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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

What people with Swiss citizenship should know if they want to move to the EU

Most commonly, European Union nationals move to Switzerland, not vice versa. But it can certainly happen that someone with Swiss nationality settles within the EU. Here’s what you should know about making this move.

What people with Swiss citizenship should know if they want to move to the EU
Some things to know if you move to the EU. Image by Ralph from Pixabay

Around 1.4 million EU citizens live in Switzerland on permanent basis, and another 340,000 cross the border daily to work in the country.

Conversely, about 400,000 people with Swiss citizenship live in the European Union, which means the immigration is higher than emigration.

Whether you move abroad for professional or personal reasons, you should keep some things in mind.

Wages

If you are going to be working in one of the EU states, know that while your income may be sufficient for that (or possibly other) EU countries, it will not be enough to live in Switzerland.

That’s because Switzerland is a notoriously expensive country, so you won’t be able to live here unless you make a Swiss wage (and sometimes even then).

But the cost of living is generally lower abroad, and your EU salary will go farther there than here.

The exception is if you  work in Switzerland but live abroad (as is the case with cross-border workers). If you do, even an average Swiss salary will allow you to live very well.

Citizenship
 
If you decide to get naturalised in your new country but want to keep your Swiss passport as well, this will be possible in most of the EU.

The only nations that don’t allow dual nationalities are Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain.
 
If you move to one of those countries, you will either have to forego naturalisation, or give up your Swiss citizenship — with all the consequences this will incur.

Military service

Swiss nationals who live and work abroad are exempt from the military service obligation in times of peace.

They can do military service on a voluntary basis.
 
However, they are liable to pay military service exemption tax to the Swiss government instead. which amounts to 3 percent of their annual income.

Men over 30 are exempt from this tax.

You can find more information about it in this link.
 
READ ALSO: Switzerland’s strangest taxes – and what happens if you don’t pay them

Health insurance

You no longer have to pay Swiss health insurance premiums, so that’s a huge saving right there.

However, you have to comply with whatever government-sponsored plan is in place in your country of residence.

The good news is that with your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you are entitled to receive free medical care if you get ill while visiting Switzerland.

Or, if you prefer to keep an unlimited access to Swiss health system, some providers offer basic health insurance to Swiss citizens living in EU.

For Swiss pensioners residing outside of Switzerland, the rules differ depending on which country they live in.

If you  are a retired Swiss national living in the EU and receive your entire pension from Switzerland, you are required to keep your Swiss health insurance, according to Moneyland consumer platform. 

However, “if you receive even part of your pension from the country you reside in, you will have to take out health insurance in your country of residence,” Moneyland said.

If you live in Germany, France, Italy, Austria or Spain, “you can choose to get health insurance in your country of residence regardless of whether you receive your pension from Switzerland or from the country in which you live.”

Taxes

You will have to pay taxes in your country of residence, which is not really of benefit to you, as they are quite a bit higher in the EU than in Switzerland

In certain situations , however — for instance, if you own property in Switzerland —  you will still owe some money here.
 
 

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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Do you need permanent residency to become a Swiss citizen?

There are many eligibility criteria to be met before applying for naturalisation. But is living in Switzerland one of them?

Do you need permanent residency to become a Swiss citizen?

If you have gone through the naturalisation procedure — or are planning to do so — you probably know all the requirements you need to fulfil.

There is the language proficiency, successful integration, and yes, length of residency as well.

This implies that you must actually live in Switzerland a certain length of time as a permanent resident before being able to seek citizenship.

This rule also extends to foreign spouses of Swiss citizens, who must live at least five years in the country — including three years before applying for naturalisation. 

What exactly does this mean?

In Switzerland, ‘permanent residence’ for the purpose of naturalisation means that you must have a ‘settlement’ C permit — the highest in Switzerland’s permit hierarchy, and the only one allowing to apply for citizenship.

Most foreigners in Switzerland, especially those coming from the EU or EFTA nations (Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) ‘worked their way up’ from the B to C permit through residency — typically five years.

In case you come from non-EU / EFTA states (including the UK), then your wait to ‘upgrade’ from a B to a C permit is twice as long — 10 continuous years.

There are, however, some exemptions from these rules.

For instance, Americans and Canadians are on par with their EU/ EFTA counterparts: they can also apply for a C permit after five years of continuous residence on a B permit.

Another exemption to the length-of-residency rules are Switzerland-born foreigners who have lived in the country since birth and are automatically holders of a C permit.

READ ALSO: Why does Switzerland have two kinds of C-permit holders? 

So in that sense, applicants for citizenship must be permanent residents of Switzerland who have a C permit.

But there are some non-residents who can become Swiss citizens as well

This is where the so-called ‘citizenship by ancestry’ kicks in.

You may apply for citizenship via the ancestry route through paternal or maternal descent, regardless of your place of birth and whether you actually live in Switzerland or not.

According to the Swiss Citizenship Act, you are considered Swiss if your parents are married to each other and either of them is a Swiss citizen

You may also apply for facilitated naturalisation if you are the child of a female Swiss citizen, even if your mother is not married to your father.

This process is not automatic, however; you will still have to prove that you have close ties with Switzerland — for instance, through family interactions or regular visits to the country.

If, however, you are the child of a Swiss father not married to your mother, the situation is slightly trickier.

In such as case, you can acquire citizenship at birth (or later) so long as the father’s paternity is established. In this case, too, you will need to prove your close ties with Switzerland.

In all these cases, you don’t have to live in Switzerland at all (or only occasionally) and still apply for a Swiss citizenship.

READ ALSO: The bizarre reasons applicants have been denied Swiss citizenship
 

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