Working as a medical assistant (MPA) in Switzerland: when you need recognition

The short answer: it depends on X-rays

Recognition for X-rays is handled by SERI, not by the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) and not by MEBEKO. Whether you need it depends on a single question in SERI's recognition portal:

The country where you trained does not change this: in the portal's MPA entry, the same rule applies to Germany, Austria, Italy and France. We describe a particular issue with the Austrian Ordinationsassistenz further below.

Without X-rays: apply directly

SERI states that anyone working in a non-regulated profession has access to the labour market and can apply directly. This is exactly the case for MPAs who do not take X-rays. You then do not need to submit a recognition application to SERI, which also means no fee and no processing time.

One example is the canton of Zurich. There, doctors' practices may employ MPAs without the MPAs needing a cantonal licence to practise. The practice must make sure that you are adequately trained for your duties. The canton's information sheet on medicine (Merkblatt Medizin) does not name a language level for MPAs.

If you would still like recognition, you can apply to SERI for it voluntarily. The official sources do not agree on which fee then applies. More on this in the section on fees.

With X-rays: recognition from SERI

When you take X-rays, you work with ionising radiation. If you trained abroad, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), you need training recognised by SERI for this. Recognition confirms that your qualification is equivalent to a Swiss qualification. You submit the application directly to SERI.

According to the FOPH, you can also obtain the authorisation for low-dose imaging in this process, if needed. This means images with little radiation of the thorax (chest) and extremities (arms and legs). The authorisation is comparable to that of a Swiss MPA EFZ. EFZ stands for the Swiss Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training. For MPAs, it is the qualification from three years of initial vocational education and training.

According to the recognition portal, anyone who operates X-ray equipment needs suitable training in radiation protection, that is, in handling radiation safely. For qualifications from Germany, Austria, Italy and France, the legal basis is the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the EU (FZA). In its Annex III, it takes over EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. According to SERI's information sheet on working with ionising radiation (December 2019), EU/EFTA nationals who acquired their skills in working with ionising radiation in their country of origin can apply for recognition on the basis of this directive.

This 2019 information sheet still describes two steps. First comes recognition, then a separate application to the FOPH for radiation protection. The FOPH's current page, by contrast, refers directly to SERI. The Radiological Protection Ordinance, in turn, assigns the recognition of radiation-protection training to the supervisory authority, which for medical facilities is the FOPH. None of the official sources we checked explains how these statements fit together. SERI will tell you how to proceed once it has received your application.

How the SERI application works

You apply online on SERI's portal (FaDa). According to SERI, you can also do this from abroad. The condition is that you are allowed to settle in Switzerland, for example as an EU/EFTA national.

1. 1

   Create an account

   Create a user account on SERI's online portal and log in.

2. 2

   Enter your application

   Click the button to create an application and fill in the details of your qualification, training and professional experience.

3. 3

   Upload documents

   Upload your passport or identity card and your qualification in the original language. If it was not issued in German, English, French or Italian, add an official translation.

4. 4

   Submit

   Click the button to submit the application. SERI confirms receipt by e-mail.

5. 5

   Reply

   Within four weeks, SERI tells you about the next steps in a second e-mail.

6. 6

   Examination

   SERI only examines your application once all required documents have been provided and the processing fee has been paid.

In individual cases, SERI may ask for further documents after you submit, for example:

• a certified copy of your qualification
• proof of your professional experience from your employers
• the training programme with subjects and number of hours
• in some cases, a language certificate

Translations must be done by qualified translators, not by you. Qualifications originally issued in English do not need a translation.

SERI is currently receiving more applications than usual, which by its own account is causing considerable delays. It asks applicants not to follow up by e-mail or phone.

SERI fees and processing times

For recognition – for MPAs, that means with X-rays – SERI charges CHF 550. This is how long it takes according to SERI:

SERI gives priority to regulated professions. There is no fast-track procedure. For voluntary recognition without X-rays, the official sources do not state the fee and processing time consistently:

• The fee must be paid in Swiss francs, not in euros.
• It is due in a single payment: no instalments, no invoice.
• You pay any bank charges yourself.

If SERI finds differences

If SERI finds differences from the Swiss training, it may require compensation measures. It only decides this after fully examining your file, depending on your training and professional experience. Compensation measures only exist for regulated professions – for MPAs, therefore, only with X-rays.

• Aptitude test: according to SERI, from a few hours to one or two days.
• Adaptation period: work with a qualified employer, according to SERI from a few months to one or two years. According to SERI, you have to find the placement yourself.
• Costs: not included in the SERI fee; they are paid separately to the external provider.

Under EU Directive 2005/36/EC (Art. 14), you may in principle choose between an aptitude test and an adaptation period. The directive allows exceptions to this. It must first be checked whether your professional experience makes up for the differences. The directive sets three years as the upper limit for an adaptation period. SERI's FAQ says nothing about the choice.

