Sanitas health insurance card

Health insurance card

If you have your Sanitas insurance card with you at all times, you’ll be well prepared at the doctor’s or pharmacy, in hospital, in an emergency abroad or when you need telemedical advice.

Insurance card details (basic insurance with or without supplementary insurance)

  1. Medical hotline: You can call this number around the clock, 365 days a year if you need medical advice in Switzerland 
  2. Service centre: Your contact for administrative queries and information 
  3. Chip: This chip contains all your administrative personal details that must be printed on the insurance card in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG): first name, surname, card number, date of birth, sex, AHV no. and expiry date.
  4. Personal details: The Sanitas insurance card is your personal customer card. 
  5. Proof of insurance in Europe: For a temporary stay in a member state of the European Union or an EFTA state, the card acts as proof of insurance for medical treatment in emergencies.
  6. Magnetic strip: Only your personal ID is stored here. It is used primarily for buying medicines at the pharmacy. 
  7. Assistance: This number is a 24-hour helpline for emergencies (illness and accident) abroad – but only when you have the appropriate insurance.

Insurance card details (supplementary insurance only)

  1. Service centre: Your contact for administrative queries and information 
  2. Personal details: The Sanitas insurance card is your personal customer card. 
  3. Card number: This is the number needed by pharmacists and other healthcare providers (doctor, hospital, etc.)
  4. Medical hotline: You can call this number around the clock, 365 days a year if you need medical advice in Switzerland. 
  5. Magnetic strip: Only your card number is stored here (see point 3). It is used primarily for buying medicines at the chemist. 
  6. Assistance: This number is a 24-hour helpline for emergencies (illness and accident) abroad – but only when you have the appropriate insurance.

I’ve lost my insurance card – what should I do?

Get in touch and we’ll order you a new insurance card. Please note that it can take up to 6 weeks for your new card to arrive.

If I lose my card, will I be charged a fee for a replacement as with cash cards and credit cards?

No. Sanitas doesn’t charge a fee for replacement cards, even though a new card generates costs of around CHF 5.

I need my insurance card to buy medicine or receive medical treatment, but it hasn’t arrived yet.

Always give healthcare providers, such as doctors, hospitals and chemists, your customer number to ensure your claims settlement is dealt with quickly and easily. With the Sanitas Portal app you always have your insurance card to hand.

Are you going abroad soon?

Contact us to request confirmation of your insurance in English. You can submit this to a doctor in case of emergencies.

With the Sanitas Portal app you always have your insurance card to hand

All it takes is a gentle shake to display your insurance card in the Sanitas Portal app. You can activate this function in your app settings. You can download the Sanitas Portal app here.  

I’ve got the Sanitas app installed on my smartphone. Does the electronic insurance card in the app replace my physical insurance card?

The electronic insurance card can be useful if you forget your physical insurance card. In Switzerland, healthcare providers can determine your insurance cover by manually entering your card’s ID number, which is also stored on the electronic insurance card in the app. However, if you travel outside Switzerland within the EU, claims can only be settled using your physical insurance card.

Does Sanitas provide a PIN management service?

No. Sanitas doesn’t provide a PIN management service. Customers are responsible for managing their own PINs. Sanitas recommends that you don’t use a PIN with your chip card.

Should I protect the card with a PIN?

Sanitas recommends that you don’t use a PIN with your chip card, because if the patient is unresponsive or has forgotten the PIN, it’s not possible to read PIN-protected data in an emergency.