Swiss citizenship: costs and requirements
Swiss citizenship: what does it cost? How does it work? Comparis provides information on prerequisites, costs and procedures.
27.06.2024
iStock/Andreas Haas
1. How do I become a Swiss citizen?
Swiss federal law provides three ways to obtain Swiss citizenship:
Are you the child of a Swiss citizen? Then you will automatically receive Swiss citizenship. This also applies to persons born abroad.
Important: Swiss born abroad must register before their 25th birthday at a Swiss authority. Otherwise, they forfeit their citizenship. An exception applies if you have no other citizenship.
Naturalization is an official act. There are three options for this in Switzerland:
Ordinary naturalization
The federal government stipulates: you have lived in Switzerland for at least ten years; you have been living in Switzerland for at least three of the last five years before your application; you hold a type C residence permit.
The cantons may impose additional naturalization requirements, such as a longer minimum residency.
Simplified naturalization through marriage
You've been married to a Swiss citizen for three years. You must also have been living in Switzerland for at least five years.
You must convert a registered partnership into a marriage for naturalization. The years of the registered partnership will be credited to the years of marriage.
Facilitated naturalization of the third generation
You are in the third generation of immigrants living in Switzerland. You were born in Switzerland. This provision also applies to stateless minors who have lived in Switzerland for more than five years.
Repatriation
You had Swiss citizenship. You have, however,
Forfeited this: you were born abroad to a Swiss parent. If you did not register by your 25th birthday with a Swiss authority, you will have forfeited your citizenship.
Applied for release.
Lost your citizenship. This was the case until 1952, for example, if a Swiss woman married a foreign man.
The prerequisites for the right to citizenship through adoption are:
The adopted person is still a minor.
Adoption gives the child the full legal status of a biological child.
Simplified naturalization is not possible if the prerequisites are not met.
You can find more information in the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship.
What does “simplified naturalization” mean?
procedure is managed by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). Ordinary naturalization is usually carried out through your municipality. As the naturalization is managed by the SEM, you do not have to take a naturalization test. However, you must still demonstrate enough language skills and knowledge of Switzerland (link not available in English).
Shorter minimum stays apply for simplified naturalization procedures than for ordinary naturalization. There is also no minimum length of stay in the cantons.
Further requirements for naturalization
You must also meet the following requirements for naturalization in Switzerland:
You are fully integrated and are familiar with life in Switzerland. This means, for example, that
you are either working or completing your training in Switzerland.
You have enough language skills.
You respect the values of the Federal Constitution of Switzerland.
You do not pose a threat to the internal and external security of Switzerland.
2. Acquiring a Swiss passport: costs for foreigners
Swiss citizens have a “threefold” citizenship. They are national, cantonal and municipal citizens. If you want to become a Swiss citizen, you must acquire these three inseparable rights.
Costs for ordinary naturalization
There are fees for all three levels:
Federal: 100 francs for an adult, 150 francs for couples with or without minor children
Cantonal: up to 2,000 francs per person
Municipal: 500 to 1,000 francs per person
Depending on where you live, you will have to pay up to 3,100 francs per person to become a Swiss citizen. There are also costs for the documents required.
Costs for simplified naturalization
This procedure costs a maximum of 900 francs for adults in Switzerland. This is made up of the costs for the
Simplified naturalization: 500 francs
Preparation of reports: max. 400 francs
Additional costs of naturalization
The fees usually only include the costs of the official procedure. However, you will have to pay additional costs:
Your application must be supported by various documents. Issuing authorities often charge a fee for these. Examples:
Criminal record extract: 17 francs
Confirmation of residence: between 10 and 35 francs depending on the municipality
Debt collection register extract: usually 17 francs plus postage
Civil status register extract: usually 30 francs. However, If you are not yet registered in the civil status register, there will be additional costs.