Another route is the Swiss qualification itself. According to the FOPH, if you have professional experience, you can obtain the MPA EFZ through a cantonal qualification procedure. It takes your experience and prior education into account. SERI's register of professions also lists a validation of prior learning for this, in effect since 16 November 2020.

What an MPA may X-ray in Switzerland

The limits are set by the federal Radiological Protection Training Ordinance (Annex 2, area of application MP 7). They apply to MPAs authorised to take X-rays, and so also to the Swiss MPA EFZ, the benchmark for your qualification. MPAs take X-rays under the responsible direction of a doctor who is a qualified radiation-protection expert.

Besides the thorax and extremities, the ordinance also includes DXA (bone density measurement) in MP 7. Explicitly excluded from MP 7 are the skull, the axial skeleton (including the spine), the pelvis and the abdomen. DVT, computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopy and mammography are also excluded.

teaching units of radiation-protection training for MP 7, recommended by the ordinance

160 units

at least one continuing education course, with 8 teaching units each

every 5 years

The continuing education requirement is set out in Art. 175 para. 2 of the Radiological Protection Ordinance. If you work in a practice without X-rays, according to the FOPH you do not necessarily have to meet it. But before you take X-rays again, you need a continuing education course.

For other basic medical training, there is an X-ray course recognised by the FOPH (MP 9) for the thorax and extremities. However, the FOPH list of admitted professions (as of January 2026) only names Swiss qualifications. It does not say whether a foreign qualification is enough.

The benchmark: the Swiss MPA EFZ

SERI compares your qualification with the Swiss initial vocational education and training Medizinische Praxisassistentin/Medizinischer Praxisassistent EFZ.

initial vocational education and training

3 years

in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF)

Level 4

in force: SERI's ordinance on vocational education and training of 15 March 2018

since 2019

• The EFZ counts as proof of radiation-protection training for low-dose images of the thorax and extremities.
• Recommended English title: Medical Secretary and Assistant, Federal Diploma of VET.

Your qualification: Germany, Austria, Italy, France

We have not found any published SERI assessment of how these qualifications compare with the MPA EFZ. What is documented is what the portal's MPA entry provides: without X-rays no recognition, with X-rays recognition from SERI.

• GermanyMedizinische Fachangestellte (MFA): the portal lists it under the MPA entry. Without X-rays no recognition, with X-rays the standard procedure at SERI.
• AustriaOrdinationsassistenz: in Austria, it does not include X-rays. The portal lists the title under nursing assistant (Krankenpflegeassistenz), not under MPA. TakeCare checks with you whether you need recognition.
• ItalyAssistente or segretaria di studio medico: we have not found a state training equivalent to the MPA in official sources. Without X-rays no recognition needed; for X-rays, SERI does not recognise certificates from private schools.
• FranceAssistant(e) médical(e): the CQP is an industry certificate, not a state diploma. Without X-rays no recognition needed.

Germany: MFA is a state-recognised training occupation with three years of training (MedFAngAusbV). Under the MPA entry, the portal also lists the title Arzthelfer/Arzthelferin. On 10 February 2021, Switzerland and Germany concluded an agreement on the equivalence of vocational qualifications. It comes with a SERI list (version of 31 December 2025). For example, it treats the Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte (dental assistant) as equivalent to the Dentalassistentin EFZ. The pairing MFA and MPA EFZ is not on it. In any case, the list is only advisory.

Austria: Ordinationsassistenz is a profession under the Austrian Medical Assistance Professions Act (MABG), with at least 650 hours of training. X-rays are not part of its duties (§ 9 MABG); there is a separate profession for that, Röntgenassistenz (§ 10 MABG). In the portal, “Ordinationsassistent/in” leads to the entry Krankenpflegeassistent/in. For this entry, the SRK is generally responsible. If your qualification corresponds to the Swiss training Assistent/in Gesundheit und Soziales (health and social care assistant), no recognition is needed there. None of the official sources we checked says which entry applies to an MPA job. That is why TakeCare checks with you whether you need recognition for your specific job.

Italy: In the Italian-language portal, the MPA is called “assistente di studio medico”; “segretaria/segretario di studio medico” also leads there. In official sources we found no state training equivalent to the MPA, only courses from private providers. However, SERI only recognises completed training that led to a professional qualification and is state-recognised or accredited by an official body, not certificates from private schools. This only matters if you want to take X-rays or apply for recognition voluntarily.

France: In the French-language portal, the MPA is called “assistant(e) médical(e)”; “secrétaire médicale” also leads there. The CQP assistant médical (RNCP 40913, level 4) is an industry certificate, not a state diploma. Older certificates bear the earlier number RNCP 36358. According to Assurance Maladie (French national health insurance), various profiles can fill the role, for example nurses or medical secretaries. Those who do not come from nursing have two years from being hired to obtain the CQP. According to Assurance Maladie, the assistant médical is not a health professional and may only operate fully automated devices. X-rays are not part of the role.

