Pet Insurance in Switzerland for Expats and Travellers

Calingo Insurance AG is based in Zurich and works as a tied broker for Allianz Suisse, which carries the risk. Its general insurance conditions (version May 2026, the one published when we checked on 13 November 2026) are in English, and so are the website and the quote form. You choose Essential, Standard or Premium, with annual limits of CHF 3,000, CHF 6,000 or CHF 12,000, and a refund of 80% or 100% after your deductible. Prevention is an add-on paid up to CHF 200 a year, and there's an optional cover for pre-existing conditions, as long as they weren't first diagnosed or treated in the 3 months before the start.

There's no maximum age to join (Calingo's own words are "no age restriction") and pets must be at least 8 weeks old. Accidents and prevention are covered from day one, illness after 30 days, and vet bills are covered worldwide. You can cancel in writing at any time and it takes effect at the end of the month, which suits anyone who might leave Switzerland within a year. The cover ends anyway at the end of the month you move abroad. One catch, explained in Calingo's FAQ, is that if you cancel in the first year after a payout has been confirmed, you owe the premium for the whole year.

It's not all good though. The limits are low next to wau-miau or Animalia, and our Standard quote paid 80%. Calingo's FAQ also says the premium doesn't rise with your pet's age, but that owners of older pets pay 20% of every vet bill themselves. One answer puts the start at 9 years and another at over 10, so ask Calingo which applies before you sign. Either side can cancel the contract after a vet visit that leads to a claim, and if Calingo does, cover stops 14 days later. Calingo also has a list of extreme breeds whose typical health problems aren't covered, such as the breathing problems of French Bulldogs. Allianz Suisse sells exactly the same product through the same quote form, and it gave us identical prices.

Calingo's pet insurance had only 2 reviews in the past 12 months on Trustpilot when we checked on 13 November 2026, one praising a refund within 24 hours (28 October 2026) and one saying no bill had been paid since January 2026 (2 November 2026). That's too few to tell us much either way.

wau-miau is the pet brand of ERV, the Swiss travel insurer, with Helvetia as the risk carrier, and Helvetia's own pet insurance page sends you to the same calculator. Its general conditions of insurance (GCI E473, edition 06/2026) are in English, and every package refunds 90% of vet costs after your excess with no overall limit for the core benefits. There are four packages, Basic, Clever, Optima and Exclusive, and for dogs you pick an annual excess of CHF 250, CHF 500 or CHF 1,000.

The quote form priced our pets without asking for any contact details. On 13 November 2026 our 3-year-old dog came to CHF 548.40 for 365 days on Clever with a CHF 500 excess, and our 2-year-old cat CHF 267.60 with a CHF 300 excess. Vet bills abroad are covered for the first 60 days of a trip, which suits a summer holiday or a long weekend in Italy.

Do be aware though that only healthy cats and dogs between 3 months and 6 years old can join, and the form told us our 7-year-old Labrador "cannot be insured online". Waiting periods are 10 days for accidents, 30 days for illness and 90 days for hereditary and breed-specific conditions. Those conditions, as well as cruciate ligament tears, hip and elbow dysplasia and kneecap problems, are only covered on Optima and Exclusive, and only up to CHF 5,000. The premium also rises with age. In wau-miau's premium table (as at June 2026), the same dog on Clever with a CHF 500 excess goes from CHF 548.40 at 3 to 4 years to CHF 1,058.40 at 7 to 8 and CHF 1,920.60 from 11. The contract runs a year at a time and you have to cancel 3 months before it ends.

wau-miau had a score of 3.9 on Trustpilot from 14 reviews in the past 12 months when we checked on 13 November 2026. Three recent reviewers (16 October, 6 November and 12 November 2026) praised fast claims, one saying it took "less than a week". A customer wrote on 18 June 2026 that claims took two weeks, complained about "creative coverage exclusions" and said a cancellation sent in June 2026 would only take effect in July 2027.

Sanitas is one of Switzerland's large health insurers, and its pet policy has an English website and English documents. According to its general insurance conditions (March 2026 edition, still the current one on 13 November 2026) and benefits overview, Smart pays up to CHF 10,000 a year and Premium up to CHF 20,000, both at 90%, hereditary and breed-specific conditions included. Physiotherapy is paid up to CHF 1,000 on Smart and CHF 2,000 on Premium. Premium adds prevention up to CHF 100 a year, alternative medicine up to CHF 2,000 and treatment such as chemotherapy up to CHF 10,000.

