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Questions and answers on the subject of Patronage and donations

Select the subject area for answers to frequently asked questions and further information.

  • Without patrons there would be no Rega. It is only with their support that Rega can provide initial medical assistance by air throughout Switzerland and reach patients in an emergency in a matter of minutes. With their contributions, patrons thus ensure that they can be helped quickly in an emergency. That is the primary benefit of a patronage.

    As a thank-you for this support, Rega can waive the costs of a mission for its patrons – in accordance with the conditions of patronage – if the insurer is not required to pay. And it does so: last year, Rega waived over 14 million Swiss francs in costs of missions for its patrons that insurance companies did not cover.

    In the event of medical problems abroad, patrons are advised by Rega's medical consultants. If the Rega medical consultant deems repatriation to be medically necessary, the flight coordinator organises the repatriation – either in one of our ambulance jets or on a scheduled flight. Here too, Rega waives any costs for its patrons that the insurer is not required to pay.

  • The mission costs depend on a number of factors, such as the duration of the mission and the resources and manpower required. As a rule, the more complex a mission and the longer it takes, the higher the costs. A Rega helicopter mission costs around 4,500 Swiss francs on average, without additional specialists such as mountain rescuers from Alpine Rettung Schweiz. Complex missions, such as search or avalanche missions involving many people can easily run into several tens of thousands of francs. 

    Repatriation with a Rega jet depends on the flying time. A repatriation from Thailand, for example, costs over 100,000 francs, one from Spain around 30,000 francs.

  • People usually associate Rega with accidents, but almost half of all helicopter missions involve Rega crews helping a patient with an acute illness, such as a cardiovascular problem or a stroke. Different insurance benefits apply to illnesses than to an accident. 

    For people with health insurance, the health insurer pays 50% of the costs of a recognised rescue, up to a maximum of CHF 5,000 per year. 

    If a gainfully employed person has an accident and if the accident is recognised, the accident insurance covers 100% of the rescue costs in the vast majority of cases.

    In several hundred missions per year, however, we also rescue people in distress who are neither injured nor ill – e.g. because they have got into difficulties in the mountains or because a search and rescue mission was initiated on their behalf. These costs are often not covered by an insurer.

    Generally speaking, everyone in Switzerland benefits from a patronage because it is thanks to these funds that Rega even exists and that medical assistance by air is available in an emergency. An emergency flight physician, a pilot and a paramedic as well as a rescue helicopter are on standby around the clock at each of the 14 helicopter bases throughout Switzerland. Rega can only finance this reserve capacity thanks to its patrons. The same applies to the assistance provided by Rega abroad.

  • Last year, Rega waived over 14 million Swiss francs in costs of missions for its patrons that insurance companies did not cover. However, Rega is not an insurance company but a privately run, non-profit foundation. Legally speaking, the patronage contribution is a donation, and Rega waives the cost without any legal obligation. That is why the conditions of patronage use the “can” formulation. Unlike an insurance company, Rega does not list exclusions, such as pre-existing illnesses. 

  • Who pays the costs is determined after a rescue mission. As a rule, the persons who were rescued, or their insurer, pays. If an insurer is not required to pay for the mission, Rega can – in accordance with its patronage conditions, and as a "thank-you" – waive the costs of assistance it provides itself or organises for its patrons.

  • Yes, you can log in to the patron portal and amend your data yourself.

  • In the patron portal, you can amend your data yourself, check if your patronage contribution has been paid, download a donation confirmation and register or cancel a patronage.

  • Please contact the Contact Center on 0844 834 844 or via the contact form.

  • In the patron portal, the status next to the patron’s name indicates whether the patronage contribution has been paid or not.

  • You can find the registration code on the patronage data sheet. If you do not have the code to hand, you can also register with your personal details or contact the Contact Center on 0844 834 844 or via the contact form.

  • You can have the code sent to you again. Make sure you also check your spam folder. The login code is valid for 24 hours. If you have any questions, please contact the Contact Center on 0844 834 844 or via contact form.

  • Yes. Rega ensures that the personal data relating to patrons is protected against unauthorised access. Go to the data protection regulations.

  • You can find the patronage number on your patronage data sheet or patronage card.

  • You can access the patron portal by clicking on the link rega.ch/login

  • With its air-rescue operations, Rega performs a public service in Switzerland without receiving any financial assistance from the State. As a result, Rega is totally dependent on the support of its patrons. However, in order to be able to guarantee swift, uncomplicated assistance by air on a long-term basis, Rega also needs people who demonstrate their solidarity by making donations, legacies or bequests.

