Entitlement by birth, descent, or adoption Children born in Switzerland automatically receive Swiss nationality at birth if at least one married parent is a Swiss national, or they are born to an unmarried Swiss mother. Individuals born overseas to a married Swiss parent or unmarried Swiss mother are also Swiss nationals by descent if their births are registered with the Swiss government and they formally declare intent to retain Swiss nationality before the age of 23. Children of unmarried Swiss fathers must have their paternity established before they may claim Swiss nationality. Children born to two Swiss parents are assigned the municipal and cantonal citizenship of the parent whose surname they acquire. Adopted children are automatically granted nationality retroactively applied to their birth. Abandoned children found in Switzerland with unclear parentage are assumed to be citizens of the canton they were found in; if their origin is determined before age 18, they automatically lose Swiss nationality unless that loss causes them to be
stateless.
Naturalisation Ordinary naturalisation Ordinary naturalisation in Switzerland is a cantonal competency but regulated by federal legislation. 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 requirement was decreased to 10 years instead. The time spent in Switzerland between the ages of 8 and 18 is doubled when counted for purposes of applying for naturalisation, however, an applicant must have spent at least 6 years in Switzerland. The 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 commonly referred as a C permit. Additionally, time spent in Switzerland with temporary admission (''Permis d'admission provisoire'') is halved counting the years spent in Switzerland for the purposes of naturalisation. The 2014 Total Revision of the Federal Law Concerning the Acquisition and Loss of Swiss Nationality entered into force on 1 January 2018. Applications for naturalisation submitted prior to the entry into force of the new nationality law will continue to be processed under the 1952 law. The federal nationality law of 2014 imposes two formal conditions which an applicant for naturalisation must satisfy: • Ten years of lawful residence in Switzerland including three of the five years immediately preceding the application. The time spent in Switzerland between the ages of 8 and 18 is doubled when counted for purposes of applying for naturalisation, however, an applicant must have spent at least six years in Switzerland. An exception is made for registered partners of Swiss citizens where the registered partnership has lasted at least three years and the Swiss citizen was already a Swiss citizen at the moment of the conclusion of the partnership: the foreign registered partner must have lived a total of five years in Switzerland, including the year immediately preceding the application. Absences above 6 months are considered as ending residency. • Be a permanent resident. In addition to the aforementioned formal conditions, the federal nationality law of 2014 also imposes material conditions which an applicant for naturalisation must meet: • The applicant must be well integrated, • The applicant must be familiar with life in Switzerland, • The applicant must not endanger Switzerland's interior or exterior security, • The applicant must show respect for public order and security, • The applicant must respect the values of the federal constitution, • The applicant must be able to communicate in a national language, both orally and in writing, • The applicant must participate in the economy or be in education, • The applicant must—if married, in a registered partnership, or a parent—encourage and support the integration of their spouse and/or minor children Cantons can impose further requirements which are complementary to the federal requirements.
Simplified naturalisation Foreigners in the following categories may apply for simplified naturalisation: • The spouse of a Swiss citizen • A person who was mistakenly treated as a Swiss citizen and believed themselves to be a Swiss citizen • Women who lost Swiss citizenship through marriage to a non-Swiss citizen, or through the loss of Swiss citizenship by their husband, before 23 March 1992 • The child of a naturalised person • Third-generation immigrants: specifically, until 15 February 2023, a person under the age of 40 who is a member of a foreign family that has lived in Switzerland for three generations (on 15 February 2023 the age limit was reduced to 25) • Children born to Swiss mothers who lost their citizenship due to marriage to a foreigner before 23 March 1992 but who later reacquired their former Swiss nationality • Children born to Swiss mothers who had acquired Swiss citizenship themselves on the basis of a previous marriage to a Swiss husband • Persons born before 1 July 1985 whose mothers had acquired Swiss citizenship by descent, adoption, or naturalisation
By virtue of marriage A person married to a Swiss citizen may apply for Swiss citizenship by facilitated naturalisation after living in Switzerland for five years and having been married for at least three years. One must also show the following: • ability to communicate in at least one of Switzerland’s national languages at a spoken B1 level and written A2 level at a minimum, proven with a certificate from an approved language testing organization. • integration into the Swiss way of life; • compliance with the Swiss rule of law; • no danger to Switzerland's internal or external security. It is also possible for the spouse of a Swiss citizen to apply for facilitated naturalisation while residing overseas after the following: • The applicant must meet the requirements set by federal law. • Aged between 14 and 25 years. • Has completed at least five years of compulsory education in Switzerland. • Has at least two years' residence in Vaud. • Has not lived abroad since the end of their compulsory education, with the exception of temporary stays abroad for purposes of education. • One of the applicant's parents must currently be lawfully resident in Switzerland or have been so in the past. • Integration and command of the
French language. • Lawful behaviour. • The applicant must not represent a danger for Swiss national security. The 2004 law also facilitates the naturalisation of foreigners of the 3rd generation under the following conditions: • The applicant must meet the requirements set by federal law. • At least two years' residence in Vaud. • The applicant must have not resided outside Switzerland since their birth, with the exception of temporary stays abroad for purposes of education. • Integration and command of the French language. • The applicant must not represent a danger for Swiss national security.
Demographics The yearly rate of naturalisation has quintupled over the 1990s and 2000s, from roughly 9,000 to 45,000 naturalisations per year. Relative to the population of resident foreigners, this amounts to an increase from 8% in 1990 to 27% in 2007, or relative to the number of Swiss citizens from 0.16% in 1990 to 0.73% in 2007.
Reacquisition of Swiss nationality Foreigners in the following category can apply to have their nationality restored: • Children whose mothers had acquired Swiss citizenship by virtue of marriage to a Swiss husband (before 31 December 1991). • Children of Swiss parents born abroad who were not registered at a Swiss representation abroad before their 22nd birthday can reacquire their nationality within a period of ten years immediately following their 22nd birthday. • Children for whom the ten year limit has expired can nevertheless still apply to recover their former Swiss nationality if they can prove a "close relationship with Switzerland." • Former Swiss nationals whose Swiss citizenship ceased due to an application for release under articles 37-41 of the nationality law. Formal conditions: • Residence in Switzerland or close links to Switzerland if resident abroad. • The applicant must respect Swiss public order and security. • The applicant must respect the values of the constitution. • The applicant must not endanger Switzerland's interior or exterior security. • Applicants having ceased to be Swiss nationals due to expiry, release, or loss must apply within ten years of ceasing to be Swiss nationals. This rule does not apply to former nationals currently residing in Switzerland for at least three years. == Loss of Swiss citizenship ==