B1 spoken, A2 written, in any national language

What you need

• Spoken skills at least at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.
• Written skills at least at level A2.
• In one of the four national languages: German, French, Italian or Romansh (BüV article 6).

What counts as proof

Article 6 of the ordinance accepts any one of these.

• A national language is your mother tongue, spoken and written.
• You attended compulsory school in a national language for at least five years.
• You completed an upper secondary or tertiary qualification taught in a national language.
• A language certificate based on a test that meets recognised quality standards. SEM publishes and updates the list of recognised certificates.

The C permit asks for less

The C permit after ten years asks for A2 spoken and A1 written in the language spoken where you live, and the early C permit after five years B1 spoken and A1 written (VZAE articles 60 and 62). Naturalisation asks for more writing, A2, but accepts any national language.

More on the Einbürgerungstest and the rules

• EinbürgerungstestSample questions and how you are checked
• Knowledge checkThe federal rules ask you to be familiar with Swiss life.
• Your canton's testSwitzerland has no national citizenship test.
• Practice runThirty practice questions in Swiss Standard German on the four federal areas, geography, history, politics and society, with an English translation and the answer hidden until you want it.
• Three levelsYou become Swiss at three levels at once: a citizen of your commune, of your canton and of Switzerland.
• Your ten yearsTen years in Switzerland, three of them in the last five before you apply, and a C permit on the day you apply.
• Married to a Swiss citizenSimplified naturalisation is a federal procedure.

See all Swiss citizenship requirements

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