Switzerland does not assign you a state clinic when you land. You first take out basic cover under KVG or LAMal (the compulsory health-insurance law), then choose a Hausarzt, médecin de famille, or medico di famiglia, meaning a family doctor, that matches the access rules on your policy.
When should you pick a family doctor?
Complete municipal address registration so your insurer and any practice mail reach the right place: Register your address. Enrol every person in basic insurance within three months after the Swiss insurance duty begins: Choose health insurance. Premiums, Franchise (yearly deductible), and care-model discounts sit in that choice and drive later healthcare costs.
The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) explains that GP and HMO models can cut the premium by up to about 20% versus free choice of doctor, because you agree to start non-emergency care with a named GP or HMO centre. A Telmed model instead requires a medical hotline first. If you bought the standard free-choice model, you can still list with a family doctor for continuity, but you are not locked to one network.
How do you find and register with a practice?
Ask your insurer for the current Hausarzt or HMO list for your postcode in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, or whichever municipality holds your address. Many practices stop taking new network patients, so call before you name them on the policy. Confirm languages, paediatric coverage for children, and whether the doctor appears in MedReg, the federal register of authorised medical professionals.
Bring your health-insurance card, passport or ID, and the Swiss address from Anmeldung. Tell the reception you want to join as a regular patient. Under a GP model, non-emergency specialist visits usually need that doctor's referral first, with common exceptions such as gynaecology, ophthalmology, or paediatrics when the policy allows direct access. Under an HMO model, start at the contracted centre. Keep the practice name aligned with whatever your insurer recorded, or update the insurer when you switch contacts.
What about emergencies and after-hours care?
Call 144 for medical emergencies in Switzerland. That number is for urgent rescue and hospital routing, not for routine appointments. For evenings and weekends, ask your practice which regional on-call or telephone triage line covers your canton, and follow your model's Telmed or advice number when the policy requires it. Keep the full arrival trail on one checklist in paperwork after moving.
Common misconceptions
Buying basic insurance does not automatically assign a Hausarzt. You still choose and register with a practice that accepts you and fits the model.
Using an out-of-network doctor on a GP or HMO policy can also leave you with higher patient costs or rejected claims, except in true emergencies.
Summary
Enrol in KVG/LAMal first, then pick a family doctor from the insurer's GP or HMO list and confirm the practice takes new patients. Register with identity and insurance details, follow first-contact rules for non-emergency care, and dial 144 when the situation is urgent.
Sources
Next in Country To Live: Browse rankings
Related questions
- Moving & paperworkHow do you choose and register for health insurance in Switzerland in 2026?
- Cost of livingHow much does healthcare cost in Switzerland in 2026?
- Moving & paperworkHow do you register your address in Switzerland in 2026?
- Moving & paperworkWhat paperwork do you need after moving to Switzerland in 2026?
- Moving & paperworkHow do you get a Swiss social security number in 2026?
- Language & EnglishHow can you handle Swiss bureaucracy without German or French in 2026?