SRK (Swiss Red Cross): Recognition, Exams and Fees
If you are a nurse, midwife, physiotherapist or other health professional with a foreign qualification, the Swiss Red Cross decides whether it is recognised in Switzerland.
Overview
The Swiss Red Cross (Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz, SRK; Croix-Rouge suisse, CRS) runs the recognition of foreign qualifications for many regulated health professions in Switzerland, including nursing.
If you want to work in one of these professions with a qualification earned abroad, the SRK must recognise it. Its health professions department is based in Wabern, near Bern.
The procedure has two stages. First comes the PreCheck, a compulsory but free online check at precheck.ch, which tells you within four weeks whether your qualification can go forward and how to apply. Then comes the recognition application itself, on paper, which leads to a first decision within four months of a complete, paid file. That decision either recognises your qualification or sets compensatory measures to close the gaps between your training and the Swiss profile.
Fees depend on your qualification. Nurses and midwives whose qualification is listed in Annex V of EU Directive 2005/36/EC for the relevant country pay CHF 550. Everyone else, including nurses trained outside the EU, pays CHF 930 if no compensatory measures are needed, or CHF 1,000 if they are, plus the cost of the measures themselves and, depending on the profession, CHF 130 for an entry in the national registers GesReg or NAREG.
Recognition is not a licence. To work you still need a residence and work permit, which is hard to obtain for third-state nationals, and permission from the canton where required. The SRK also issues registration certificates and certificates of good standing for professionals who want to work abroad.
Official website: redcross.ch
Who it registers
- Nursing.
- Midwifery.
- Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and nutrition.
- Paramedics and emergency medical technicians.
- Healthcare assistants, medical masseurs and naturopaths.
- Radiography, biomedical analysis, operating room technology and dental hygiene.
- Osteopathy, optometry, orthoptics, podiatry and podiatry assistants.
- Entries in GesReg or NAREG, the national registers of healthcare professions, depending on the profession.
Eligibility
- A completed foreign qualification in a profession the SRK recognises.
- A positive result from the free PreCheck at precheck.ch.
- A Certificate of Current Professional Status or Letter of Good Standing from the authority in the country where you last worked, no more than three months old when you apply, showing you are entitled to practise and have no sanctions.
- Language certificate at B2 in German, French or Italian, which can be issued abroad.
- The documents the SRK lists in your recognition application, and payment of the invoice before processing starts.
- For third-country nationals, the SRK addresses residence permits in its FAQ; check the current answer before applying.
How to apply
1. Confirm the SRK handles your profession
Search for your profession on recognition.swiss, the federal platform, which tells you which institution is responsible. Doctors, dentists and pharmacists go to MEBEKO instead.2. Complete the PreCheck
Register at precheck.ch and upload what it asks for. The PreCheck is compulsory and free. Processing takes a maximum of four weeks once all documents are submitted, and you then log back in to see a positive or negative result and your next step.3. Request the application documents
With a positive PreCheck, follow the instructions in the portal to request your application documents, which the SRK sends by post. A negative result explains why and what your options are.4. Collect your documents and good standing certificate
Gather everything listed, including a CCPS or Letter of Good Standing from the authority in the country where you last worked, no more than three months old. If you work in the Gulf, that is your current licensing authority. The SRK publishes an overview of competent authorities for EU and EFTA states and other states.5. Pay and post the application
Pay the fee and send the documents and signed application form by post to Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz, Gesundheitsberufe, Werkstrasse 18, 3084 Wabern. The procedure only starts once the complete file has arrived and the invoice is paid.6. Receive the first decision
Within four months of a complete file, the SRK issues a preliminary decision: either your qualification is recognised, or you must complete compensatory measures. Incomplete files extend the deadline.7. Complete compensatory measures if required
Compensatory measures can be an adaptation course, an additional training course or an aptitude test. They are delivered and invoiced by their providers, not the SRK, and add time and cost to the procedure.8. Recognition and registration
When the conditions are met you receive your recognition certificate and decision. Depending on the profession you are also entered in GesReg or NAREG, for which the SRK may charge CHF 130.
Exams and assessments
Aptitude test
One of the compensatory measures the SRK can require when your training differs from the Swiss profile. The SRK's decision tells you whether it applies; the test is invoiced by its provider.
Adaptation course and additional training course
The other compensatory measures the SRK lists. They are set in your decision, run by external providers and paid for separately from the SRK's fee.
Language certificate
Not an SRK exam, but a requirement: a certificate in German, French or Italian at B2. You can sit it abroad.
Language requirements
- The SRK does not accept English for recognition. It accepts language certificates at B2 in German, French or Italian.
- Your certificate can be issued outside Switzerland.
- Choose the language of the region where you plan to work, since recognition and employment are separate steps.
Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Nursing or midwifery qualification listed in Annex V of Directive 2005/36/ECOne invoice. | CHF 550One invoice. |
| Recognition without compensatory measuresTwo partial invoices. | CHF 930Two partial invoices. |
| Recognition with compensatory measuresTwo partial invoices. The measures themselves are invoiced separately by their providers. | CHF 1,000Two partial invoices. The measures themselves are invoiced separately by their providers. |
| GesReg or NAREG registrationDepending on the profession. | CHF 130Depending on the profession. |
| PreCheck | Free |
Timeline
- PreCheck: a maximum of four weeks after you submit all documents.
- Recognition application: a first decision within a maximum of four months of a complete, paid file.
- Compensatory measures: add time that depends on the measure and the provider.
- Good standing certificate: must be no more than three months old when you apply, so request it close to submission.
- The SRK notes that these deadlines assume complete documents; otherwise processing takes longer.
Questions
Yes, if you trained abroad and want to work in a regulated nursing role. The SRK says your qualification must be recognised to work in a regulated healthcare profession in Switzerland.
Yes. The PreCheck is compulsory but free of charge. You pay only when you file the recognition application.
If your qualification is not listed in Annex V of the EU directive, the fee is CHF 930 without compensatory measures or CHF 1,000 with them. Add CHF 130 for GesReg or NAREG if your profession requires it, and the providers' charges for any measures.
Up to four weeks for the PreCheck and up to four months for a first decision once your file is complete and paid. Compensatory measures extend this.
No. A current CCPS or Letter of Good Standing is not required for the PreCheck, only for the recognition application, where it must be no more than three months old.
German, French or Italian at B2. English certificates are not listed.
No. Recognition concerns your qualification only. A third-state national still needs an employer to obtain a work and residence permit through the cantonal authority and SEM.
By post to Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz, Gesundheitsberufe, Werkstrasse 18, 3084 Wabern, after you have paid the invoice.
Sources
Keep exploring
Working in Switzerland after SRK registration