SERI is the national contact point and competent authority for the recognition of foreign qualifications for
- Professional activities relating to Swiss vocational or professional qualifications: SERI compares foreign qualifications with Swiss vocational and professional qualifications. If a foreign qualification satisfies the requirements for recognition, the qualification is declared equivalent to the corresponding Swiss qualification. SERI list of Swiss vocational and professional qualifications
- Regulated professional activities for which a specific higher education qualification is required: A regulated professional activity is one where access is restricted in Switzerland on the basis of legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions and which requires the possession of a specific higher education qualification. SERI compares the foreign training with the content of Swiss training and issues a document attesting to equivalence.
Review of the foreign qualification will either result in formal recognition (equivalence in the case of regulated professional activities) or issuance of a level certificate (for non-regulated professional activities).
Recognition (equivalence)
In the case of regulated professional activities, Swiss recognition of the foreign qualification is necessary because legal provisions require a specific qualification in order to carry out those professional activities in Switzerland. With recognition, SERI certifies that the foreign qualification is equivalent to the corresponding Swiss qualification.
Level certificate
In the case of unregulated professional activities, SERI recommends that a level certificate be issued, since there are no barriers to carrying out the professional activity in question in Switzerland.
A level certificate is a document issued by SERI to inform schools, future employers or authorities about the level that the foreign qualification corresponds to within the Swiss education system.
