live in the Haute-Savoie, the CPAM de Haute-Savoie runs a téléservice for Swiss frontaliers, frontaliers-suisses-cpam.fr, to hand it the form. Outside the Haute-Savoie: give the form to the CPAM of your place of residence (front desk or ameli account).
🇨🇭 Canton of work
Skip the paperwork: get the choice form pre-filled
- The official choice form filled from your answers (sensitive numbers stay on your device)
- Step-by-step: the CPAM stamp, then sending to the Swiss office of your canton, with the exact addresses
- For Swiss and EU nationals, within the window — the form is not generated outside them
- Part of the Cross-Border Pack (€29 — 2027 édition — valid from today through 31/12/2027; no auto-renewal.): the choice form with your canton office sheet, the personalised analysis PDF and the other documents — the calculators and key dates are free
AdminLanding Editorial
Editorial deep-dives
Want the longer version of this story?
AdminLanding ships the operational tools. The editorial sites — ExpatAdminHub for expat / cross-border life and GreenDailyFix for renovation aid — go deeper on the why and the how.
Free tools on AdminLanding
Your data is handled with strict protection and EU hosting practices.