Services
expat-services.ch lists 4 hand-checked language schools in Basel for English speakers: Academia Languages, Berlitz Switzerland, Flying Teachers and ILS International Language School.
Besides English, they also work in French, German, Italian and Spanish. Every profile shows the services, languages and contact details, checked by hand before going live. See also Schools and childcare providers in Basel.
4 providers
Language school network; its Basel school at Heuwaage runs German level and exam courses (telc, fide), accepts Basel-City course vouchers and offers childcare during lessons.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Language school with centres across Switzerland offering German, Swiss German, French, Italian and English lessons for expats, private or in groups, on site or online.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zurich-headquartered provider teaching German, Swiss German, French, Italian and more at its schools, at clients' premises or online, incl. integration and certificate courses.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Basel language school with sister schools in Bern, Zurich and more; German and 40+ languages in small groups, intensive, evening and Saturday classes, plus telc and fide prep.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Local facts
Newcomers entitled to a B permit receive a voucher for a free 80-lesson German course at the welcome talk, valid for one year; the canton's course directory lists 33 voucher courses up to level B2 (Basel-Stadt, checked ) (deutschkurse.bs.ch, checked ). Returning Swiss citizens who spent at least a year abroad can obtain the same voucher at the counter in their first year (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked ). All residents of Basel-Stadt pay a reduced price in the course offer for migrants, with a further reduction on proof of a premium reduction, and childcare for children up to five is co-financed; some primary schools run free courses for parents (Basel-Stadt, checked ).
The fide test costs CHF 250 for both parts (CHF 170 oral, CHF 120 written), and the fide office's list shows nine examination institutions in Basel-Stadt (fide office, checked ). For a C permit the Migrationsamt asks for A2 oral and A1 written proof from a recognised certificate, or B1 oral for an early permit, and waives it for native German speakers and people who completed three years of compulsory school or an upper-secondary or tertiary programme in German (Kanton Basel-Stadt, checked ). The Fachstelle Erwachsenenbildung is the contact for the course offer (Basel-Stadt, checked ).
Newcomers register with the Einwohneramt of Bevölkerungsdienste und Migration at Spiegelgasse 6; from 2 November 2026 its counters work from a temporary building on Schwarzwaldallee, opposite Badischer Bahnhof. The deadline is 14 days (2026) (Einwohneramt BS, checked ): the date of the online booking counts, not the date of the appointment. Registration costs CHF 25 per person (Einwohneramt BS, checked ). The general steps are in registering at your commune.
Read more The fide test in Switzerland: levels, format, fees and test centres
Checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team