Language: what is required and what counts day to day

We have found no fixed language level for MPAs, either in federal law or in the cantonal rules we checked. SERI only asks for a language certificate in some cases.

For recognition, the Vocational and Professional Education and Training Ordinance (Art. 69 BBV) requires knowledge of an official language of the Confederation. This means the knowledge needed for the profession in Switzerland. The ordinance does not name a level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The official languages of the Confederation are German, French and Italian (Art. 70 Federal Constitution). This means the standard language, not dialect.

SERI decides whether a certificate is needed after receiving your application. If it asks for one, it accepts in particular:

• German: ZMP, KDS, ZOP and GDS from the Goethe-Institut, the language diploma of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce, telc Deutsch B2, examinations based on the European Language Portfolio at level B2
• French: Alliance Française diplomas, DELF 2, DALF, telc français B2, CCIG, Language Portfolio B2
• Italian: CELI 3 and higher, telc italiano B2, PLIDA, Language Portfolio B2

Everyday life looks different. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) describes Swiss German as the everyday language in all areas of life. The written language is standard German. The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) found:

of employed people in German-speaking Switzerland usually spoke Swiss German at work in 2020

83%

of the population aged 15 and over in German-speaking Switzerland regularly speak Swiss German (2024 survey)

85.3%

in Italian-speaking Switzerland regularly speak a Ticino or Graubünden Italian dialect (2024 survey)

29%

The FSO also asked people whose main language is not the language of their region. Around a quarter of them had already had language difficulties with healthcare staff, at work or when looking for a job. Conversations with healthcare staff include those at a practice's reception desk and on its phone.

Permits and registration as an EU citizen

As a national of Germany, Austria, Italy or France, you fall under the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. You only need a residence permit, which also serves as a work permit. If you meet the requirements, you are legally entitled to it, unless public order speaks against it. It is issued by the canton.

• Within 14 days of arriving and before you start work, you register with the municipality where you live. There you also apply for the L or B permit.
• Bring: a valid identity card or passport and the written confirmation of employment, stating the duration and workload.
• You may start work as soon as your application has reached the cantonal authority. You do not have to wait for the permit card.
• To look for a job in Switzerland, you need neither a permit nor a job offer for up to three months.

Who submits the application is not regulated uniformly. According to the directives of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), you apply yourself in principle. According to the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act, the employer applies for employees. The cantonal authority knows the exact formalities.

The B permit allows you to change jobs and professions. It does not replace professional rules, however: the recognition requirement for X-rays applies with every permit.

After the job offer: health insurance, other insurance, housing

After you move, two deadlines apply:

• Health insurance: if you are insured in time, cover applies retroactively from the date you moved. You then also pay premiums from that date. If you are late, you are only covered from the date you join. If the delay is not excusable, a premium surcharge of 30 to 50 percent is added. It applies for twice the length of the delay, for a maximum of five years.
• Basic insurance: every insurer must accept you without reservations and without waiting periods. There are no family policies; each person is insured individually.
• Accident insurance: your employer insures you against occupational accidents. If you work at least 8 hours a week for that employer, you are also insured against non-occupational accidents. You can then ask your health insurer to suspend accident cover.
• Cross-border commuters: with a G permit, you must be insured from the day you start work. You have three months to take out Swiss health insurance. If you live in Germany, France, Italy or Austria, you can take out insurance in your country of residence instead. To do so, you apply to the canton where you work for an exemption within three months of starting work. Without this application, it is not possible.
• Withholding tax: with an L, B or G permit, your employer usually deducts tax directly from your salary. It covers federal, cantonal and municipal tax; the rates are set by each canton. There are exceptions, for example if you are married to or in a registered partnership with a person who has Swiss citizenship or a C permit. For this, you must both live in Switzerland. Some cantons also make exceptions for cross-border commuters living in France.
• Social insurance: 5.3 percent of your salary is deducted for AHV, IV and EO (old-age, disability and income compensation insurance), and your employer pays the same amount on top. Your AHV number starts with 756 and appears on your health insurance card.
• Housing: landlords often ask for an extract from the debt collection register; it costs CHF 17, or CHF 18 with delivery. No fees may be charged for the flat search itself. The rental deposit is a maximum of three months' rent and is held in an account in your name.

TakeCare supports you with finding a flat, with insurance and with dealings with the authorities.

What TakeCare does for you

• We check with you whether you need recognition for your future job. That depends on whether X-rays are part of your duties.
• We place you in jobs in German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland (Romandie) and Ticino.
• We support you with finding a flat, with insurance and with dealings with the authorities.
• For you as a jobseeker, all our services are free of charge (Art. 9 AVG).