THE
GUIDE TO YOUR LIFE IN SWI TZ E R L A N D
EDI TED BY DICCO N B EW ES Dimitri Burkhard, Angelica Cipullo, Daniel Dreier, Christina Fryer, Clive Greaves, Rebekka Hänggi, Caroline Kaufmann, Christian Langenegger, Isobel Leybold-Johnson, Cornelia Lüthy, Nicolas Mossaz, Margaret Oertig, Andie Pilot, Felix Schneuwly, Greg Zwygart
THE RULES
For many people the route to citizenship is through ordinary naturalisation, based on residency. This falls under the competence of each canton, so your application to become Swiss starts at a local level. Federal law details the basic criteria for ordinary naturalisations, with these the most important for applicants living in Switzerland.You must: • possess a C permit. • have lived in Switzerland for at least ten years, three of them within the five years prior to application. • respect the values of the Federal Constitution. • not pose a risk to Switzerland’s internal or external security. • show that you are successfully integrated in Switzerland. • speak and write a national language to a certified minimum level. • respect public security and order (that means, no criminal record, no current debts and no outstanding taxes). • participate in economic life (and not be in receipt of any social security benefits), or be in education or training. You also have to show that you are familiar with the Swiss way of life, eg knowing about Swiss geography, history and politics, participating in the social and cultural life of Switzerland, and having regular contact with Swiss citizens. These are national criteria but implementation is up to the cantons and municipalities so, for example, cantonal residency rules vary within the obligatory ten-year minimum. It’s only two years in Geneva and Zurich whereas many cantons require five, while some municipalities also apply minimum residency requirements. Move house to another canton, or even another municipality, and you may have to start counting again, so always check. Children born here are not automatically Swiss if neither parent is Swiss, and so face similar rules. The two big differences are: the years lived here between ages 8 and 18 count double towards the ten-year minimum, as long as residency is at least six years; and a language test isn’t needed if the child’s mother tongue is a national language or he or she has completed five years of obligatory school in Switzerland in a national language. Dual nationality is allowed as long as the other country permits it as well. 260 The Expert Guide Switzerland
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DOCUMENTS
To start the long process of ordinary naturalisation, you’ll need these documents in particular to prove that you qualify to become Swiss. • • • • •
C permit Residency certificate: this proves that you’ve lived in your municipality for the minimum required period. Passport: your nationality isn’t important as all citizens are treated the same. Birth certificate: this must not be more than six months old (the certificate, not the birth) so order a copy from your home country. Proof of marital status: if you’re married, divorced or widowed, you’ll need proof. If you’re single, you’ll be asked to show that you’ve never been married.
THE SIMPLE ROUTE
For the lucky few, there is a faster and cheaper way to become Swiss: simplified naturalisation. This applies to foreign children who have one Swiss parent or to anyone married to a Swiss citizen. These applications are decided by the State Secretariat for Migration, in consultation with the canton concerned. For foreigners living in Switzerland and married to a Swiss national, the standard rules still apply, for example minimum language proficiency and knowledge of Switzerland. The big benefit is that minimum residency is reduced to five years, which must include the one leading up to the application, and you must have been married for at least the past three years. Same-sex couples in a registered partnership cannot benefit from this simpler process. The foreign partner is subject to all the ordinary naturalisation rules, except that he or she can apply after only five years’ residency and once the partnership is at least three years old. The rules do vary for foreigners who live abroad and apply for citizenship via marriage or ancestry. Best to check with the nearest Swiss embassy or consulate.
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THE APPLICATION Becoming Swiss is voluntary, so about a third of resident foreigners have lived here more than the minimum ten years but are not naturalised. Citizenship is not a right, but must be earned. You have to apply and seek approval, and the process depends on the local rules as federal laws are quite broad in this respect. Most applications roughly follow the same procedure: eligibility checks, application form, language tests, Swissness tests, official paperwork, interview and eventually approval (or not). The costs and timings are as variable as everything else in Switzerland. Application form: it’s usually long and detailed so be prepared to fill in your education since kindergarten, your employment history over the past ten years, personal details of your parents and spouse/partner, and maybe even why you want to be Swiss.You must also name three character witnesses, who should be Swiss and live in your municipality or canton. Language tests and official paperwork: see boxes Swissness test: some cantons (eg, Bern and Aargau) test your knowledge of Switzerland with a formal written exam, but in others your Swissness is tested during the naturalisation interview. There are few textbooks or practice questions to help you prepare but typical subjects covered are geography, history, politics, the economy, education and the tax/benefit system – all at national, cantonal or local level.
FILM TIP For a bit of light relief, watch the delightful film, Die Schweizermacher. It’s from 1978 but much of it is still true, and still funny, today.
Interview: you’re required to pass a naturalisation interview at municipal level. Get ready to be grilled by one (or more) local officials on why you’re applying, how integrated you are, what leisure activities you enjoy and what you know about your community. Home visits: these are less common now, though many places still allow them. Costs: the fixed federal fee is 100Fr per adult, or 150Fr for spouses making a joint application. Then come the cantonal and municipal fees, which usually total around 3,000Fr. Simplified naturalisation is normally much cheaper, at about 900Fr. Timings and approval: see overleaf 262 The Expert Guide Switzerland
GOOD TO KNOW Applicants have to reach certain levels of proficiency in a language test. The federal minimum is A2 for written and B1 for oral (based on the Common European Framework) but cantons can make it harder for ordinary naturalisations, eg in Thurgau the levels are B1 and B2 respectively. For all ordinary naturalisations, the language tested is that of the municipality where you live, so a native German-speaker living in Nyon has to pass the tests in French. In bilingual municipalities, eg Biel-Bienne, you can choose either official language.
PAPERWORK
These official certificates are normally needed during your application, and generally they should be current, eg not more than three months old. Each can be ordered from the relevant authority, usually at a cost of 20 to 60 francs. • • • • •
Tax: to show that you owe no taxes. Social security: to show that you have not received any benefits in the past three years (in some cases up to ten years), or that you have repaid them in full. National insurance: to show that you are up to date with your contributions to the state pension scheme. Debt collection register: to show that you pay your bills on time and have no outstanding debts. Criminal record: to show that you have no previous convictions in Switzerland.
Homeowners, students, pensioners and the self-employed will have to produce further documents to prove their particular circumstances. Becoming Swiss 263