Some professions in Switzerland require specific qualifications. If you wish to work in one of these regulated professions, your foreign diploma must be recognised by an official body. 

Examples of regulated professions are:

• Teachers at all levels
• Attorney (at law)
• Civil engineers
• Architects

Most professions in Switzerland are not regulated. This means that no recognition of your diploma is required. You can apply directly to a job with your diplomas. During the application process, the employer will assess whether you have sufficient experience and the necessary qualifications for the position.

Recognition depends on your qualification and your career plans in Switzerland:

• Work: You can check here whether your qualification needs to be recognised in order to work in Switzerland: www.recognition.swiss
• Study: Please contact directly the higher education institution of your choice. Swiss higher education institutions decide independently on admission to study programmes.

Swiss ENIC (European Network of Information Centres) is the national information centre for questions regarding recognition.

Swiss ENIC helps you and your future employer regarding questions of the level of your foreign higher education qualification. 

Swiss ENIC is a member of the International ENIC-NARIC Network, which brings together the recognition agencies of countries that are members of the EU and/or the Council of Europe.

Swiss ENIC issues so-called level confirmations.

The level confirmation contains information about your education and your degree. This information can help your employer to assess your qualifications. The confirmation acts as a supplement to your application documents. However, the confirmation has no legal effect on your degree or title. Your diploma remains the basis for your qualifications, regardless of the level confirmation.

Swiss ENIC can only provide information about the general admission requirements of Swiss higher education institutions. Swiss ENIC is not responsible for evaluating school leaving certificates.

There is no authority in Switzerland that recognises foreign school leaving certificates for the purpose of practising a profession. Universities only recognise such certificates if someone intends to take up a course of study. In the field of professional practice, recognition is therefore the responsibility of the employer.

Swiss ENIC cannot issue level certificates for postgraduate studies/postgraduate degrees (e.g. MAS/DAS/CAS etc.) as these studies cannot be assessed due to a lack of comparison criteria in the national and international environment.

In Switzerland, MBAs are considered continuing education. An MBA without a bachelor's degree in business administration is therefore not comparable to a research master's degree in business administration. Swiss ENIC cannot issue a confirmation for this diploma. Recognition is at the discretion of the employer.

Swiss ENIC does not evaluate foreign doctorates, as there is no legal basis for comparison with a Swiss doctorate (see Ordinance of the Higher Education Council on the Coordination of Teaching, Art. 4c).

For questions regarding the use of a foreign doctoral title, please refer to the recommendations of swissuniversities: https://www.swissuniversities.ch/fileadmin/swissuniversities/Dokumente/Lehre/ENIC/200101_Empfehlung_Doktorat.pdf

• You want to study in Switzerland: Please contact the university of your choice directly. Swiss universities decide independently on admission to study.
• You want to work in Switzerland and have not yet had contact with a future employer: Please note that our assessment is only available to people who are already in contact with an employer.
• You already have an employer and have questions about salary classification/further training/continuing education, etc.: Please contact your employer directly. Our confirmations must not be used for salary purposes/classification.