Switzerland: Some Long-Term Residents Now Require Proof of Language

Following a recent judgment from the Swiss Federal Court, as of October 1, 2022, nationals of Austria, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain must submit a certificate proving that they passed an A2 (spoken) and A1 level (written) language test (under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) after an uninterrupted stay of five years in Switzerland. Previously, they did not need to submit such proof. Note that authorities have been requiring this for affected nationals who filed applications prior to October 1, 2022 as well. Foreign nationals with the same native language as the one spoken in their place of residence in Switzerland who have attended school or university in this language or can provide a recognized language proficiency certificate are exempt from this new requirement.