Basic Insurance:
For mandatory basic insurance: your application to a new company is provisional until they receive confirmation of your cancellation with your present insurer. This way, no one has to pay double premiums for basic health insurance if they missed the cancellation deadline.
Supplementary Insurance:
Applications for supplementary insurance are legally binding, which means that after sending the signed form, the applicant is bound for 14 days (federal law on insurance contracts, art. 1). Should he be denied supplementary insurance, or if there are doubts as to whether he is eligible, the applicant is freed. However, if a medical examination is necessary, the applicant will stay bound for 4 weeks. There is no right of withdrawal as is the case for door-to-door sales, unless the contract explicitly states the right of withdrawal.
Double insurance is also possible with supplementary insurance: If an application is accepted but the applicant missed the cancellation deadline for his former insurance company, he has to pay both premiums. Under certain circumstances, the new insurance company may agree to postpone coverage or revoke the insurance, but is not obliged to do so.
