Legal aspects

Being diagnosed with HIV raises a whole range of legal questions. This is where you'll find information on the most important legal aspects of being HIV-positive, from your health insurance to labour law and criminal liability.

Health insurance
In Switzerland, you are required by law to take out health insurance. This mandatory basic insurance covers all of the costs of the treatment you need for HIV.
- more: Health insurance
Confidentiality
Protecting personal privacy is particularly important to people living with HIV. They still face discrimination in various areas of life, and therefore often prefer to disclose health-related information only when it is absolutely necessary.
- more: Confidentiality
Criminal law
Anyone who is in effective treatment, who has protected sex, or who tells their sexual partners that they have HIV is now no longer liable to criminal prosecution.
- more: Criminal law
Labour law (Employees)
Often, being infected with HIV does not affect a person's ability to work, and there are no jobs that are barred to someone who has been diagnosed with HIV.
- more: Labour law (Employees)
Labour Law (Employers)
How can I provide support for an employee living with HIV? Who needs to know that an employee is HIV-positive? This is where you will find all that you, as an employer, need to know about HIV in the workplace.
- more: Labour Law (Employers)
Disability Insurance
Anyone who is at risk of being unable to work as a result of illness or who becomes wholly or partially unable to work, is entitled to benefits from the disability insurance.
- more: Disability Insurance
Life insurance
Most of those living with HIV have a virtually normal life expectancy if they being treated with antiretroviral therapy. This means that there is no longer any justification for those with HIV to be excluded from life insurance.
- more: Life insurance
Outside Switzerland/Travel
Some countries have travel restrictions for people with HIV. Find out about these restrictions before you travel and make sure you take enough medication with you. It is important for you to know what vaccinations you require and what health insurance you will have abroad.
- more: Outside Switzerland/Travel