21/11/2025
Two recent Federal Administrative Court decisions: B-1175/2024 and B-2891/2024 bring important clarity to the recognition of German osteopathy qualifications in Switzerland 🇨🇭 🇩🇪
In the first case, the Court confirmed that osteopathy in Germany is a regulated activity, accessible only to physicians or individuals holding a Heilpraktiker permit. Because the applicant possessed this permit, she had legal access to the profession in her home country. The SRK therefore acted unlawfully by refusing to enter the case, and must now conduct a full equivalence assessment.
In the second case, the applicant had extensive manual therapy training, German academic degrees and decades of experience, but lacked the Heilpraktikererlaubnis. As a result, she could not legally practise osteopathy independently in Germany. Without professional access in the home state, recognition in Switzerland is legally impossible. Here, the SRK’s rejection was upheld.
These two decisions establish a clear and coherent framework:
- Recognition begins with legal access to the profession in the home country.
- A Heilpraktiker permit (or medical license) is essential for non-physicians in Germany.
- Only when this access exists must the SRK proceed to evaluate the curriculum and competencies.
- Without it, recognition cannot be granted, regardless of hours, certificates or experience.
This jurisprudence now provides much-needed consistency for applicants, training institutions and regulators on both sides of the border.
Full article: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/myophysio_osteopathy-osteopathie-osteosuisse-activity-7397655586563059712-oUNT?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAAttCPYB1QbEoxKWixmHGbMpjH3RXEfli0E&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_link