  • Your patronage takes effect on the date of payment and if it is not renewed expires on 15 May of the following year. The payment date has no impact on the length of time the patronage is valid.

  • New patrons can pay by credit card via the website (see under “Become a patron”). Existing Rega patrons will receive an invoice with a QR code so that they can pay online (by credit card, etc.).

  • Your Rega patronage for the current year remains valid until 15 May of the year after. Paying-in slips to renew patronage are always sent out in January and February.

  • Calls to phone number 0844 834 844 are charged at a rate of 7.5 cents/min. (plus VAT), regardless of where in Switzerland you are calling from. If you call +41 44 654 32 22 from abroad, the rates in the country concerned apply

  • All the patronage documents will be sent to the person who has paid the invoice – therefore this person also receives all of the patronage cards. The only exception is the first time a patronage card is sent to a new patron, provided that this has been explicitly requested during online registration by placing a cross in the corresponding box.

  • The data for the new invoices is prepared in December each year. Due to the large number of patrons, the printing and dispatch of these documents can take up to three months.

  • Please enter your new address in the online form, «Amend adress». 

  • The patronage data sheet contains the personal details about you that are stored in our database. If the information is incorrect – because in the meantime you have moved house, for example – there is no need to worry: your patronage is not affected. However, we kindly ask you to update your data via patron portal.

  • Your patronage card - that is, your Rega patronage - always takes effect from the date of payment and is valid for the current calendar year. In the event of patronage not being renewed, it ceases to be valid on 15 May of the following year.

  • No. The question as to whether a person is a Rega patron or not only arises after the rescue mission has been carried out, when determining who is responsible for paying the costs.

  • The patronage card – that is, Rega patronage – always takes effect on the date of payment and is valid for the current calendar year. If the patronage is not renewed, it expires on 15 May of the following year.

  • No, Rega's purpose is to come to the aid of people in distress and in need of emergency assistance. As a result, it operates with top-quality equipment and a highly-trained crew, including an emergency physician. A Rega mission is thus fundamentally geared towards people. There are other organisations that are responsible for the rescue of animals (with the exception of livestock in alpine regions).

  • Rega patronage also covers livestock provided that the owner is a natural person and a Rega patron.

  • No, a Rega patronage is personal. However, Rega does support sports activities carried out by children and young people within the framework of the sports promotion programme, Jugend+Sport (J+S), operated by the Federal Office for Sport (BASPO). Anyone taking part in a J+S camp in Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein who is of J+S age is deemed to be a Rega patron for the duration of the camp. Participants must, however, be registered in the sports database before the start of the event.

  • No. In this case, repatriation costs do not form an integral part of patronage benefits. The entire scope of benefits only applies to patrons domiciled in Switzerland or to Swiss patrons living abroad.

  • Yes, every single contribution is invaluable in helping us to operate competent, professional air-rescue services both at home and abroad. For further information, please refer to the Conditions of Patronage.

  • As a rescue organisation, Rega is only able to place its limited resources and infrastructure at the disposal of a predefined group of people. An insurance company, on the other hand, is obliged to provide all the benefits stipulated in full. Rega patrons who are resident abroad are not required to pay the cost of rescue flights within Switzerland (transport to the nearest hospital).

  • Your friend can become a Rega patron at any time. If he is a patron and is in Switzerland, he enjoys all the benefits granted to patrons relating to air rescue in Switzerland (i.e. within the Swiss national borders). Benefits relating to repatriation flights from abroad are only granted to patrons who are permanently domiciled in Switzerland (irrelevant of their nationality) and to Swiss nationals living abroad. Repatriation flights to locations outside Switzerland are possible, but incur costs that Rega is not able to cover itself.

  • No. Only SAC Youth Members under the age of 22 years are automatically Rega patrons, too.

  • No. For the tax authorities, it is sufficient to send a copy of your contribution payment (a copy of your online payment is also acceptable).

  • No. Rega is a privately run, non-profit organisation that depends on voluntary funding. Patronage contributions are deemed to be donations. In grateful acknowledgement of patrons' support, Rega can, at its own discretion and within the bounds of its resources, waive or reduce the costs of any emergency services that it has provided or organised on their behalf, in the event that insurance companies or any other third party are not liable to pay and thus not required to reimburse the costs of the rescue operation, whether wholly or in part.

  • We understand the desire to switch completely to digital media. We are currently sending the patronage card to all our patrons in paper form. We also offer the digital card in order to provide greater flexibility. We are currently assessing whether we can offer an option in future to forgo the paper version. As soon as this option is available, we will inform you.