Requirements for Swiss naturalisation

Formal federal requirements

Article 9 of the Citizenship Act sets two formal conditions for ordinary naturalisation. When you apply, you must:

• hold a settlement permit (C permit) and
• prove a total of ten years of residence in Switzerland, three of them in the five years before applying.

There is a concession for children and young people: time between the completed 8th and 18th year of age counts double. Actual residence must, however, be at least six years. Someone who came to Switzerland aged ten, for example, already has eight actual years at 18, which count as sixteen.

Which periods of residence count

Under Article 33 of the Act, residence counts with:

• a residence permit B or a settlement permit C,
• provisional admission F, but only half,
• an FDFA legitimation card or a comparable residence document.

Time as an asylum seeker (N permit) and with a short-term residence permit (L permit) is not among these documents.

Stays abroad

Leaving Switzerland for a short time with the intention of returning does not interrupt residence. Residence is considered given up if you deregister or actually live abroad for more than six months. A stay abroad of up to one year on behalf of your employer or for education or training counts as short-term.

Residence rule in the canton and municipality

In addition, each canton requires a minimum period of two to five years in the canton or municipality (Art. 18 SCA). Zurich, Bern, Basel-Stadt and Geneva require two years, Aargau, St. Gallen and Ticino five. Some cantons require the last years to have been spent without interruption in the same municipality. You will find all the rules in the guide to residence requirements.

Successful integration

The substantive requirements are in Articles 11 and 12 of the Act. You are successfully integrated if you:

Respect public safety and order

Under Article 4 of the Ordinance, you are not considered integrated if you seriously or repeatedly disregard legal provisions and official orders or wilfully fail to meet important public-law or private-law obligations, such as taxes or debts. Certain entries in the criminal record also rule out naturalisation, for example unconditional sentences or suspended monetary penalties of more than 90 daily rates. As long as a sentence has not been served or a probation period has not expired, naturalisation is not possible. If criminal proceedings are pending, the naturalisation procedure is suspended.

Respect the values of the Federal Constitution

These include equality before the law, equality between women and men, freedom of religion and expression, and the rule of law.

Can communicate in a national language

At least B1 spoken and A2 written in a national language are required (Art. 6 SCO). The requirement is considered met, for example, if a national language is your mother tongue, if you attended compulsory school in a national language for five years, or if you completed upper secondary or tertiary education in a national language. Some cantons require more. More in the guide to language requirements.

Take part in economic life or education

You cover your living costs and maintenance obligations through income, assets or third-party benefits to which you are entitled, or you are in education or training. Anyone who receives social assistance in the three years before applying or during the procedure does not meet this requirement, unless the assistance is repaid in full (Art. 7 SCO).

Support the integration of your family

You support the integration of your spouse or registered partner and your minor children.

Familiarity with Swiss living conditions

Under Article 2 of the Ordinance, you are familiar with Swiss living conditions if you have basic knowledge of the geographical, historical, political and social conditions in Switzerland, take part in social and cultural life and maintain contacts with Swiss people. Whether basic knowledge is checked with a test is up to the canton. If it requires a test, it must ensure that you can prepare with suitable aids or courses.

Personal circumstances

The law requires that the situation of people who cannot meet the language or economic criteria, or can only do so with great difficulty, because of a disability, illness or other serious personal circumstances be taken into account appropriately (Art. 12 para. 2 SCA, Art. 9 SCO). These include, for example, a pronounced learning, reading or writing difficulty, working poverty or caring responsibilities.

Additional cantonal requirements

Cantons may set further integration criteria (Art. 12 para. 3 SCA). Schwyz, Nidwalden, Zug and Thurgau, for example, require German at level B2 spoken, and Basel-Landschaft and Appenzell Ausserrhoden require B1 in writing as well. Appenzell Ausserrhoden requires that no social assistance has been received in the last five years. You will find your canton’s exact rules on its canton page.