Pets can join from 8 weeks with no maximum age, after a health questionnaire, and the waiting period is 14 days. You pay monthly and can cancel at the end of any month with 30 days' notice, and Sanitas accepts foreign vet invoices in English, German, French or Italian. The premium is adjusted for your pet's age every 1 January.

It's not all good though. The cover is for Switzerland, and emergencies in Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein and Austria are paid up to CHF 2,500, only for stays of up to 3 months. If your pet spends more than 3 months abroad, or you move abroad, the cover ends. Food, home visits, cremation, pregnancy and working dogs aren't covered, and neither are breeds banned in your canton. We didn't get a price from Sanitas on 13 November 2026.

Sanitas had a score of 1.5 on Trustpilot from 57 reviews in the past 12 months when we checked on 13 November 2026, but those reviews are about its health insurance, not the pet policy. The recurring complaints were about hard-to-reach customer service (3 October 2026) and claims not being paid (22 July 2026).

Trupanion, which also sells pet insurance in North America, sells in Switzerland through Smart Paws GmbH, a tied agent of ERV with Helvetia as the risk carrier. Its Swiss English website describes one policy with a CHF 20,000 annual limit, no age or breed restrictions and the option of having Trupanion pay your vet directly, so you don't have to cover the bill first. You set the payout level and the excess per visit yourself, and Trupanion says it won't raise your price or cut your cover because you've claimed.

Its Policy Book is the 2024 edition, which was still the one published on 13 November 2026, so check it against your own certificate. It says you must live in Switzerland or Liechtenstein, emergencies elsewhere in the world are covered for up to 90 days per policy year, therapies are paid for up to 20 sessions a year and you can cancel with 30 days' notice. Routine and preventive care isn't covered, and any condition that shows signs before your exclusion period ends stays excluded.

We didn't get a price from Trupanion on 13 November 2026, and we didn't find reviews about its Swiss business. The Trustpilot reviews you'll see under Trupanion are about its policies in North America.

Animalia belongs to Vaudoise Générale, and Vaudoise's own pet page sends you to Animalia. Its general conditions (French version, file dated 26 August 2026) pay 90% of vet bills after the deductible with no amount limit. A prevention pack pays up to CHF 100 a year with no deductible, alternative medicine up to CHF 600, an ambulance up to CHF 100 and pet boarding up to CHF 200 a year if you're in hospital. Cover applies in Switzerland and neighbouring countries, and emergencies anywhere in the world for 3 months.

Pets can join from 3 months, with no maximum age and no health check, according to Animalia's FAQ. Illness is covered after 30 days, accidents and prevention straight away. There's no monthly payment option and no multi-pet discount.

Do be aware though that hereditary and congenital conditions aren't covered unless your policy says so, and pre-existing conditions are excluded. The premium goes up when your pet turns 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, and you can't cancel because of that increase. The contract renews itself unless you cancel 3 months before it ends, and either side can cancel after a claim. Nothing is in English, Animalia can ask you to pay for translating foreign vet invoices, and its quote form asked for an email address before showing any price.

Animalia had a score of 3.4 on Trustpilot from 56 reviews in the past 12 months when we checked on 13 November 2026. Among the reviews in English, one customer wrote on 19 January 2026 that claims after an accident were covered "very quickly", while another, on 1 April 2026, accused Animalia of finding reasons not to pay.

Epona also belongs to Vaudoise Générale. Its complementary conditions for dogs and cats (CC V20260101, valid since 1 January 2026 and still the current version on 13 November 2026) offer three variants, all at 90% after an annual deductible. A covers accidents and assistance up to CHF 10,000 a year. B adds illness, including hereditary and congenital conditions and alternative medicine, up to CHF 25,000. C adds prevention, up to CHF 50,000. Telemedicine is included, and you're covered worldwide as long as you live in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

Epona publishes prices from CHF 117.20 a year for A, CHF 325.10 for B and CHF 403.20 for C, and the premium depends on your pet's age and where you live. Its form asked us for an email address before showing our own price on 13 November 2026. Waiting periods are 1 day for accidents and 1 month for illness.

We'd read the exclusions carefully. Health problems linked to extreme breeding, such as the breathing problems of short-nosed breeds, aren't covered, and neither are infectious diseases your pet wasn't vaccinated against or accidents while hunting or working. From 9 years old Epona asks for a vet certificate and can refuse your pet or offer accident cover only, even though its website says there's no age limit. Claims have to be reported within 5 working days.

Epona had a score of 2.6 on Trustpilot from 16 reviews in the past 12 months when we checked on 13 November 2026. The reviews we could read in English were all from 2025 or earlier, and the complaint that kept coming back was a big premium increase as the pet got older.