Checks before sending anything
The ground determines the termination route
Ordinary expiry, change of holder, a claim or another ground follow different rules; read the policy, conditions and Insurance Contract Act before choosing a date.
Contract and registration are different procedures
Contract termination must be coordinated with the new insurance certificate and, where required, an update to the cantonal registration document.
A claims-history statement can be requested
The Road Traffic Act provides for a statement of claims or no claims within the statutory period; this does not create a national bonus-malus formula.
Receipt and effective dates need evidence
Keep the request, attachments, proof of sending, response, confirmed effective date and new certificate in one coherent chronology.
Four continuity checks
Do not assume the next step is complete merely because the previous one started; obtain the relevant confirmations.
Identify the ground and date
Find the applicable clause, accepted form, deadline and recipient rather than copying a generic date from the internet.
Check the future policy
Verify vehicle, drivers, use, benefits, exclusions, deductibles and intended start without prematurely interrupting existing liability insurance.
Send and obtain confirmation
Request written confirmation of the old policy’s end and the new policy’s start, and retain both records.
Complete the cantonal update
Ask the competent office whether the registration document or other data must be changed before continued use.
Three common confusions
- There is no single annual termination date that applies to every policy and every termination ground.
- A new certificate or quotation does not by itself prove that the previous policy has ended.
- FINMA accepts reports of possible irregularities, but private-law disputes follow ombuds or court procedures.
Checked public and sector references
Each reference states its language. Fedlex, FEDRO and FINMA are kept separate from the SIA/SVV, which supplies sector context only; the applicable official-language law and the individual policy remain controlling.
- Fedlex — Federal Road Traffic Act (RTA, SR 741.01)English · English reference text on motor liability, registration, conduct after accidents, policy transfer and claims-history statements; official-language wording controls.↗
- Fedlex — Road Traffic Insurance Ordinance (SR 741.31)English · English reference text on insurance certificates and traffic insurance; German, French and Italian legal texts remain authoritative.↗
- Fedlex — Federal Act on Insurance Contracts (ICA, SR 221.229.1)English · English reference translation covering pre-contract information, policy scope, claim notice, information duties and termination; official-language wording controls.↗
- FINMA — You have a problem with your insurance companyEnglish · Initial contact with the insurer, FINMA’s supervisory role, and the boundary between a regulatory report and a private-law dispute.↗