fide for the C permit (French) (A1–B1) — recognised certificate

The same fide test in French, aimed at the settlement permit rather than citizenship. The levels are lower than naturalisation — but they depend on your route: the early route after five years asks B1 spoken, the same speaking level as citizenship, while the ordinary route asks A2 spoken. Both ask A1 written.

You do not choose which national language you are tested in — your canton does. German, French and Italian are each the procedural language somewhere in Switzerland, and a few cantons are officially bilingual. Practise the one your canton and commune actually use.

For naturalisation, the federal minimum is B1 spoken and A2 written in one national language. Read that carefully: it is a MINIMUM, and it is not symmetrical — speaking is asked at a full CEFR level above writing. Switzerland's federal minimum for naturalisation is B1 spoken and A2 written in one national language — German, French or Italian, depending on where you live. Which language applies, and whether more is asked of you, depends on your canton and commune: for an ordinary naturalisation they decide, and some set a higher bar than the federal minimum. If you are married to a Swiss citizen, the facilitated route is decided by SEM instead. Confirm the requirement for your own canton and commune with the cantonal migration authority before you plan. We help you prepare fairly; we never claim to help anyone shortcut or beat the process.

For the settlement permit the levels are lower — but "lower" hides the thing that matters. Early route (after five years) asks B1 spoken, exactly the same speaking level as citizenship; only Ordinary route (after five or ten years, depending on your situation) drops to A2. Both ask A1 written. If you are on the five-year route and someone told you the permit needs less speaking than citizenship, they were wrong. These C permit levels are SEM's own: they come from its factsheet on proving language skills for a B or C permit (legal basis Art. 77d VZAE), read from the factsheet itself. SEM also sets the same A2 spoken / A1 written levels for a permit re-issued after a downgrade or a stay abroad. These levels are what SEM sets for citizens of countries outside the EU and EFTA. If you are an EU or EFTA citizen, your settlement permit comes under the free movement agreement instead, and this factsheet is not the rule for you. Either way, confirm your own case with your cantonal migration authority before you plan around it.

Reading and Listening are auto-marked to a clear per-skill band — Clear or Borderline — against the real criteria. Writing and Speaking get AI feedback, labelled as an estimate. Because the levels are asymmetrical, we band each skill separately rather than averaging them into one number that would hide exactly the gap that decides your case. AlmiSwiss gives you an honest readiness estimate — a per-skill band (Clear or Borderline) against the real criteria — never an invented official result. AlmiSwiss is not affiliated with SEM, with any canton, or with a fide test centre, and none of them endorse unofficial practice, including ours. Only a recognised test centre issues a real result.

Reading and Listening practice is free; AI feedback on Writing and Speaking and the full timed mock become available with a 7-day free trial ($12/month after, cancel anytime).

Studying or working in Switzerland? See the language pathway for your situation — from any country, for study or work.