You must demonstrate sufficient written and oral knowledge of a Swiss national language. Depending on the canton, the language may be specified. You need to take a test for this. Exceptions:
The required language is your native language
You have attended compulsory school in the required language for at least five years
You have completed secondary or tertiary education in the required language
Secondary level II includes grammar school, apprenticeship or the secondary technical school
Tertiary level includes university, technical university and federal vocational examination
Sufficient usually means:
Level B1 oral
Level A2 written
Some cantons also require better language skills. You can find more information at the fide language service of the SEM.
In most cantons, you must take a naturalization test to become a naturalized Swiss. The test covers basic knowledge of Swiss politics and society. It is often not included in the cost of citizenship.
Various institutions offer courses to help you prepare for the test. In several cantons, you can also practice the test with sample questions and view the list of questions. Examples:
Important: the citizenship course is mandatory before the test in some cantons. This is the case in Solothurn, for example.
The ID card and passport are not issued automatically after naturalization. You must apply for both. The costs are:
ID card: 65 francs plus five francs postage
Passport: 140 francs plus five francs postage
Passport and ID card together: 148 francs plus ten francs postage
3. Costs of Swiss citizenship by canton
The table below shows how much ordinary naturalization costs in the different cantons. The costs are per person.
If there is no range specified by the canton for the costs of the municipality, the largest municipalities are included by way of example.
| Canton | Cantonal costs | Municipal costs |
|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 750 | 1,500 |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 1,000 | max. 2,000 |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden* | 1,000 | - |
| Basel-Landschaft | max. 2,000 | max. 2,000 |
| Basel-Stadt | 600 | 700 to 1,000 |
| Bern | 1,150 |
|
| Fribourg | 800 to 1,500 |
|
| Geneva* | 1,250 | - |
| Glarus | max. 1,500 | max. 2,100 |
| Graubünden | 100 to 1,300 | |
| Jura | 500 to 1,000 |
|
| Lucerne | 350 |
|
| Neuchâtel | 1,500 | 150 |
| Nidwalden | 1,000 to 1,500 | 1,400 to 1,600 |
| Obwalden | 1,000 | usually 1,200 |
| Schaffhausen | 850 | 1,150 |
| Schwyz | 100 to 500 |
|
| Solothurn | 1,000 to 2,500 | 500 to 3,000 |
| St. Gallen | 2,000 |
|
| Ticino | 800 |
|
| Thurgau | 800 |
|
| Uri | 500 to 1,500 |
|
| Vaud | 450 | 100 to 400 |
| Valais | 600 |
|
| Zug | 400 to 2,400 | 1,200 to 2,400 |
| Zurich | 500 |
|
Most links not available in English. Information correct as of July 2024.
*The fee is charged by the canton. Municipalities receive their share from the canton.
4. The naturalization process
The procedure varies from canton to canton. However, the application usually includes the following steps, although the order is not always the same:
You apply for naturalization at the competent authority in your canton or municipality of residence.
The municipality usually carries out a preliminary check. This includes:
a) checking the data and civil status register are up to date
b) checking the prerequisites and completeness of the documents
c) clarifying your suitability, for example in the context of a personal interview or a basic knowledge test
If all prerequisites are met, the municipality guarantees you municipal citizenship.
The canton then examines your request. If all information and data are in order, the canton assures you cantonal citizenship.
The canton will send all data to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) for review. The SEM checks, for example, whether you pose a risk to the internal and external security of Switzerland.
Are all formal and material requirements met? Then the cantonal naturalization authority will receive the naturalization permit from the SEM.
The cantonal authority will then make the final decision on your naturalization. According to the law, it must do this within one year. As soon as the decision of the cantonal authority is legally valid, you will receive full Swiss citizenship. You will also receive citizenship rights for the municipality and canton at the same time.
Swiss citizenship allows you to vote in referendums and elections. Younger immigrants should also be aware that there is compulsory military service in Switzerland.
This article was first published on 27.06.2024
