Cancel accident insurance 2026: template, deadline & the VVG trick almost no one knows

In Switzerland, a private accident insurance is cancelled with 3 months' notice to the contract end, and after 3 contract years even anytime to year-end (VVG Art. 35a), even on a longer term. But miss the cut-off by a single day and the policy silently renews for a whole year, including the premium you wanted to get rid of. We show you the deadlines and when you can exit extraordinarily.

🧭 First clarify: mandatory UVG or private accident insurance?

If you're employed (at least 8 hrs/week with the same employer), you're covered mandatorily under the UVG through your employer, and that policy isn't yours, it's your employer's: you cannot cancel it yourself, it ends automatically 31 days after your last working day. So answer the one question that decides everything first: which accident insurance do you actually have?

Cancellable, on the other hand, is the private accident insurance or the supplementary accident cover in your health insurer, a contract under the Insurance Contract Act (VVG) that you signed yourself. Classic case: you're newly employed and thus covered via the health insurer or UVG, the separate accident policy then becomes double and redundant. Everything below applies precisely to these private VVG contracts.

⏱️ Notice periods: the 3 ways out of the contract

Three routes lead out of a private accident insurance (VVG): ordinary 3 months before the term expires (often 1 year), the often-unmentioned 3-year right (VVG Art. 35a) with 3 months' notice to any year-end (even a 5-year contract can be cancelled after 3 years), and the extraordinary right (see below). Miss all three and the policy silently renews for a year. The same 3-year logic applies to almost any policy, e.g. in the car insurance and cancel-insurance guides.

⚡ Cancel extraordinarily: your special exits

If your insurer raises the premium without raising the benefit accordingly, you have an extraordinary cancellation right, usually within 30 days of the notice, and you exit at the point the increase would take effect. So you don't have to wait for the next ordinary date. So check your insurer's letter carefully instead of filing it away: a premium increase is your chance to get out immediately and for free.

📝 Cancel accident insurance in 5 steps

Here's how your cancellation is guaranteed to be legally valid, and you hold the proof if the insurer digs in.

1. 1
   Check policy & deadlineDig out your policy: when does the contract expire, what's the term? Use the calculator above, it shows the next ordinary date and whether the 3-year right (VVG Art. 35a) already applies.
2. 2
   Draft the letterThe cancellation must be in writing. Generate the template below with policy number, name, address and cancellation date, fully worded and legally sound.
3. 3
   Send by registered mailSend the cancellation by registered mail. What counts is receipt at the insurer, not the postmark, so plan a buffer and keep a copy.
4. 4
   Request confirmationAsk in the letter for a written cancellation confirmation with the exact end date. If it doesn't arrive within two weeks, follow up.
5. 5
   Connect seamlesslyIf you switch providers, have the new policy follow the old one without a gap, a single day without accident cover can get expensive.

Note: this is journalistic guidance based on the VVG, not legal advice. Your specific contract and your insurer's GTC are decisive. In a dispute, the private-insurance ombudsman or a specialist can help.

Most people don't pay their accident insurance because they need it, but because they missed the three-month notice period. One day too late = one year too long.

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 supplementary accident insurance 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]

Templates · 07/01/2026