Medical Certificate in St. Gallen: Online, Same-Day from CHF 34.99
- Certificate types covering every common Switzerland use case
- Doctors registered to assess cases in Switzerland reviewing every case individually
- Same-day delivery, usually within 30 minutes on business days
- Full refund if the doctor cannot issue your certificate
- 🇨🇭 CHF pricing
- Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP)
- Accepted by employers, schools & sports clubs
Yes — anyone in St. Gallen can have a case assessed online by a registered doctor without booking an appointment. There is one flat price, CHF 34.99, across all six certificate types. It states the doctor's findings for an employer, school, club or insurer in Switzerland. Whether an employer requires an Arztzeugnis, and from which day, is set by your contract or GAV rather than by a single national rule.
Last updated: 10 September 2026
Reviewed by Dr. Anjum Ilahi (MBBS, MS) GMC · Cardiology and MRCPI
✓ 60+ customers served in St. Gallen
Getting a Medical Certificate in St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the main city of eastern Switzerland, close to both the Austrian border and Lake Constance, and a former centre of the Swiss textile industry whose fortune built the city's Abbey Library, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Textile manufacturing has largely given way to a services and insurance-led economy today, and how sickness leave is documented in that mix comes down to the individual employer's policy and employment contract, the same as anywhere else in Switzerland.
The city is also home to the University of St. Gallen (HSG), one of Europe's leading business schools. Illness affecting exams, coursework or a placement is generally handled through the university's own process, with its own evidence requirements, so it's worth checking what your specific faculty asks for before requesting documentation.
We don't have a practice to visit in St. Gallen: the whole assessment happens online, reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Switzerland, and the Arztzeugnis it produces is the same one you'd get anywhere else in the country, eastern Switzerland included.
St. Gallen is in German-speaking eastern Switzerland, and the Kantonsspital St.Gallen is the region's central hospital, with around 6,000 staff and more than 700 training places — large enough that healthcare is one of the city's biggest employment sectors in its own right. Provision thins out quickly beyond the city, towards Appenzell and up the Rhine valley, where securing a routine appointment at short notice is harder than the national figure of roughly four practising physicians per thousand people suggests. That gap between care existing and care being available today is the one a remote assessment addresses. It is not a substitute for being examined, and a long practice waiting list is not a reason to skip care you actually need.
St. Gallen is a genuine insurance town rather than a generically services-led one: Helvetia has its group head office here and Raiffeisen Switzerland is headquartered in the city, with around 9,200 full-time staff across its cooperative network. That shapes how sick leave works locally, because many Swiss employers insure wage continuation through a daily-sickness-benefit policy instead of paying it from their own pocket — and once an insurer is in the picture there is usually a second set of forms with its own deadlines. Manufacturing and logistics employers across the Rhine valley and around Lake Constance sit alongside that office economy, with shift-cover pressures of their own. A certificate is often the first document in that process rather than the whole of it.
Textile heritage and the Abbey Library
St. Gallen's former textile industry left behind the Abbey Library, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a services economy that has largely replaced it. Absence policy today depends on your specific employer.
University of St. Gallen (HSG)
One of Europe's leading business schools. Illness affecting exams, coursework or a placement is generally handled through the university's own process, with evidence requirements set by the faculty.
Insurance and financial services
A significant insurance and services sector sits alongside the city's academic institutions, each employer generally running its own formal absence process on top of the statutory framework.
Close to Austria and Lake Constance
Some people commute into St. Gallen from across the nearby Austrian or German border. Swiss sickness-documentation rules follow the employment, not where you live.
All Certificate Types Available in Switzerland
Every certificate type is reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Switzerland, based on a genuine assessment of your situation rather than an automatic approval. Choose the one that matches what you need.
Sick Leave Certificate (Arztzeugnis)
For work absence, matched to what your employer's contract or collective agreement typically expects. Many Swiss contracts ask for a certificate from around day 3, though some require one earlier. Check yours.
From CHF 34.99Sports Fitness Certificate
For Swiss sports clubs, associations, and competitions that request medical clearance before competitive or youth participation.
From CHF 34.99General Fitness Certificate
For gym membership sign-up and personal training in Switzerland where a health declaration is requested.
From CHF 34.99General Medical Certificate
For insurance claims, education-related requests, and other general documentation needs in Switzerland.
From CHF 34.99How It Works in St. Gallen
Complete assessment
3-5 minutes. Select your certificate type, confirm Switzerland as your country, and answer relevant health questions honestly and in full: this is what the doctor bases their review on. No payment is taken yet.
