Skip to content
Admini
All articles
Family20 mai 20265 min read

Having a child in Switzerland: the administrative steps

All the administrative steps after the birth of a child in Switzerland: registering the birth with the civil registry, health insurance, family allowances, parental authority, maternity and paternity leave.

The arrival of a child triggers around a dozen administrative steps over the space of a few weeks: registering the birth with the civil registry, adding the child to your health insurance, applying for family allowances, maternity leave, parental authority. This guide covers what to do, in what order, and with which documents.

At a glance

  • The birth registration with the civil registry is generally handled by the hospital or maternity ward within 3 days.
  • The child must be insured under KVG/LAMal from birth (retroactively if you act late, within 3 months).
  • Family allowances are not triggered automatically: you must apply to the fund in your canton.
  • Maternity leave lasts 14 weeks, paid at 80% of salary. Paternity leave lasts 2 weeks at 80%.
  • Joint parental authority applies automatically to married parents. For unmarried parents, a formal declaration is required.

What to do, in order

At the maternity ward (days 0 to 3)

  • The birth registration with the civil registry office is handled by the maternity ward in most cases. You will then receive a birth certificate by post, usually within 1 to 2 weeks.
  • For unmarried parents: the acknowledgement of paternity must be completed before or after the birth at the civil registry office.

Within 14 days

  • Enrol the child in your basic health insurance (KVG/LAMal). You can choose the same insurer as yourself or a different one. Coverage is retroactive to the date of birth if you act within 3 months.
  • Notify your municipality of the birth if this was not done automatically (varies by canton).

In the first few weeks

  • Apply for family allowances through your employer, who forwards the request to the cantonal family compensation fund. If you are unemployed or not working: apply directly to the cantonal fund.
  • Take out supplementary insurance if you wish (dental, complementary medicine, private room). Some insurers impose very short deadlines for adding a newborn without a health questionnaire.
  • Notify the AHV of the birth (often handled via your employer or the compensation fund).

For unmarried parents

  • Declare joint parental authority at the civil registry office or the Child and Adult Protection Authority (CAPA/KESB), otherwise the mother alone holds parental authority by default.

Documents to prepare

  • Identity documents for both parents (and residence permit for foreign nationals).
  • Family record book or marriage certificate (for married parents).
  • Acknowledgement of paternity (for unmarried parents).
  • Birth certificate (you will receive it after registration; keep several original copies).
  • Insurance contracts for both parents (KVG/LAMal and supplementary).
  • Salary certificate or employment contract (for maternity/paternity leave and family allowance applications).
  • Proof of address in your municipality.

Family allowances

The amount and conditions vary by canton:

  • Child allowance: generally CHF 200 to 250 per month per child (federal minimum CHF 215, some cantons pay more).
  • Education allowance: for children aged 16 to 25 in education or training (federal minimum CHF 268, also variable).
  • Birth and adoption allowances: paid in certain cantons only, as a one-off payment of up to CHF 3,000.

For details in your canton: ch.ch · Family allowances.

Maternity and paternity leave

  • Maternity leave: minimum 14 weeks, paid at 80% of salary (maximum CHF 220 per day). Starts on the day of delivery. Returning to work is prohibited during the first 8 weeks.
  • Paternity leave: 2 weeks (10 working days), paid at 80%, to be taken within 6 months of the birth. To be requested from your employer.
  • Adoption allowance: 14 weeks for adopting parents since 2024 (to be shared between both parents).

Applications go through your employer, who forwards them to the AHV compensation fund.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting to enrol the child in KVG/LAMal within 3 months. After that, the child may be assigned to an insurer by default, and some supplementary insurance will become inaccessible without a health questionnaire.
  • Assuming family allowances are automatic. You must submit an application, ideally through your employer, together with the birth certificate.
  • For unmarried parents: forgetting to declare joint parental authority. This can have serious consequences in the event of separation or death.
  • Confusing maternity leave and parental leave. Switzerland does not have shared parental leave: maternity leave (14 weeks) and paternity leave (2 weeks) are separate schemes.
  • Underestimating the number of birth certificates needed. You will need them for the municipality, the insurer, your employer and sometimes the consulate. Request several original copies.

How Admini can help

Having a baby is a time when the last thing you want is to be hunting for paperwork. Admini helps you:

  • Centralise the birth certificate, health booklet, insurance contracts and allowance decisions in one place.
  • Get reminders for key deadlines (KVG/LAMal within 3 months, family allowance application, paternity leave within 6 months).
  • Prepare a complete dossier for your employer, municipality or insurer.
  • Quickly find a document when you need it for your tax return or nursery enrolment.

You keep your attention on what really matters — not on figuring out which form to send to which fund.

Centralise your admin with Admini

Admini helps you gather your documents, find the useful information in seconds and prepare clean dossiers whenever you need them.

Join the waitlistTry the demo

Read next