Swiss Citizenship Requirements: The Language Level You Need

← All posts

To become Swiss through ordinary naturalisation, you must prove at least B1 spoken and A2 written in a national language. That is the federal minimum, and 18 of the 26 cantons stay with it. The other eight ask for more: Nidwalden, Schwyz, Thurgau and Zug want B2 spoken and B1 written, Solothurn wants B2 spoken, and Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Landschaft and St. Gallen want B1 in writing too. Most cantons also insist on their own language, not just any national one.

Below you will find all 26 cantons as they stood on 30 October 2026, followed by what counts as proof, who is exempt, what the levels mean and where a fide test fits.

One thing first: these rules change, and the canton and commune you apply in are binding. Everything here is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your level before you book a test.

The federal minimum: B1 spoken, A2 written

The Citizenship Act asks that you can get by in everyday life, in speech and in writing, in a national language (Art. 12 BüG). The Citizenship Ordinance turns that into levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (Art. 6 BüV). The same levels apply to facilitated naturalisation for spouses of Swiss citizens living in Switzerland.

For ordinary naturalisation, this is only a floor. The State Secretariat for Migration’s handbook says cantons may set a higher level, or ask for the national language spoken where you live. Both happen.

Swiss citizenship language level by canton

The table shows the spoken level, then the written level. Each canton’s name links to the act, ordinance, page or form we read. Levels above the federal minimum are in bold.

A few rows need a note. Solothurn raised its spoken level to B2 from 1 January 2026, so older advice may be out of date. St. Gallen sets a single B1, without splitting speech and writing. Nidwalden asks for B2 in reading and comprehension as well as speaking, and B1 only in writing, and Glarus likewise puts reading at B1. Appenzell Innerrhoden sets no level of its own: it asks for the competences citizenship law requires, in German, so the federal levels apply. Schaffhausen’s act names no level, but its application form does.

The language column matters as much as the level. Valais spells it out: B1 and A2 in Italian do not meet its rule, even though Italian is a national language.

More change is possible. A popular initiative, the Democracy Initiative, is listed for the vote of 28 February 2027. It would move the rules to federal level, with a right to naturalise after five years and basic knowledge of a national language. Aargau’s parliament passed a motion for stricter German in 2023, but the cantonal leaflet we read still gives B1 and A2.

What the levels mean in practice

The levels describe what you can do, not how correct you are. The official wording is close to this:

“Written” includes reading. The State Secretariat’s list of certificates tells authorities that if a certificate grades reading and writing separately, the lower level counts. If the two lie far apart, the middle level counts.

What counts as proof

Unless you are exempt, you need a certificate from a test that meets recognised quality standards. In practice, that means a test on that same list, which covers German, French, Italian and Romansh and is updated every three months. A certificate counts if it was on the list on the day you filed.

• Accepted: a fide language passport or a listed certificate at the level your canton asks for.
• Not accepted: a confirmation that you attended a course, or an online placement test.
• Worth knowing: the list’s guidelines let authorities combine a passed oral part from one test with a passed written part from another. If a certificate is many years old and the authority doubts your level, it can ask for a new one.

Some cantons narrow this down. Vaud, for example, asks for a fide language passport unless you qualify for a dispensation, and a listed certificate is one of those.

Who is exempt

Under federal law, you do not need a certificate if you meet one of these conditions:

• a national language is your mother tongue, learned in early childhood without lessons, and you speak and write it;
• you attended at least five years of compulsory school in a national language, in Switzerland or abroad;
• you completed an upper-secondary or tertiary qualification in a national language, in Switzerland or abroad. Short post-tertiary certificates such as a CAS or DAS do not count.

Cantons tighten these too. Basel-Landschaft wants your whole compulsory schooling in German, Nidwalden six years, and Schwyz seven years of German-language teaching in Switzerland. Basel-Stadt and Zug want your training to have taken place in the German-speaking area. Appenzell Ausserrhoden’s page says five years and its language leaflet says six, so ask.

Personal circumstances can also open an exception (Art. 9 BüV): a disability, a serious or long illness, a pronounced difficulty with learning, reading or writing, working poverty, or caring duties. You have to show the reason.

Where a fide test fits

The fide test was developed for the State Secretariat for Migration and is built around everyday situations in Switzerland, such as work, the doctor or the commune. It covers A1 to B1, in a 40-minute oral part and a 60-minute written part, from age 16. No course is required, and fide offers a model test to download.

That makes it a natural choice in the 18 cantons at the federal level. It can also show B1 in writing, which is what Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Landschaft and St. Gallen ask for.

It cannot show B2. Nor can the fide-Dossier, a route for people already at B1 or above, which only ever records B1. So in Nidwalden, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau and Zug, look for a listed certificate that reaches B2 spoken. A fide variant called fide-Test edu does reach B2, but it was designed for young adults preparing for an apprenticeship. Ask your canton before you pay for any test.

Where Bürgertest comes in

Bürgertest starts with where you live. It shows what your canton publishes about language, and tells you to check the level with your commune. For the test itself, see how the citizenship test differs by canton.

For the certificate, it has 12 everyday scenarios, each with listening, reading, speaking and writing tasks, plus ten questions about yourself to answer out loud. This practice is in the style of the fide test. It is our own material, not the official test, and it does not replace fide’s own model test, which the app links to. fide itself warns that not every online preparation offer is reliable, so judge ours too. The voices are text-to-speech.

Free: the facts for all 26 cantons, the step-by-step guide, every interview question, three lessons, one mock test, 20 practice questions a day, the first fide scenario and the questions about yourself. The rest is paid. Bürgertest is on iPhone and iPad.

Bürgertest is a private learning app by KK Studio, with no connection to the Confederation, the cantons or the communes. It is not a language certificate and cannot promise you a pass. Only your canton and commune can tell you what binds you.