Paperwork for a new baby in Switzerland
A new baby comes with forms. These are the ones asked of new parents in Switzerland, in the order they come, each from the official page that sets it. Read it together or on your own: every step says who usually does it.
In short
- 4 steps before the birth and 4 after it, each one taken from an official page.
- Registering the birth: within 3 days, usually done by the hospital.
- Each step says who usually does it: the parent giving birth, the other parent, or either of you.
- No amounts here: they change every year and depend on income. The official page under each step has today’s figure.
What is due in Switzerland, and when?
| Step | When | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Arrange maternity leave with work | 14 weeks from the birth | The parent giving birth |
| Arrange the partner’s leave with work | Within 6 months of the birth | The other parent |
| Not married? Recognise the baby before the birth | Before or after the birth | Either of you, or together |
| Pre-register at the hospital | Around weeks 36 to 38 | Either of you, or together |
| Register the birth | Within 3 days, usually done by the hospital | Either of you, or together |
| Add the baby to your health insurance | Within 3 months of the birth | Either of you, or together |
| Register baby for primary care | First weeks | Either of you, or together |
| Claim the family benefits | Soon after the birth | Either of you, or together |
What to do before the birth in Switzerland
Arrange maternity leave with work
When: 14 weeks from the birth
Who: The parent giving birth
In Switzerland mothers in work get 14 weeks of Mutterschaftsentschädigung after the birth, at 80 percent of earnings. Employees claim it through their employer from the AHV compensation office.
Arrange the partner’s leave with work
When: Within 6 months of the birth
Who: The other parent
The other parent gets 2 weeks of paid leave, taken all at once or as single days, within 6 months of the birth. Employees claim it through their employer from the AHV compensation office.
Checked against ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), checked on 11 October 2026
“You can take it all at once, or as individual days as long as it is taken within the six months after the birth of your child.”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026
Not married? Recognise the baby before the birth
When: Before or after the birth
Who: Either of you, or together
The father recognises the child in person at any Zivilstandsamt, before or after the birth. At the same appointment the couple can declare joint parental responsibility; without it, the mother alone holds it from the birth.
Checked against ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), checked on 11 October 2026
“Paternity can be acknowledged either before or after the child is born.”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026“To do so, the father must go in person to any civil register office in Switzerland.”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026
Pre-register at the hospital
When: Around weeks 36 to 38
Who: Either of you, or together
Register with the maternity of the hospital or birth centre where you want to give birth; basic insurance pays for a birth at home, in hospital or in a birth centre on your canton’s list. When the time comes, hospitals ask you to phone their labour ward (Gebärsaal) before you set off.
Checked against Luzerner Kantonsspital, Kantonsspital Winterthur, Kantonsspital Aarau, Solothurner Spitäler (Bürgerspital Solothurn), Universitätsspital Zürich, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), checked on 11 October 2026
“Bei Blasensprung (Fruchtwasserabgang) oder bei Verdacht auf Blasensprung Bei plötzlichen Blutungen Bei verminderten Kindsbewegungen”
Luzerner Kantonsspital, read on 11 October 2026“Bitte melden Sie sich vor dem Eintritt in die Klinik telefonisch an”
Luzerner Kantonsspital, read on 11 October 2026“Das Telefon wird rund um die Uhr von einer unserer Hebammen bedient.”
Luzerner Kantonsspital, read on 11 October 2026“Wenn Sie unsicher sind, dürfen Sie uns jederzeit - Tag und Nacht - anrufen. Gemeinsam klären wir, ob Sie sich bereits auf den Weg machen sollten.”
Kantonsspital Winterthur, read on 11 October 2026“Bevor Sie zu uns kommen, rufen Sie bitte immer zuerst im Gebärsaal an”
Kantonsspital Aarau, read on 11 October 2026“bei abnehmenden/fehlenden Kindsbewegungen (trotz vermehrtem Trinken und Bewegung)”
Kantonsspital Aarau, read on 11 October 2026“Bei Blasensprung oder wenn Sie unsicher sind, ob Sie Fruchtwasser verloren haben Bei vaginaler Blutung Bei verminderten oder ausbleibenden Kindsbewegungen”
Solothurner Spitäler (Bürgerspital Solothurn), read on 11 October 2026“Wir sind Ihnen dankbar, wenn Sie sich telefonisch anmelden, bevor Sie losfahren.”
Kantonsspital Winterthur, read on 11 October 2026“Bei manchen Frauen beginnt die Geburt mit einem Blasensprung mit Fruchtwasserabgang. In diesem Fall melden Sie sich im Gebärsaal.”
