How hard is it to get Swiss citizenship?

Question

How hard is it to get Swiss citizenship?

Answer 1

Not as easy as it used to be. Contact your local Swiss Embassy or go to their website.

Answer 2

It's not too hard - their immigration code is full of holes.  (rimshot please!)

Cheese joke?  Ah, never mind.  Sorry I don't have any useful information.

Answer 3

Well, depending how long you are living in Switzerland and if you are married to a Swiss or not. And it might depend on the canton you are living in.

The official website suggested should contain all useful information.

Answer 4

I don't know, although I am now eligible to apply having lived in Switzerland for 5 years, married to a citizen.

If you don't have a Swiss spouse, I believe it's 10 years residence.

As far as I know, it's never automatic, you have to prove you're fluent in at least one national language and that you're culturally pretty Swiss. I'm not sure what that entails, no doubt not doing housework on Sunday and being able to identify the mushrooms.

Answer 5

It depends on the canton you live in and where you're originally from. I'm American and lived in Switzerland for 10 years. I wasn't eligible for citizenship because I lived in the canton of Vaud. In that canton, they require 10 years of "B" permits. I had 8 "B" permits and 2 student permits. In order to become eligible, I would have had to live in the canton of Geneva for 2 years, even on a student visa since that canton accepted them.

It probably has changed since then. I left when I was 18 and now I'm 29.