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Certifications

Get a certificate

For certain procedures (for example for an application for a B permit, a renewal, an anticipated C permit or a naturalisation procedure), the administration will ask you for a certificate of your level of French.

The FIDE test (French, German, Italian) is a project of the Confederation for the linguistic encouragement of migrants. This test allows you to check your oral and written skills and to obtain a language passport which certifies your level of French. Different organisations offer these assessments. For more information on assessment centres and exam sessions, please consult the language passport website.

Other certificates are also recognised for issuing the language passport, such as the Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF) certificate. To obtain it, you must pass a written and oral French exam. For more information on the exam sessions, please consult the Fondation Esprit Francophonie website.

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Language levels required by law

The Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration (FNIA) and the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship (SCA) require the cantonal authority to take into account the language skills of the person of foreign nationality.

Therefore, the Federal Council has defined the language level required for family reunification, the renewal of a residence permit (B permit), the issue of a settlement permit (C permit , as well as the Swiss naturalisation procedure.

Residence permits
Language levels required
Provisional admission (F permit) A1 ORAL
Residence (B permit, outside EU-EFTA) A1 ORAL

Settlement (Ordinary C permit)

A2 ORAL
A1 WRITTEN
Establishment (Advance C permit)

B1 ORAL
A1 WRITTEN

Naturalisation

B1 ORAL
A2 WRITTEN

Claiming a certificate

If you have already obtained another language certificate in Switzerland or abroad and it is on the list of recognised certificates, you can send it to the Fide Secretariat. They will issue you the language passport attesting to the corresponding levels, oral and written, against payment of a fee of CHF 20.

If you have language skills at level B1 or higher, presenting a fide file could be the easiest and fastest way to obtain the language passport.

More information