SERI Procedure

SERI is the coordinating national and international contact point. At the same time, it is the competent authority for the recognition of foreign qualifications relating to the Swiss VPET system (i.e. upper-secondary level vocational qualifications and tertiary-level professional qualifications). It is also responsible for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees relating to a regulated professional activity.

Foreign qualifications relating to the Swiss VPET system

SERI compares foreign qualifications with Swiss qualifications contained in the List of Vocational and Professional Qualifications. If a foreign qualification meets requirements for recognition, then the foreign qualification will be deemed equivalent to one of the following Swiss qualifications: upper-secondary level vocational qualifications: Eidg. Berufsattest (Federal VET Certificate, normally awarded after two years of training), Eidg.Fähigkeitszeugnis (Federal VET Diploma, normally awarded after three or four years of training); tertiary level professional qualifications: Eidg. Fachausweis (Federal Diploma of Higher Education, normally awarded after taking a federal professional examination), Eidg. Diplom (Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education, normally awarded after taking a federal professional examination), Abschluss einer höheren Fachschule (Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education, normally awarded after completing a study programme at a professional education institution).

SERI List of professions (germen)

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees relating to a regulated profession

SERI is responsible for the recognition of foreign Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees relating to a regulated professional activity in Switzerland. A professional activity is considered to be regulated if a person is required to hold a specific qualification in order to legally carry out the given professional activity. The responsibilities of other recognition bodies for regulated professional activities remain reserved (e.g. MEBEKO in the field of university medical professions, PsyKo in the field of psychology professions, GS EDK in the field of teaching and curative education, etc.).
If a foreign training course meets the requirements for recognition under the Higher Education Ordinance (HEdO, SR 414.201) or Directive 2005/36/EC, the foreign higher education qualification is recognised as equivalent to a Swiss higher education qualification (Bachelor‘s and Master’s degree programmes only, not non-formal continuing education courses) in one of the following fields:

• Architecture
• Engineering
• Social work (social work, social pedagogy, community activities planner, etc.);

Note: please first read the corresponding note on regulated professions.

For non-regulated professional activities relating to the Swiss higher education sector, swissuniversities / Swiss ENIC have recently issued recognition regulations for all types of higher education institution.