Living in switzerland?

Question

i want to live there and become a citezen. any advice on living there

Answer 1

What gave you the idea that Switzerland is a "Latin" country???

Even the French speaking Swiss are as Germanic as they come, and to conform to the rules is one of the most important virtues of a good Swiss. Wages are high, taxes are low, but the cost of living (especially meat) is much higher than in the rest of Central Europe. The Swiss are distant to foreigners, especially if they don't speak the language properly, but once you get accepted they are very good neighbours, especially in the countryside, and will help you out without being asked if they see a need. They have a wry sense of humour which they usually keep well hidden.

Football is not as big a business as in the other European countries, although a lot of Swiss people are fervent fans of their local football club. Internationally it's about on the level of Denmark and Ireland. Occasionally they manage to get into the European or World Championship, and then the enthusiasm is great (as far as Swiss people can go there).

Switzerland is one of the best countries in the world to live in, in my experience (2 years in Graubuenden)

Good luck!

Answer 2

I was married to a swiss and lived in Zurich for 3 years. Switzerland is suchs, the only good thing is that you can travel all over Europe as it is pretty in the heart of the continent. If you do not hold a working permit, bad luck as everything is quite expensive over there. People are cold, weather is cold, it's really not my cup of tea, but perhaps you will like it...

About getting a soccer player, my husband used to say that most of the good foreign soccer players in Europe started playing in Swiss teams when very young. You should have a look at FCZ and Gueze (Zurich) and Basel as well, apparently they are the best teams in CH, but still not very famous in overall Europe.

Answer 3

I also live in Zürich but my experience is far different than that of the previous poster. If you are hired, your employer will take care that you receive a work permit. No it does not cost 10,000 francs, but it may be difficult to get as there is a quota on them and EU citizens are preferred to Americans and the rest of the world.

Citizenship does not take 6 years to receive (unless maybe you marry a Swiss) but in reality it takes 12 years. In those 12 years you also have to live in the same canton otherwise your time is broke. In other words, you couldnt live 6 years in Zurich and 6 in Berne and still get citizenship. Also, the Swiss majority party is looking to make it tougher to get citizenship.

I do agree that you get paid a lot more here than in America or the EU. Be prepared however to spend a lot more than you did before and get a lot less for the money.

Answer 4

Residency is difficult.  However, if you have money (make it as a pro football player) then they will make you a citezen pretty quickly.

If you are serious about the footbal try Basel FC.  Since they are on the boarder of both France and Germany it is possible to live there and commute in every day....this is very typical for this region, so working permits will be much easier to find.  If you get a job and live close to the boarder it will also make the transition much easier...its like a foot in the door.

As mentioned an employer will likely pay the visa fees, but this is going to depend on your job.  They are not going to pay for you if you want to work in Migros (Swiss supermarket).. but if you plan on working for a bigger company or even Basel FC then they most likley will.

I suggest however that you live over the boarder.  The cost of living is much higher in Switzerland so you will end up with more money this way.

Answer 5

OK - let's talk about our national football team (first and foremost). Most of my fellow compatriots call the National Team the "Nati" and we are almost all fervent supporters of this team (even if they lose and national disappointment will skyrocket, we are still proud of this little team: I mean, hey, we managed to get to the 1/16th finals in the World Cup of 2006!) We have very strong feelings for our team, but I would not say we are equal to the Latin supporters in the energy with which they support their teams.

Now on to more serious matters, and that is about the Residency, Work Permit and Citizenship application. I myself have never had to take this long process as I was Swiss from the first moment I took breath and was shown to my beaming (Swiss) parents. For most foreigners the process is long and complicated (and it could get worse because we have to vote soon on a referendum that would change Federal law so that the local populace of each commune [county] would vote who becomes Swiss and who doesn't). Anyhoot, here are some explications on how people become Swiss, courtesy of the Federal Government.

You can become Swiss by:

BIRTH - this means (like me) you are born of a mother or father who is Swiss (in my case, both). This also applies to children whose mothers are Swiss but the parents are not married.

ADOPTION - any child adopted by Swiss Parents enjoys the same status as any normal Swiss Citizen

NATURALISATION - (that is to say, to apply to your local communal authorities to become Swiss). If you are not married to a Swiss person, you will need to hold residency status in Switzerland for 12 years (between age 10 and 20 each year counts as double, so you only would have to wait 6 years). If you ARE married to a Swiss Person, you will only require five years' residency and at least three years' marriage.

There are no restrictions in my country on becoming Swiss if you are a citizen of another nation.

If you are applying for naturalisation, you will also need to comply with the following conditions:

• You must be intigrated into Swiss Society

• You must be familiar with Swiss customs, traditions and lifestyle (you will be tested)

• You must have complied with Swiss law during the entire period leading up to your application and beyond

• You must be no threat to Switzerland's internal or external security.

I think that's all the basic info I can provide you,

Hope this long and rambling answer has helped,

S.O.

Answer 6

I had a great experience in Switzerland, I lived in Basel and I thought everyone was relatively nice, get out of the major cities people are warmer. Price is relative you just get use to it. I got paid 20 chc an hour to work at a grocery store

Answer 7

not so crazy for soccer and not so easy to become cityzen, infact almost impossible.You can get a premit only if you work but not be a cityzen

Answer 8

it is quite hard to become a swiss citizen they havent joined up with the euro so you cant become one that easy  you would need a swiss citizen to sponser you a visa before you can even think about being swiss

Answer 9

I live in Zurich,  the 6th most epensive city in the world. Switzerland is known for being extremely wealthy and the cost of living is etremely high. Therefore, evertyhing is really expensive. The nightlife is great and the crime rate is low. There are rules for everything and the people arent very nice, but you learn to deal with it.

To live here you must obtain a permit and must live here 6 years before becomming a citizen. Since you are not a swiss citizen work permits are outrageously expensive, im talking a minimum of like 10,000chf.

I dont know much about football here, so i cant give you much on that, sorry. But i can easily find out if you would like to email me or have anyother questions. I hope i helped!