Doctor reviews your case
Reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Switzerland, during business hours (Central European Time, Monday-Friday). The doctor may request more information before deciding, and will not issue a certificate that isn't clinically appropriate.
Receive your PDF
Emailed same day, usually within 30 minutes of approval, with your doctor's credentials and a verification reference so whoever receives the certificate can check it's genuine.
Who Asks for a Medical Certificate in St. Gallen
St. Gallen employers
A certificate from a doctor registered to assess cases in Switzerland satisfies the documentation your employer is entitled to ask for. Switzerland has no single nationwide day-threshold for when one is required — it generally comes down to your employment contract or, where one applies, a collective bargaining agreement (GAV). Many employers ask from around the 3rd day of continuous absence in practice, a figure often linked to the area around Art. 324a of the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), but this is common practice rather than a fixed rule — check your own contract or GAV.
University of St. Gallen (HSG) and colleges
Commonly requested as supporting documentation where illness has affected exams, coursework or a placement. Each institution sets its own evidence requirements.
Sports clubs and gyms
Medical clearance is frequently requested before participation, particularly for contact sport or a new training programme. The club or provider sets the requirement.
Insurers and other bodies
General medical certificates are sometimes requested to support insurance claims or similar administrative matters. What generally matters is that a genuine assessment took place, not the particular format it arrived in.
Switzerland Pricing: All Certificate Types
| Certificate Type | Our Price | Typical Private Doctor Visit |
|---|---|---|
| Sick Leave Certificate | CHF 34.99 | €50-€120 |
| Sports Fitness Certificate | CHF 34.99 | €50-€120 |
| General Fitness Certificate | CHF 34.99 | €50-€120 |
| Fit to Fly Certificate | CHF 34.99 | €50-€120 |
| Return to Work Certificate | CHF 34.99 | €50-€120 |
| General Medical Certificate | CHF 34.99 | €50-€120 |
Typical private consultation costs in Switzerland are generally higher than in many other countries, reflecting the overall cost of Swiss healthcare. CHF 80-150 is a general range for a private in-person consultation and varies by canton, provider, and appointment type. It's shown here as a general point of reference, not a quote for any specific clinic.
Switzerland Legal Snapshot: What Applies in St. Gallen
Sick-leave and certificate rules are set nationally, so what follows applies in St. Gallen exactly as it does anywhere else in Switzerland.
Yes — you can get a medical certificate (doctor's note) in Switzerland online, reviewed by a registered doctor and usually issued the same day, from CHF 34.99. Switzerland does not set one single nationwide day-threshold for when a sick-leave certificate, an Arztzeugnis in German or certificat médical in French, is required. Timing is generally set by your individual employment contract or, where one applies, a collective bargaining agreement (Gesamtarbeitsvertrag). In common practice, many Swiss employers ask for a certificate from around the 3rd day of continuous absence, a figure often linked to the framework in the Swiss Code of Obligations (Obligationenrecht, OR) on continued salary during illness, but plenty of contracts require one from day 1, and some allow longer before asking. Always check your own contract or ask your employer directly. For sport, gym, travel, or general purposes such as insurance or education-related documentation, a separate certificate type applies: see the full list below. In everyday English this is often just called a doctor's note for Switzerland, even where the official local term differs.
| Local document name | Arztzeugnis (German) / certificat médical (French): in English, simply a "medical certificate." |
|---|---|
| Notification to employer | Employees in Switzerland are generally expected to notify their employer promptly once they know they will be absent through illness, typically before any certificate is even requested. |
| When a certificate is typically required | Many Swiss employment contracts require a medical certificate from around the 3rd day of absence: this reflects common practice, not a single fixed statutory rule. Your specific employer or collective agreement may set a different threshold, including from day 1. |
| Who can legally issue it | A licensed physician in Switzerland. |
| Submission deadline | Generally as soon as reasonably possible, per your employer's own policy. |
| Governing framework | General reference to the Swiss Code of Obligations (Obligationenrecht, OR), particularly the area around Art. 324a on continued salary payment during illness; treat this as a general framework rather than a guarantee of how a precise clause applies to your own case. |
| Data protection law | The Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revised nFADP), in force since September 2023. |
Note on variability: Unlike countries with one statutory certificate day-rule, Switzerland leaves much of this to individual employment contracts, cantonal practice, and collective bargaining agreements. The "around day 3" figure above reflects common practice referencing the Swiss Code of Obligations, not a single nationwide legal deadline that applies to everyone. Some employers require a certificate from the very first day of absence, and others set their own longer window. Confirm your own contract's wording, or ask your HR department, before assuming any specific day applies to you.
