To join the Association, a journalist must be a correspondent for a non-Swiss media organization and must fulfill the conditions set out in Article 4 of the Statutes.

The application form can be downloaded here and sent to APES together with:

  1. Copies of four recent media articles or, for radio and TV journalists, recordings of recent broadcasts about Switzerland or from Switzerland.
  2. A letter from the Editor-in-Chief or other senior official of the media organization represented (whose headquarters are located outside of Switzerland and Liechtenstein) confirming employment.
  3. An up-to-date copy of a Swiss residence permit and of a national passport or identity card.
  4. Two passport-sized photos.

The address of the Association is:

APES
P.O. Box 9
1211 Geneva 10

Once advised the application has been successful, the journalist must pay the one-time entry fee of 150 CHF (the annual membership fee of 100 CHF) on our account :

Association de la Presse Etrangère en Suisse (APES)
Compte CCP  no : 30-19922-0
IBAN: CH98 0900 0000 3001 9922 0
Code SWIFT/BIC: POFICHBEXXX
Swiss Post, PostFinance – Nordring 8 – CH-3030 Berne Suisse

Journalists working for foreign media in Switzerland can be accredited with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, according to the existing FDFA’s 1992 Regulations on Accreditation of Foreign Media Representations. The regulations define the practices and rights of journalists.

The regulations’ text recognizes APES as the Department’s main interlocutor for all representatives of foreign media in Switzerland, and includes those who are and are not members of the association. (art. 3).

For more information about accreditation with FDFA:

Information DFAE
Palais fédéral Ouest,
CH-3003 Berne

Tel.: + 41 (0)31 322 31 53
Fax: + 41 (0)31 322 30 47
E-mail: silvana.bonacina@eda.admin.ch

FDFA accreditation form available here.