Canton Valais has no single naturalisation exam. Instead you go through two hearings: first at your commune, which checks how familiar you are with Switzerland, Valais and the commune in a 15 to 30 minute interview and may put a written test before it, as Brig-Glis and Visp do; then before the sub-commission on naturalisations of the Grand Conseil's Commission de justice, which receives every candidate for an informal 10 to 15 minute conversation. The canton is open about what may be asked: its questionnaire "Valais" lists around 140 possible questions on Switzerland, Valais and the commune, with a separate answer file, and its guide for the communes asks that one third of the questions concern local topics.
Add French or German at B1 spoken and A2 written, a settlement permit C, five years in the canton and three in the commune, a cantonal fee of CHF 600 for a single person and communal fees between CHF 500 and 1,500. At the end the Grand Conseil decides in its May or November session and you take the oath before representatives of the Conseil d'État. This page summarises what the Valais citizenship act, the Service de la population et des migrations (SPM) and the communes of Sion, Sierre, Martigny, Monthey, Brig-Glis and Visp published on 5 September 2026; every figure is linked to its source.
Facts checked on 5 September 2026.
The basis is article 3 of the Valais citizenship act, which requires, besides sufficient knowledge of one of the two official languages, that you are "intégré dans la communauté valaisanne" and accustomed "au mode de vie et aux usages du pays", together with article 11 of the federal act on familiarity with Swiss living conditions. How that is checked is not set by a cantonal test but by the commune of residence in cooperation with the canton (art. 4 RLDCV). The SPM's guide for the communes sets the frame: communes are free to put their questions in writing or orally; one third of the questions should concern local or communal topics; the questions must be understandable for someone at B1/A2, which is why "quelle est la montagne la plus haute de Suisse" is better than "quel est le point culminant"; the language itself is no longer checked; marks are not intended, but the overall assessment must be positive. The hearing lasts 15 to 30 minutes, all adult applicants and children from age 12 must be heard, the invitation comes at least a month ahead and states place, duration, content and any written test, and everything is recorded in minutes.
What may be asked, the canton publishes itself. The questionnaire "Valais" of 17 May 2021 calls itself an "éventail de questions possibles", not an exhaustive list, and holds around 140 questions in eight blocks: 42 on civics and general knowledge of Switzerland and Valais (direct democracy, militia parliament, 26 cantons, 1291 and 1848, national languages, Sonderbund, women's suffrage, the 13 Valais districts, the language border, 1815), 16 on the Confederation, 13 on the canton (Conseil d'État, Grand Conseil, substitute deputies, Cantonal Court), 9 on the commune (president, legislature, coat of arms), 20 on geography (capital, Rhône, Furka, Euseigne, the amphitheatre of Martigny, dams, Aletsch), 21 on customs (cow fights, blacknose sheep, bisses, alpine ascent and descent, wines, the Swiss Guard museum), 15 on social and economic integration (emergency numbers, AVS, schooling, media) and 4 personal questions on motivation. Questions for children from 9 and teenagers from 14 to 16 are marked, from 17 the whole catalogue applies; the answers are in a separate file of 11 August 2022. The guide adds a theme list from the 13 stars of the Valais flag through Zermatt, Verbier, Crans-Montana, Grande Dixence, Pfyn-Finges, the Abbey of Saint-Maurice and the castles of Valère, Tourbillon and Stockalper to the Foire du Valais, the Gampel festival, the Patrouille des Glaciers and the Tschäggättä.
How the communes implement this differs. Brig-Glis invites you to a written test and an interview with its naturalisation commission, which writes an integration report for the Stadtrat; Visp to a written and an oral exam before its commission, after which the Gemeinderat decides. In Sion the Commission municipale d'octroi du droit de cité, made up of members of the city council, the administration and the naturalisation office, asks about language, integration, motivation and your life path; with OSEO Valais the city runs evening sessions "Naturalisation, ce qu'il faut savoir" several times a year. Sierre hears you before its Commission du droit de cité and runs a four-evening preparation course on geography, history, the political system and customs four times a year for CHF 20. Martigny has an Info-naturalisation drop-in on Tuesday evenings and free preparation courses for residents. Monthey first requires an individual interview with the municipal police, which writes an enquiry report, then a hearing before the Commission de Naturalisation on Monthey, Valais and Switzerland, in two sessions a year, and the Maison du Monde prepares you free of charge in its "Infos Natu" drop-in.
The second hearing is run by the canton. After the communal decision and payment of the cantonal fee, the SPM invites you about two weeks ahead to the sub-commission "Naturalisations, recours en grâce, exécution des peines et établissements pénitentiaires" of the Grand Conseil's Commission de justice, which hears every candidate in two series a year, January to April and August to October. The conversation lasts 10 to 15 minutes and is, in the guide's words, "pas un examen", but questions are asked about the authorities of Confederation, canton and commune, the institutional system and general knowledge, and your motivation is assessed. If that is not enough, the sub-commission suspends the procedure for at most six months and the SPM writes to you by registered letter what to improve; in 2016 and 2017 that affected around 10 percent of candidates. Our 50 questions on Canton Valais cover the cantonal part, from the accession of 1815 through the 13 districts and 122 communes, the Grand Conseil with 130 deputies and the Conseil d'État with 5 members to the Matterhorn, the Aletsch glacier, the bisses, the cow fights and Valais wines; add the lessons on the Confederation and work through the SPM's questionnaire.