Read the full Switzerland rules, glossary and national FAQ →
Our Switzerland Medical Team
Every Switzerland certificate is reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Switzerland. A clinician will only issue a certificate after a genuine assessment of your case and only if it is clinically appropriate to do so: if it is not, you receive a full refund rather than a certificate that shouldn't have been issued. We do not offer instant certificates without review; every case, whatever the certificate type, is looked at individually by a doctor before anything is issued.
Registered practitioners, not a call centre.
Every doctor is independently verified against their national medical council before they see a single patient - including for patients in St. Gallen.
Dr. Claudia B.
Reg. #GLN: 7601000545855Dr. Sacha P.
Reg. #GLN 7601000361745Dr. Thomas S.
Reg. #GLN: 7601000710437Dr. Thomas D.
Reg. #GLN: 7601000954817Medical Certificates in St. Gallen: Common Questions
No. The assessment is completed online and reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Switzerland, so where you are in the country makes no difference to the process or the price. This page exists because people search for their own city, not because the service works differently in St. Gallen.
Our certificate is CHF 34.99 flat, including the doctor's review, the PDF and its verification reference. A typical private consultation in Switzerland commonly falls in the CHF 80-CHF 150 range and can run higher for a same-day slot. A certificate is not a substitute for care, though — if you need to be examined or treated, see a doctor in person.
The rules that apply follow where you're employed, not where you live. If your employer is based in Switzerland, Swiss requirements — including the contract- or GAV-dependent timing discussed above — apply to your absence, regardless of which side of the border you live on. If you're actually employed abroad, a different country's rules would apply instead, so it's worth confirming which employment relationship you're under.
Generally yes, provided it is issued by a licensed physician in Switzerland following a genuine assessment — that is what matters, not whether the consultation happened in person or online. Individual employers also apply their own internal policy on top of that, so if you're unsure it's worth asking before you need the certificate rather than during.
Same day, usually within 30 minutes of the doctor approving your case during business hours. Some cases take longer where the doctor needs more information from you before deciding.
Often as initial evidence, but plan for more. Krankentaggeld insurers commonly require their own claim form and their own medical questionnaire, and for longer absences they can require an assessment by a doctor they appoint. An online certificate can support that file; it does not replace the insurer's process, and it will not satisfy a form only your treating doctor can complete. Ask HR on day one which insurer is involved and what it needs, because insurers apply their own notification deadlines and a late claim can be reduced or refused.
It states that a doctor has assessed you as unfit for work and for which dates — that is the substance of it, and it is one of the six types at CHF 34.99. On duration, expect restraint rather than generosity: a doctor assessing you remotely will normally keep the period short, and will decline an open-ended or long certificate. If your absence looks likely to run beyond a few days, treat the first certificate as a bridge and book an in-person appointment, which is also what an employer or insurer will expect at that point.
The deadline comes from your contract or the applicable collective agreement rather than from national law, so what happens next depends on that document. Practically: submit what you have as soon as you can with the dates clearly stated, tell HR in writing why it is late, and ask which clause sets the deadline so you know what you are dealing with. A late certificate can affect wage continuation in some cases, which is why it is worth resolving in writing rather than by corridor conversation — and worth reading the clause before your next absence.
Usually yes. Where a contract or collective agreement permits it, an employer can tighten its documentation requirement, including asking for a certificate from the first day, and a pattern of short absences is a common trigger — often alongside an absence-management conversation. That is not an accusation in itself. Ask for the new requirement in writing and check whether it applies to you specifically or across the team, and if it is now day one, factor that into how quickly you request documentation.
For documenting a short, self-limiting illness where you do not need examining, it is a sensible use of the format, and rural appointment waits are one of the honest reasons people reach for it. For anything else it is not an alternative at all: a waiting list is not a reason to leave symptoms unassessed, and the options for that in eastern Switzerland include walk-in and emergency services rather than a document. Use the certificate for the paperwork problem and the health system for the health problem.
A certificate anyone can check - in seconds.
Every certificate is issued by a doctor registered with their national medical council, after a real assessment, and carries a reference code that resolves instantly - whether your employer is in Dublin, Berlin or Warsaw.
- ✓Issued only after a genuine clinical review
- ✓Unique reference code, checkable by anyone
- ✓Covers sick leave, fitness-to-work & carer's leave
- ✓Delivered as a signed PDF within the hour
