Switzerland - Getting Naturalised

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Procedure

Regular Naturalisation

1. Depending on cantonal legislation, naturalisation applications must be submitted to the commune, to the canton or to the Federal Office for Migration. Informations about the naturalisation process are available from the community of residence or from the cantonal naturalisation service.
2. Once authorities had received and reviewed your application for naturalisation, you will be invited for a personal interview where you will be informed of the subsequent steps to be taken.
3. Naturalisation procedures vary considerably from one commune or canton to another: some communes, for instance, require applicants to take a verbal or written naturalisation test while others leave the naturalisation decision up to the communal assembly.

Note:

• Moving during the naturalisation procedure will have a major impact on your application. This is because each commune has a different procedure. The authorities may decide to make an exception if you decide to move to another location during the naturalisation procedure. Contact the local commune for more information.

Simplified Naturalisation

1. If you are living in Switzerland, you may obtain and submit your application form at the Federal Office for Migration, Naturalisation Section (address on the contact section).
2. In case you are living abroad, you may approach Swiss embassies and consulate in the country you are currently residing.

Note:

• Unlike for married spouses, there is no simplified naturalisation procedure for foreign nationals who are registered partners of a Swiss citizen.

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Required Documents

• Completed application form
• Contact proper authorities in your area about additional requirements.

Office Locations & Contacts

Federal Office for Migration

Citizenship / Naturalisations

Quellenweg 6

CH-3003 Bern-Wabern

Office hours for phone inquiries:

Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. till noon and from 2 till 5 p.m.

Reception: +41 31 325 11 11

Contact Form:

http://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm/en/misc/conform.html?contactid=0332&backpagepath=/content/bfm/en/home/die_oe/kontakt

Cantonal Naturalisation Authorities

http://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm/en/home/die_oe/kontakt/kantonale_behoerden/kantonale_einbuergerungsbehoerden.html

Swiss Representation Abroad

http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps.html

Eligibility

You may apply for naturalisation if:

• You have lived in Switzerland for at least twelve years. The time between the completion of the 10th and 20th years of age is counted double for this purpose. You will have to satisfy the following requirements for naturalisation: you must be socially and culturally integrated in Switzerland, comply with the Swiss rule of law, and you must not endanger Switzerland's internal or external security.

If you are a foreigner and married to a Swiss citizen you may apply if:

• You have lived in a stable marriage with your spouse for at least three years, have lived in Switzerland for five years all in all, the last twelve months of which must be without interruption. If you live abroad, you must have lived in a stable marriage for at least six years and must have close connections with Switzerland. Regardless of where you live, you must be integrated in the Swiss way of life at least by analogy, comply with the Swiss rule of law, and you must not endanger Switzerland's internal or external security.

Note: The Swiss spouse must have been a Swiss Citizen before the marriage.

If you have a Swiss mother or a Swiss father, but you are not a Swiss citizen

• In some cases you may apply for a Swiss citizenship, the Nationality Act (Art. 31a, Art. 31b, Art. 58a, Art. 58b) allows for facilitated naturalisation.

Fees

Commune*: Between CHF 500 and CHF 1,000 per person

Canton*: Up to CHF 2,000 per person

Confederation:

• Married couple with or without under-age children: CHF 150
• Unmarried individual with or without person under-age children: CHF 100
• Under-age child: CHF 50

Note: *These fees vary significantly from one commune or canton to another and should be considered as a ballpark figure.

There may also be additional costs for residence certificate, criminal record certificate, debt registry certificate, etc. Contact the authority responsible for naturalisation for more information.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents which can be used by people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Processing Time

The duration of the regular naturalisation procedure varies considerably from one canton to another. Contact the local communal or cantonal authorities for more information.

The simplified naturalisation procedure usually takes about one and a half years on average.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

Regular naturalisation in Switzerland takes place at three levels: You must apply for citizenship of the Confederation, the canton and the commune.

Requirements are the same for all applicants on the Confederation level while requirements vary from one canton and commune to another (e.g. requirement to take a language or naturalisation test, etc.)

Special conditions apply to foreign spouses or registered partners as well as any children of a Swiss citizen who do not already have Swiss citizenship.

A simplified naturalisation procedure was created, this is mainly for foreign spouses or children of Swiss citizens. If you are unable to acquire citizenship through this process then you'll need to apply through the regular naturalisation process.

Required Information

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Need for the Document

Citizenship represents the link between a person and a state or an association of states. Possession of citizenship is normally associated with the right to work and live in a country and to participate in political life.

Swiss citizenship can be acquired by birth, adoption, regular or facilitated naturalisation.

Information which might help

Dual Nationality

In Switzerland, dual nationality is permitted without restriction. The question as to whether you will be able to keep your previous nationality after naturalisation thus solely depends on the country whose nationality you hold now. You can obtain detailed information from the other country's relevant authorities, in Switzerland from their embassies or consulates.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• Naturalisation

https://www.ch.ch/en/naturalisation-switzerland/

• Regular Naturalisation

https://www.ch.ch/en/regular-naturalisation/

• Simplified Naturalisation

https://www.ch.ch/en/simplified-naturalisation/

• FAQ Swiss citizenship / Naturalization

http://www.bfm.admin.ch/content/bfm/en/home/themen/buergerrecht/faq.html

Others

More information which might help people.