Ordinary naturalisation in Switzerland

Requirements

Residence and permit

Total residence

Ordinary naturalisation requires a total of ten years of residence in Switzerland at the time of application.
Source

Recent residence

Of the ten years, three must fall within the five years before the application; SEM practice requires these three years to be uninterrupted.
Source

Years before age 18

Years lived in Switzerland between the completed 8th and 18th year of age count double towards the ten years.
Source

Minimum actual residence

Where the youth double count is used, actual residence must still be at least six years.
Source

Permit

The applicant must hold a settlement permit (C permit) when applying, and SEM practice requires it to be kept until the cantonal naturalisation decision.
Source

Which permits count

Residence on a B or C permit or an FDFA legitimation card (or comparable title such as Ci) counts in full, provisional admission (F) counts half; N, L, G and S permits, tourist visas and stays under a false identity do not count.
Source

Interruptions

Residence is treated as given up on deregistration or after more than six months actually living abroad; a stay abroad of up to one year for an employer or for education counts as a short absence.
Source

Cantonal residence

Cantonal law must set a minimum cantonal residence period of between two and five years.
Source

Integration

Integration, language and conduct

Integration criteria

Successful integration is shown in particular by five criteria listed in the Act; cantons may add further integration criteria.
Source

Spoken language

Applicants must prove oral skills in a national language at least at CEFR level B1.
Source

Written language

Applicants must prove written skills in a national language at least at CEFR level A2.
Source

Social assistance

An applicant who received social assistance in the three years immediately before applying, or during the procedure, does not meet the economic participation criterion.
Source

Criminal record

An applicant is not considered integrated while a VOSTRA entry of these types is visible to SEM; foreign criminal records are treated in the same way.
Source

Procedure

Procedure and federal fee

Who decides

Ordinary naturalisation runs through canton and commune, then SEM's federal permit, then the cantonal decision; citizenship is acquired when the cantonal decision becomes final.
Source

Federal decision time

SEM decides on the federal naturalisation permit as a rule within eight months of receiving the complete file.
Source

Validity of the federal permit

The canton must decide within one year of the federal permit, after which the permit lapses; it cannot be extended, but the canton may request a new one.
Source

Final cantonal check

Before naturalising, the canton re-checks the criminal record and, if naturalisation cannot occur within six months of the federal permit, economic participation; it refuses if new disqualifying facts emerge.
Source

Federal fee, adult

SEM charges CHF 100 for federal permit, applicant adult at filing.
Source

Step by step

The procedure in four steps

1. Check the federal and cantonal requirementsConfirm ten years of residence, the C permit, the cantonal and communal residence period and the language level, and gather your certificates.
2. Apply to the canton or communeFile with the authority the canton designates. The canton and commune examine your integration, often through a test or an interview.
3. Federal naturalisation permitThe canton forwards the file to the State Secretariat for Migration, which grants or refuses the federal permit as a rule within eight months of a complete file.
4. Cantonal decision and citizenshipThe canton checks the conditions once more and decides. You become Swiss when the cantonal decision is final, and you then hold citizenship of a commune, the canton and the Confederation.

More guides

Continue with another part of the guide

Back to the Swiss citizenship guide

Questions

Ordinary naturalisation: common questions