Swiss nationality law

Swiss citizenship is the status of being a citizen of Switzerland and it can be obtained by birth or naturalisation.

The Swiss Citizenship Law is based on the following principles:

Swiss nationals are citizens of their municipality of origin, their canton of origin and the Confederation, in that order: a Swiss citizen is defined as someone who has the bourgeoisie of a Swiss municipality (article 37 of the Swiss Federal Constitution). They are entered in the family register of their place of origin. One's place of origin depends on how one has acquired Swiss nationality. Nationals who are naturalised take the nationality of the municipality in which they were naturalised; citizens who became Swiss by virtue of their parents or of their marriage to a Swiss national, take the municipality of their father or spouse. It is not to be confused with the place of birth, which may be different.

A child is Swiss at birth if:

A child of a Swiss father not married to the mother is considered Swiss by birth when a link of paternity is declared.

A foundling acquires Swiss citizenship and the citizenship of the canton in which s/he was found. The canton decides which bourgeoisie the child receives. Once paternity is determined, the child loses Swiss citizenship, unless this would leave him or her stateless.

A child adopted by a Swiss parent acquires the cantonal citizenship and bourgeoisie of the Swiss parent, thus equally acquiring Swiss nationality.

On 20 June 2014, the two Chambers of the Swiss Parliament passed the Total Revision of the Federal Law Concerning the Acquisition and Loss of Swiss Nationality (Révision totale de la loi sur l'acquisition et la perte de la nationalité suisse). The Law, first introduced in 2011 by the Swiss federal government, aimed to lower, among other requirements, the residency requirement from 12 years to 8 years. During the parliamentary debates and the ensuing disagreements between the more conservative National Council (lower house) and the more liberal Council of States (upper house), the residency requirements were increased to 10 years. The time spent in Switzerland between the ages of 8 and 18 is doubled for purposes of applying for naturalisation, however, an applicant must spend at least 6 years in Switzerland. The new law also requires cantons to set a minimum residency requirement of between 2 and 5 years, as well as requiring applicants to have a permanent residency permit (Autorisation d'établissement), which is known as a C permit. Additionally, time spent in Switzerland with temporary admission (Permis d'admission provisoire) halved for purposes of applying for naturalisation. The 2014 Total Revision of the Federal Law Concerning the Acquisition and Loss of Swiss Nationality is scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2018.

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