MedReg (Swiss register of medical professions)

Since 1 January 2018, the Swiss Medical Professions Act (MedBG) requires everyone working in a university medical profession in Switzerland to be recorded in MedReg. The FOPH runs it in Bern. It holds each professional's GLN (Global Location Number) identifier, diplomas, postgraduate titles and specialisations, language skills, cantonal licences to practise with any conditions, and notifications of 90-day service providers. Much of this is public, and employers must check before hiring that a professional is registered and has the language skills the job needs.

Nurses, physiotherapists and other non-university health professions are not in MedReg; they appear in GesReg or NAREG.

The Medical Professions Commission (MEBEKO) says a diploma from outside the EU and EFTA cannot in principle be recognised. Instead it can register a non-recognisable diploma in MedReg if two conditions are met: the diploma lets you practise under professional supervision in the issuing country, and it rests on university training that meets minimum hours and years of theory and practice.

1. Download MEBEKO's registration form, which lists the documents.
2. Send certified copies, never originals, in a single postal mailing. Email and in-person applications are not accepted.
3. Pay the first invoice after the formal check, then a second invoice once the file is complete. The total fee is CHF 800 to CHF 1,200.

Files are handled in order of receipt. MEBEKO's status update of 29 September 2026 said the fourth quarter of 2026 would cover applications received from February to June 2026.

• Work under professional supervision, if the canton approves.
• Starting a specialist training programme, though finishing it requires a federal or recognised diploma.
• It does not allow independent practice, which needs a federal or recognised diploma and a cantonal Berufsausübungsbewilligung.

To earn the federal diploma, doctors can take a Swiss master's degree, or after 36 months of clinical work in Switzerland be admitted to the full federal exam, or after 60 months to the theoretical part only. The exam registration deadline is 31 March of the exam year.

MedReg records the national languages in which you meet CEFR B2. Proof is a language diploma at B2 or above no more than six years old showing results for all four skills, training completed in that language, or three years of professional work in that language within the last ten years. The entry costs CHF 50 to CHF 100 and can be requested online or with your registration application.

• Expecting recognition. Registration is not recognition; it leads only to supervised work.
• Sending originals. MEBEKO does not return documents.
• Chasing the file. MEBEKO says enquiries do not speed up processing, and email replies can take weeks.
• No language entry. Without a B2 entry in the right language, employers and cantons cannot clear you.