Immigration & permits
expat-services.ch lists 3 hand-checked English-speaking naturalisation services in Zürich: Sprachschule Schneider, Swissing and Wordculture.
Besides English, they also work in German. Every profile shows the services, languages and contact details, checked by hand before going live. See also Lawyers and notaries in Zürich.
3 providers
Zurich language school with one-on-one German lessons built around the Swiss naturalisation language certificate (A2 written, B1 spoken); English website; knowledge-test preparation on request.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zürich school running a 16-hour naturalisation preparation course on Swiss geography, history, democracy and social system, with interview training in German.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Zürich language school offering naturalisation preparation that combines German A2–B1 with Swiss civics for the canton's basic knowledge test; on-site telc/fide exam centre.
Checked by our editors · not yet confirmed by the business.
Is this your business?Local facts
The cantonal Gemeindeamt, Abteilung Einbürgerungen, at Wilhelmstrasse 10 takes applications online and answers by phone on +41 43 259 83 81, Monday to Thursday 13:30 to 17:00 and Friday 13:30 to 16:00 (Kanton Zürich, checked ). A file passes the cantonal pre-check, the city’s examination, the canton again, the State Secretariat for Migration and a final cantonal check; the procedure takes about two years, with an interview if questions remain (Stadt Zürich, checked ).
The city requires two years of residence within the city before the application, while under-25s need only two years in the canton, and the 10 federal years count B and C permit years in full, F years by half and L and N years not at all (Stadt Zürich, checked ). A move within the city is possible at any time, and a move to another commune once the city’s examination is complete (Stadt Zürich, checked ). Personal advice is by booked appointment for city residents (Stadt Zürich, checked ).
The canton charges CHF 500 to adults over 25 and CHF 250 to under-25s, the federal fee is CHF 100 per adult or CHF 150 per couple, and the city’s own fee can be reduced or waived at modest means (Kanton Zürich, checked ) (Stadt Zürich, checked ). The cantonal German test costs CHF 250 in the city, and the commune arranges the basic-knowledge test on Switzerland, the canton and the communal system, with fees that vary by commune and provider (Stadt Zürich, checked ) (Kanton Zürich, checked ).
Arrivals from abroad register in person at the Personenmeldeamt Zürich Süd in the Stadthaus, Stadthausquai 17, with a booked appointment, and only once they actually live in the city (City of Zurich, checked ). The deadline is 14 days (2026) (City of Zurich, checked ); the fee is CHF 40 per adult, plus the cantonal migration office’s permit fees for foreign nationals (City of Zurich, checked ). More in our guide to registering at your commune.
Read more C permit in Switzerland: requirements and how to switch from B to CB, L and C permits in Switzerland: what’s the difference
Checked by the expat-services.ch editorial team