One of my favourite words of encouragment on this forum, to learn the local Swiss language, is the post by Venetian, using the image of the Louvre with sunglasses:
https://www.englishforum.ch/3104690-post8.html
Update :
I called the Migration office, explained my new status (divorced etc) and asked them what documentation I need for the extension.
They replied with "Nothing, other than your passport and old C-permit".
I asked about language certificate, and they emphasised that the C-permit is mine, and I don't need to show anything else
I know this is straight from the horse's mouth so to speak, but don't understand how that aligns with the new 2019 rules. Also, when I had asked my Gemeinde a while ago, they did say something like "you have to show a fide test, but we don't know more than that, so please call the Migration office directly and check with them".
On the one hand I'm elated (though I still intend to take the test), and on the other, wondering about this stance given the new rules.
I wonder if it just varies from kanton to kanton.
No, at least it shouldnāt, this is federal law. But not everybody is as competent as one would want them to be, and everybody makes a mistake every once in a while.
The NiederlassungsBewilligung is permanent (a few rare exceptions apply), once granted itās your right. The paper/plastic you get is nothing but evidence of that right, not the right itself. The paperās validity is time limited but that has no bearing on the right.
This is comparable to citizenship and passport. Whether the passport has lapsed or not, provided you even have one in the first place, has zero effect on the citizenship, i.e. on the right itās evidence for.
ETA:
See here for instance . The headline for the āAufenthaltsbewilligung (B)ā (grey background) mentions grant as well as extension (Erteilung und VerlaĢngerung). The headline for the āNiederlassungsbewilligung (C)ā however mentions Erteilung (grant) only.
This is case shows why you should always consult the original language document.
The English is well and nice, but itās not binding for a reason - there will be errors and discrepancies.
Hi @w_moha , Iām new to this forum and searching for topics that are similar to my situation. May I ask what happened when you renewed your C-permit? Iāll be renewing mine next year and I also obtained my current C-permit through marriage and weāre also divorcing. Curious to know how the procedure will be. I am non-EU. Thank you so much!
I donāt think youāll get an answer. That user has never been active on this forum, the posts, and the username, were copied from the old English Forum.
The question of needing language certificates for renewal of C permit has been answered though. No, once you have the C permit you donāt need to prove language proficiency to renew it, the assumption being that anyone being first issued will have done so on first application.
Iāve had mine renewed several times in two different cantons and never been required to provide any evidence of language proficiency.
Whoever is the @master of this forum, should take a note. It was already pointed out that people joined here unaware that the nick was an existing nick on the imported dataā¦ IMO, the imported data should have random nicks (like random numbers) or at least prefixed with āimported_ā or āfake_ā, etc
Unless the person signed up here they were assigned random names, as I had until I asked the owner to change to random mane to my old EF username.
hmm, ok, I corrected my post, āfake_ā was a strong word, best would be asume an inactive account until linked again with a real user
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@Ace normally Iād agree, but in this case @ladybug received her C permit as a dependent and somehow without a language certificate despite being non-EU. Hereās her thread where she posted more details:
Thank you for the responses! Seems like in the past it was given to some dependents. How long is the validity of language certificates usually? I was thinking Iād just take the oral Fide A2/B1 exam and use my old A1 certificate that I took years ago when I was still learning German. 
Itās not clear why you think you need one. For an existing C permit renewal there is no language requirement.
Iām guessing here but possibly because the type of permit has changed. If her current permit was obtained by marriage and she is now divorcing she may need to be granted a C permit which is not tied to her husband.
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I think theyāre valid indefinitely, but be sure to get one from an approved source such as Fide.
A renewal of a C-Permit is generally straightforward, but one is still at the mercy of low-level bureaucrats moving within the boundaries of the laws. Challenging them can be tricky or difficult, especially if you want to eventually get citizenship in the same town eventually.
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Sometimes they ask for certificates not more than a couple of years old which kind of makes sense really.
I have a B2 German certificate from 1997 but it doesnāt mean my German is at B2 level now.
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Thank you!! I had the ĆSD one from Austria but I took it in 2016. However, it was only A1 but at least I would save some money by only taking the oral test from Fide.
Hi Ace! Thank you. There are mixed answers here, some say no, I donāt need. And some say best to still have it āin caseā they want to review the requirements. I havenāt received a response from someone with the same experience so I am just being safe and will just take the oral Fide test.
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Thank you! Mine was from 2016. Hopefully they acceptš
I used a ZDeu from 2006 for my 2019 citizenship application, no problem. I donāt think issue expiry is formally written anywhere, at least not at a federal level.
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Thank you for sharing this! 