Universitätsspital Zürich, read on 11 October 2026“Sollten Sie eine Blutung bemerken, dann rufen Sie ebenfalls im Gebärsaal an.”
Universitätsspital Zürich, read on 11 October 2026“Ces signes indiquent que l’accouchement approche et que vous devez vous rendre à la Maternité : les contractions sont de plus en plus fréquentes, rapprochées et régulières les contractions sont plus douloureuses vous avez perdu les eaux.”
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), read on 11 October 2026
What to do after the birth in Switzerland
Register the birth
When: Within 3 days, usually done by the hospital
Who: Either of you, or together
In Switzerland the hospital, birth centre or the midwife at a home birth reports the birth to the civil registry office (Zivilstandsamt) of the place of birth within three days. Only if no midwife or doctor was there do you report it yourselves.
Checked against ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), checked on 11 October 2026
“Within three days, the birth of a child must be registered at the civil register office at the place of birth. Normally, the hospital, maternity clinic or medical staff attending a home birth will register the birth for you.”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026
Add the baby to your health insurance
When: Within 3 months of the birth
Who: Either of you, or together
Basic health insurance is compulsory. Insure the baby within 3 months of the birth and cover goes back to the day of birth; later, it only starts on joining, and an unexcused delay costs a premium surcharge.
Checked against Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG (with the EKIF for the Impfplan), ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), checked on 11 October 2026
“Dieselbe Frist gilt für Eltern, die ihr neugeborenes Kind bei einem Krankenversicherer anmelden müssen.”
Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG (with the EKIF for the Impfplan), read on 11 October 2026“Bei rechtzeitigem Beitritt beginnt der Versicherungsschutz ab dem Zeitpunkt der Geburt oder der Wohnsitznahme in der Schweiz.”
Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG (with the EKIF for the Impfplan), read on 11 October 2026“Bei verspäteter Anmeldung beginnt der Versicherungsschutz erst ab Beitrittsdatum. Bei nicht entschuldbarer Verspätung muss die versicherte Person einen Prämienzuschlag bezahlen.”
Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG (with the EKIF for the Impfplan), read on 11 October 2026“If you have just moved to Switzerland, you have three months in which to arrange health insurance cover. The same deadline applies to new-borns.”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026
Register baby for primary care
When: First weeks
Who: Either of you, or together
Choose a paediatrician (Kinderärztin or Kinderarzt). pädiatrie schweiz recommends check-ups in the first week and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months, each recorded in your baby’s health booklet (Gesundheitsheft): bring it to every visit.
Official page: pädiatrie schweiz
Checked against pädiatrie schweiz, checked on 11 October 2026
“1. Woche 1. Monat 2. Monat 4. Monat 6. Monat 9. Monat 12. Monat 18. Monat 24. Monat 3 Jahre 4 Jahre 6 Jahre 10 Jahre 12 Jahre 14 Jahre”
pädiatrie schweiz, read on 11 October 2026“Empfehlungen für die 15 Vorsorgeuntersuchungen, die für die zentralen pädiatrischen Altersstufen vorgesehen sind.”
pädiatrie schweiz, read on 11 October 2026“pädiatrie schweiz empfiehlt regelmässige Vorsorgeuntersuchungen bei Ihrem:r Kinderärzt:in von der Geburt bis ans Ende der Adoleszenz.”
pädiatrie schweiz, read on 11 October 2026
Claim the family benefits
When: Soon after the birth
Who: Either of you, or together
Family allowances are not paid automatically: employees apply through their employer to its family allowance fund. Only one parent receives the allowance for each child.
Checked against ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), checked on 11 October 2026
“Family allowance is not paid out automatically: you have to apply for it”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026“Parents are only entitled to one allowance per child.”
ch.ch (the Confederation, cantons and communes), read on 11 October 2026
Questions parents ask
How much will we get?
This page does not say, on purpose. Amounts change every year and depend on income and work, and a wrong figure is worse than none. Each step links the official page that has today’s amount and the rules for your case.
Is this legal advice?
No. It names each step, who usually does it, where and by when, as the official pages put it. Your own case can differ: your employer, your registry office or the office named on each page has the last word.
Does this apply if I am doing it on my own?
Yes. The steps are the same together or on your own. A step marked for the other parent, such as their leave, only applies if there is one.
How current is this?
Each step links the official page it was read on. Where a step rests on a sentence we re-read every week, the date it was last read is under it, and if the official page changes the step says it is being re-checked instead.
Your paperwork, dated and shared
Syncry turns this list into your family’s own checklist: each deadline counted from your due date or your baby’s birthday, split between the two of you or all yours, a reminder before each one, and ticked off together.