Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

PASSPORT

One in six people living in Switzerland now a dual national

Around 17 percent of permanent Swiss residents over the age of 15, or 916,000 people, had the right to hold at least two passports in 2016, while that figures was nearly half in Geneva, newly released figures show.

Published: 25 September 2018 20:21 CEST
One in six people living in Switzerland now a dual national
File photo: Depositphotos

Among these dual nationals, 64.4 percent became Swiss though naturalization while 36.6 percent obtained Swiss citizenship at birth, updated data from the Federal Statistics Office (FSO) published on Tuesday shows.

Among those who have obtained Swiss citizenship through naturalization, Italians are the largest group, making up 24.7 percent of the total. This group is followed by the French (around 11.2 percent of the total) and Germans, at around 7.8 percent.

On a canton by canton basis, more than 20 percent of permanent residents aged over 15 in Zurich, Basel-Stadt, Ticino, Vaud and Neuchâtel have dual nationality.

Read also: How to apply for Swiss citizenship in 2018

By contrast, this figure is less than 10 percent in the cantons of Bern, Uri, Schwyz and Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

Geneva has the largest number of dual nationals by far, with 45 percent, the FSO figures show.

Around 45,000 people acquired Swiss citizenship in 2017

The FSO data also shows that 44,900 people acquired Swiss citizenship last year, 2000 more than a year earlier. Of these, around three quarters were from another European country.

Close to three in four of these people acquired Swiss citizenship through standard naturalization while around one if four acquired it through facilitated (or simplified) naturalization. This is a shorter and less complicated process usually open to the foreign spouses and children of Swiss citizens, and, since early 2017, third generation foreigners.

Germans are the fastest growing group of dual nationals in Switzerland. In 2000, they accounted for just 2.3 percent of all naturalizations, while in 2017, this number had shot up to 13.3 percent.

Interest among Italians, meanwhile, is shrinking. In 2000, people of Italian nationality made up just over in four of all naturalizations, while this had declined to 13 percent last year.

Political debate around dual nationality

Dual nationality continues to be a subject of some debate in Switzerland.

It became legal in 1992 but the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has periodically called for the right to dual nationality for Swiss people to be either limited or scrapped, arguing that the holding of two passports can mean reduced loyalty to Switzerland.

Swiss people with dual citizenship are not excluded from sensitive positions within the police force or from border security roles. They can work as diplomats for Switzerland and take an active role in political life.

Beyond the 916,000 dual nationals living in Switzerland, there are a further 516,000 dual Swiss citizens living abroad.

For members

SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Do EU residents in Switzerland need to get Swiss citizenship?

If you come from the European Union or Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein (EFTA) and live in Switzerland you may be wondering whether applying for Swiss nationality is worth your while.

Published: 23 November 2023 09:11 CET
Do EU residents in Switzerland need to get Swiss citizenship?

While many foreign residents are impatiently waiting for the moment when they will be eligible to apply for a Swiss passport, others are in no rush to do so.
 
The desire (or the lack thereof) to become a citizen of Switzerland — in addition to maintaining their original nationality, if they decide to do so — varies from person to person, depending on many different factors.

The main one is undoubtedly whether the foreigner intends to stay in Switzerland indefinitely, or plans to return home eventually.

Another reason may very well be the desire to participate fully and completely in Switzerland’s  political life and democratic processes — that is, to vote in referendums and elections, and feel that your opinion matters.

But a lot may also depend on another factor: your nationality.

For people from third countries who have lived in Switzerland long enough — 10 years with  a B or L permit — before finally being eligible for their permanent residency C permit, is a huge event. (Americans and Canadians, on the other hand, can apply for a C permit after five years of consecutive residence).

It is therefore logical that many of these people, whose status in Switzerland has been conditional and tenuous for many years, will jump on the opportunity to be naturalised and ‘regularise’ their situation.

What about people from the EU / EFTA?

Admittedly, there is far less urgency — or need, for that matter — to become a Swiss citizen if you have a passport from an EU or EFTA state.

That’s because you have an almost unlimited access to Swiss jobs and residency, as well as sweeping rights overall. For instance, you are free to change jobs and move from one canton to another.

Another benefit that you, as a citizen of an EU / EFTA state have, is that you can come to Switzerland and look for work for up to six months without any visa requirements.

Also, in case of a job loss, an EU / EFTA citizen doesn’t have to leave Switzerland immediately.

Instead, they may stay in the country for at least six months to seek new employment. 

Another perk is that if you are living in Switzerland as an EU/EFTA citizen, you can purchase property – indeed, you have the same rights in this regard as Swiss citizens do.

You do not need a permit or any additional permissions that a Swiss citizen would not require to buy property. 

READ ALSO: Just how freely can EU citizens move to (and within) Switzerland?

All this to say that you can live in Switzerland pretty much indefinitely on your EU / EFTA passport, and neither your residency nor employment is subject to the same restrictions as those imposed on third country nationals.

You basically enjoy the same rights as Swiss citizens, except for the right to vote, which may or may not matter to you.

In that respect, you don’t need a Swiss passport, especially if you don’t plan to remain in the country longterm.

However…

…if you do want to continue living in Switzerland, it may be worth your while to apply for naturalisation, if only out of pragmatism.

That’s because if you leave the country for more than six months on a B permit, you will lose the residency rights (though can re-apply to have them re-established).

With a C permit, you have the benefit of putting it on hold for up to four years. But if you neglect to do so, then the permit (and your permanent residency status) will expire.

READ ALSO: How long can I stay out of Switzerland and keep my residency rights?

So in this respect at least, having a Swiss passport will give you more flexibility and security.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SHOW COMMENTS