The SPM draws the path in 14 stages: civil registry office, application to the canton, hearing in the commune, cantonal fee and hearing by the sub-commission of the Grand Conseil, federal authorisation, decision of the Grand Conseil, oath and certificate of origin.
You contact the civil registry office of your district. It checks whether you are recorded in the Infostar register, hands you the bilingual form "demande de naturalisation ordinaire, art. 9ss LN" and the list of attachments, and advises you to obtain the language passport or a recognised certificate first, because that can take months and other documents would otherwise expire; civil-status documents may be at most six months old and may need translation and legalisation. Without a C permit, with too short a stay, without proof of language, with debt enforcement or loss certificates from the last five years or with a criminal-record entry, the office does not take up the application.
The dossier must contain in original: the fully completed and signed form; the language passport or a certificate, or school reports for 5 years of compulsory school or an upper-secondary or tertiary qualification in French or German; the social service's certificate of 3 years without social assistance; residence certificates for 10 years in Switzerland, 5 in Valais and 3 in the commune (2 years for included children); a criminal-record extract from age 16; a debt-enforcement extract from age 18 covering the last 5 years; copies of permit and passport; the civil registry office's confirmation. At an appointment there you confirm your data and pay the civil registry fee. Then you send the dossier by registered mail to the SPM, Naturalisations ordinaires, Avenue de la Gare 39, 1950 Sion, or hand it in on the first floor. Spouses may file a joint application, children are included with the written consent of the holders of parental authority and co-sign from 16; children from 9 may file their own application.
The naturalisation sector checks identity and civil-status data, the length of residence, the proof of language, the social-assistance certificate, the debt-enforcement and criminal-record extracts, and consults the cantonal police archives; if the debt-enforcement extract is older than six months, a new solvency check follows. If a requirement is clearly not met, the dossier comes back with an explanation. Otherwise you receive an acknowledgement with the registration date, which formally opens the procedure and determines the fees, and the dossier goes to your commune in a grouped dispatch.
The commune, usually through a commission of an elected member, the integration delegate, the residents' registry and representatives of schools, social services and associations, completes the enquiries: employer's certificate, taxes, rent or health-insurance arrears, maintenance obligations, municipal police. At least a month ahead it invites you to the hearing and states place, duration, content and any written test. In the 15 to 30 minute interview it checks your knowledge and your integration; all adults and children from 12 are heard, and non-included partners are recommended to come along. The conseil communal then writes the standardised report and decides on communal citizenship; the communal fee is paid at this stage. If knowledge is patchy, the commune may suspend the procedure for up to six months and send you to courses or a volunteer companion. A refusal is summarily reasoned, you can request a reasoned decision within 30 days and then appeal to the Cantonal Court within 30 days.
With the communal decision the SPM invoices the cantonal fee, CHF 600 for a single person or 1,000 for a family plus the CHF 55 health stamp. After payment it invites you about two weeks ahead to the sub-commission of the Commission de justice, which hears between January and April and between August and October. The informal 10 to 15 minute conversation turns on the authorities of Confederation, canton and commune, the institutional system, general knowledge and your motivation; as a rule everyone included in the application is invited. With a positive opinion the procedure continues; otherwise it is suspended for up to six months and you confirm your progress in writing, for example with a course certificate, before a second hearing. A negative opinion goes to the Commission de justice, which hears you again, and finally to the Grand Conseil. If you move to another commune or canton before the cantonal examination is complete, the procedure ends.
With a positive cantonal opinion the SPM forwards the dossier to the State Secretariat for Migration. The SEM asks for an advance on the federal fee (CHF 100 per adult, 150 for married couples, 50 for minors, 300 on refusal), examines the integration criteria, internal and external security and public order, and issues the authorisation as a rule within eight months (art. 23 OLN); it is valid for one year. A refusal can be challenged before the Federal Administrative Court by you, the canton and the commune.
The SPM tells you in which session your application will be dealt with, May or November; the Grand Conseil votes on a list. Shortly before, the SPM checks the criminal record again; if naturalisation is not pronounced within six months of the federal authorisation, participation in economic life is re-examined. The date of the decision is your naturalisation date, and the specialised civil registry office enters it in Infostar. You are then obliged to attend the oath ceremony, from late May to mid June or late November to mid December, before one or more members of the Conseil d'État and the guard of honour; you raise your right hand and say "Je le jure" or "Je le promets". Straight afterwards you receive your certificate of origin, which you hand in with your C permit at the residents' registry, and you can order your Swiss identity documents, which arrive about two to three weeks later.
This is what the practice questions in our lessons look like. The correct answer is marked and the explanation gives the background.
The Valais Council of State has 5 members. Fourteen Swiss cantons have a five-member government and twelve have seven, so Valais is on the smaller side but not unusual. This compact executive governs alongside the 130-member Grand Conseil parliament.
The Valais Grand Conseil has 130 members elected every 4 years by proportional representation. This large parliament ensures fair representation across both French-speaking and German-speaking regions of the canton.
Valais has 122 municipalities as of 2026, ranging from small Alpine villages to larger towns. This number has decreased over time due to municipal mergers driven by cost efficiency and administrative requirements.
Sion (Sitten in German) is the capital of Valais, with about 37,000 residents. It houses the cantonal government buildings including the Grand Conseil parliament and the Council of State. The canton is officially bilingual, but Sion itself lies in the French-speaking part.
The full federal course plus Valais in depth — lessons, canton-specific questions and key procedural facts. PDF + EPUB, CHF 19.90.
Procedure, topics and preparation for Valais: our full guide goes beyond this overview.