ANobAG Quest #1

It’s time to go ANobAG. Where to start from?

First of all I started by making phone calls. LOT of phone calls. It is surprising how little this form of self-employment is known.

After some investigation, I discovered that registering as ANobAG is done through an online form on the website of the local (cantonal) section of the SVA/AHV (the federal social insurance fund). You have to fill in your and your employer’s details, the type of work you’re gonna do, the expected salary, etc. However, at some point, the form requests you to specify what kind of professional accident insurance you have, there is a drop-down list of 15-20 Swiss providers. This selection is mandatory for filling out the form, so I have to figure out this insurance part first.

This type of insurance is mandatory in Switzerland, it is usually provided by the employer, most of the times through SUVA (a federal insurance agency with exactly this goal), but sometimes through private providers. This insurance is not like the optional accident coverage which you can buy together with your Swiss health insurance: it is a professional accident insurance (UVG in German), with extra coverage.

UVG providers usually deal with companies, not single individuals, so it is not immediate to find out the right number to call and get connected to the right person. Apparently, SUVA does not insure ANobAG in the IT services area. The lady at the phone explained me that they only do this for manual workers / blue collars jobs. So I have sent some requests for quotes to 3-4 of the largest UVG insurers, and I am waiting for their response. Since all these providers are usually big insurance companies which also offer retirement plans, I also inquired for a private 2nd pillar solution at the same time, but so far they all tried to sell me their shitty pillar 3b policies. I won’t go into details here, I will leave this for a future, more detailed explanation.

So, nothing to do for now, first thing I need to stipulate a UVG policy, then I can fill out the ANobAG form and continue the quest. Stay tuned!