Europe · 26 verified centres
Switzerland has one of the densest telc networks anywhere: telc’s own register lists over a hundred centres across the German-speaking cantons. What makes it different from every other country on this site is that the exam most people actually need is not telc at all - naturalisation runs on cantonal language tests, and several centres are licensed for both.
Where to sit the exam
Each centre was checked on the exam board's own website. Dates and fees change, so confirm directly with the centre before you pay or travel.
Joweid Zentrum 1, 8630 Rüti ZH
Licensed for telc and, separately, for the Canton of Zurich naturalisation tests - the KDE cantonal German test and the GKT basic knowledge test. If your goal is a Swiss passport rather than a job in Germany, that second licence is the relevant one.
Eggbühlstrasse 15, 8050 Zürich
A public integration organisation registered with telc at this address. Worth contacting first if you need supported registration or a subsidised place.
Fabrikstrasse 10, 8005 Zürich
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Vogelsangstraße 15, 4005 Basel
A cantonal vocational school registered with telc at this address. Confirm levels, fees and dates directly.
Dufourstrasse 50, 4052 Basel
Registered telc centre at this address, one of two inlingua venues in Basel.
Technikumstraße 2, 9470 Buchs SG
Registered telc centre in the St. Gallen Rhine valley, useful from Liechtenstein and western Austria as well.
Zürichstraße 128, 8910 Affoltern am Albis
Registered telc centre between Zurich and Zug. Confirm levels and fees directly.
Kreuzweg 9, 5400 Baden
Registered telc centre in Aargau. Confirm levels, fees and dates directly.
Bahnhofstrasse 44, 5400 Baden
A second Baden option alongside AVS. Registered telc address.
Schützenstrasse 11, 8570 Weinfelden
A Thurgau vocational education centre registered with telc at this address.
Kleine Kirchgasse 14, 5507 Mellingen
Registered telc centre in Aargau. Confirm levels and fees directly.
Marktgasse 25, 3011 Bern
Registered telc centre at this address; the same operator runs a second Swiss venue.
Kornhausstraße 28, 9000 St. Gallen
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Rain 6, 5000 Aarau
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Gartenstrasse 5, 7000 Chur
Part of the Migros Klubschule network, which holds several telc registrations in eastern Switzerland. The only verified centre in Graubünden.
Bronschhoferstrasse 16a, 9500 Wil
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Mühlentalstrasse 88b, 8200 Schaffhausen
A Swiss Labour Assistance centre; worth asking about supported registration if cost is the obstacle.
Ch. du Musée 4, 1700 Fribourg
A university of applied sciences registered with telc, on the language border. Confirm external candidates can sit there.
Rue de la Louve 1, 1003 Lausanne
The main verified option in French-speaking Switzerland, where German exam centres are far thinner on the ground.
Sonnenstraße 12, 3904 Naters
The only verified centre in Valais, covering the German-speaking Upper Valais.
Hauptbahnhofstrasse 8, 4500 Solothurn
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Seestrasse 268, 8810 Horgen
On the left bank of Lake Zurich. Registered telc address.
Stettbachstrasse 7, 8600 Dübendorf
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Landstraße 15, 5430 Wettingen
Registered telc centre at this address in telc’s own centre register.
Schöneggstrasse 3, 8953 Dietikon
A women’s association running language courses in the Limmat valley, registered with telc.
Niederholzstr. 95, 4125 Riehen
A cantonal bridging-year centre near Basel, registered with telc at this address.
We do not publish individual sitting dates: they change too often to be safe. Follow the centre link for the current calendar.
Before you book
A Swiss passport application is assessed against cantonal language requirements - in Zurich, the KDE cantonal German test and the GKT basic knowledge test. A telc certificate is a different thing. Some centres, such as Akrotea.ch, are licensed for both, which is the pair worth looking for.
telc’s register lists more than a hundred Swiss centres across around thirty-eight towns, run by about eighty-five separate operators - vocational schools, integration organisations and small language schools rather than one national licensee. The pages here cover the main towns; use the official finder for the smaller ones.
Almost every centre sits in the German-speaking cantons. From Geneva, Lausanne or Neuchâtel the realistic options are Berlitz Lausanne or a trip to Bern, so plan earlier than a Zurich candidate would need to.
Swiss centres almost never put a price list online, and prices vary far more than in Germany. Ask two or three for a written quote before you commit - the difference can be substantial.
As in Austria, the Goethe-Institut runs its exam centres outside the German-speaking countries. If a German employer has asked for a Goethe-Zertifikat by name, check whether telc at the same level is acceptable before planning travel.
Sitting the exam abroad usually means one shot and a long wait for the next date. Practise in the real format first - Goethe, telc or DTZ - and let the analytics show which module still needs the weeks you have left.
FAQ
A cantonal one, not telc. The Canton of Zurich, for example, uses the KDE cantonal German test and the GKT basic knowledge test. Requirements are set canton by canton, so check with your commune before booking anything - a telc certificate at the right level may not be what the file asks for.
Across the German-speaking cantons. Verified centres include Akrotea.ch in Rüti, AOZ in Zürich, the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel, ABC Sprachcenter in Buchs, Albis Language School in Affoltern am Albis, AVS in Baden, the Bildungszentrum Wirtschaft in Weinfelden and domusscuola in Mellingen. telc’s register lists over a hundred in total.
Swiss centres rarely publish prices, and they vary more than in Germany. Ask two or three centres for a written quote rather than assuming a standard fee.
Not through a Goethe-Institut exam network, because the Goethe-Institut operates outside the German-speaking countries. If a German employer or authority named a Goethe certificate specifically, ask whether telc at the same level is accepted before you plan travel.
The exam boards maintain their own centre finders. They are the authoritative list.
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