Cancel an insurance policy 2026: the 3-year right, the deadline trap & the template for any policy

In Switzerland, since the 2022 revision of the Swiss Insurance Contract Act (VVG), you can cancel almost any insurance contract after three years, with three months' notice (VVG Art. 35a), no matter what the fine print says. Yet hundreds of thousands stay stuck in their household, liability or car policies, believing they must wait the full five or ten years. The ConvivaPlus Cancellation Compass shows you in one click which rule applies to your exact policy.

🧭 Private or mandatory? Which rule applies to your policy

Most household policies (contents, private liability, car comprehensive, legal protection, travel, supplementary health) are private insurance under the VVG, to which the big new right has applied since 2022: cancellation after three years. Separate from that stands the mandatory basic health insurance (KVG), with its own 30 November deadline, handled in the cancel health insurance guide. So work out first which world your insurance belongs to.

The second fork: when did your contract start? If it has run three years or more, the ordinary 3-year right applies. If it's younger, you need a special case, premium increase, claim or the 14-day withdrawal right right after signing. And one case falls entirely outside: life insurance is excluded from the 3-year right and follows its own rules around surrender value, details in the cancel life insurance guide. The compass below sorts your policy in seconds.

⏱️ The cancellation deadlines: four ways out of a contract

The most important of four routes out of the contract is the ordinary 3-year right: after three insurance years you cancel to the end of the insurance year, with three months' notice, in writing or by email, and it even applies to contracts signed before 2022. Alongside stand three special rights: on a premium increase, after a claim and the 14-day withdrawal right just after signing. Miss all four, and the contract renews silently, usually for another year.

The ConvivaPlus cancellation index rates the major Swiss insurers by cancellation hurdle (online form versus mandatory letter, deadlines, response time), based on the ConvivaPlus analysis of the official information. At a glance you see where cancelling is easiest.

[Name]

AXA

2026-07-02

Cancellation of insurance contract – policy no. [policy no.]

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hereby cancel my insurance contract (policy no. [policy no.]) within the deadline, at the next possible date. Please confirm the cancellation in writing.

Kind regards

[Name]

⚠️ The special rights, and the trap almost everyone misses

Three special rights get you out even before the three years are up. First, the premium increase: if the insurer raises the rate, you may cancel, usually within 30 days of notification, to the end of the current period. Second, the claim: after a payout only you may cancel, since the 2022 revision the insurer no longer has this right (VVG Art. 42). Third, withdrawal: within 14 days of signing you can exit with no reason (VVG Art. 2a). The trap: anyone who uses none of these routes stays locked in for another year through silent renewal. With several policies, check the special cases in the accident and car insurance guides.

📝 Cancel an insurance policy in 5 steps

Here's how to leave any VVG contract cleanly, with no gap and no missed deadline.

1. 1
   Check the policy & start dateLook on the policy for the start date and term. If the start was 3 years or more ago, the ordinary 3-year right applies. Otherwise you need a special case (premium increase, claim, withdrawal).
2. 2
   Calculate the deadlineUse the calculator below: enter the start date + term → you'll see the next ordinary cancellation date and the 3-year date. Allow 3 months' notice plus postal time.
3. 3
   When switching: new policy firstIf you want to switch rather than stop, take out the new insurance first (especially private liability and car). No coverage gap if something happens in between.
4. 4
   Create the cancellationGenerate the template below with your name, address, insurer and policy number. Pick the right type: ordinary (after 3 years), due to a premium increase or after a claim.
5. 5
   Send traceably & demand confirmationSend by registered mail or traceable email. Ask in writing for confirmation of the cancellation and the exact contract end. Keep the receipt.

Note: journalistic guidance based on the VVG, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy and the general terms govern. Deadlines and procedures may vary by contract and insurer.

The most expensive insurance isn't the one with the highest premium, but the one you're stuck in for another year, because nobody told you that after three years you could have left long ago.

Templates · 07/01/2026