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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Swiss MPs reject move to grant citizenship to foreigners born in Switzerland

A motion to grant citizenship to foreigners born in Switzerland has been making rounds of the parliament for more than a year. It has finally been rejected.

Published: 16 June 2022 09:48 CEST
Updated: 16 June 2022 15:57 CEST
Swiss MPs reject move to grant citizenship to foreigners born in Switzerland
Not everyone in Switzerland can display these flags on their window. Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

Unlike many other countries such as the United States or Canada, Switzerland doesn’t recognise the so-called “birthright citizenship” which automatically grants a Swiss passport to anyone born here.

If their parents were born abroad and still hold foreign passports, a person will not obtain Swiss citizenship by birth. 

Even though they have lived their entire lives in Switzerland, they have the same nationality as their parents and will continue to be considered as foreigners – until and unless they become naturalised.

In March 2021, two MPs have filed a motion asking that those born in Switzerland of foreign parents get a Swiss passport at birth.

READ MORE: Will Swiss-born foreigners be granted automatic citizenship?

On Wednesday, the National Council rejected a similar parliamentary initiative to allow children born in Switzerland to foreign parents to become Swiss from the age of 18.

“A child who is born in Switzerland, speaks the language with the accent of their region, and follows the school path there should be able to benefit from the nationality of the country where he grew up; it’s just common sense”, said Green MP Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini.

While the proposal had the unanimous backing of left-wing parties, their conservative counterparts argued that “we must stick to our ‘birthright’ tradition”, according to Jean-Luc Addor, a deputy from the  right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP).

He added that “there can be no right to naturalisation without integration” and “the mere fact of being born in Switzerland and having grown up here is not always a sufficient to guarantee of integration”.

READ MORE: Reader question: Will my children get a Swiss passport if born in Switzerland?

The post-rejection debate incited “some brouhaha” in the chamber, according to Swiss media.

Asked by a Green MP Stefania Prezioso Batou about the difference between a Swiss and a foreigner who was born and educated in Switzerland, Addor replied: “The difference is that the Swiss are born Swiss!”.

“Life is made up of differences between men, between women, between Swiss, between foreigners, that’s how it is”, he said.

This is not the first attempt to grant citizenships to Swiss-born foreigners, nor the first rejection.

The Federal Council presented similar proposals three times — in 1983, 1994 and 2003. They  were supported by a large majority in parliament but nothing came out of them in the end.

“For almost 20 years nothing has happened and we have left the debate to those who always want more restrictions in this area. It’s time to go on the offensive again”, Mazzone noted.

READ MORE: Swiss MPs refuse to extend ‘fast track’ naturalisation to registered partners

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For members

SWISS CITIZENSHIP

EXPLAINED: How to speed up your Swiss citizenship application

The naturalisation process in Switzerland is quite slow as it makes its way through two levels of the government — cantonal and municipal. But can be accelerated in certain cases?

Published: 25 April 2024 14:45 CEST
EXPLAINED: How to speed up your Swiss citizenship application

You have waited a long time (more than a decade in most cases) to be able to apply for Swiss  citizenship, so when you do, you may be eager to hasten the process.

The Swiss (and that includes the government) don’t like to be rushed, and that penchant for slow deliberations includes naturalisation procedures. The usual wait time from the moment you apply and receive your citizenship is typically between 12 months and two years.

Usually, the wait time is shorter for those applying for the fast-track naturalisation — for instance, people married to a Swiss citizen, or foreigners born in Switzerland — than for people going through the ‘regular’ process.
 
READ ALSO: Five ways you can fast-track your route to Swiss citizenship

Is there a way to make the process go faster?

You can’t jump the line or ask the cantonal or municipal authorities responsible for naturalisation procedures to hurry up.

In fact, such as a move could ‘red-flag’ you as a candidate unworthy of Swiss citizenship because impatience and not following the proper due course could be seen as lack of integration.

There are, however, ways to speed up the process in other ways.

You can do so by following the application instructions to the letter, that is, knowing what documents you need to submit with your application, and making sure you have all the required  paperwork (read more about this below).

This is especially important if you apply in a canton with a high volume of citizenship applications, like Geneva, Vaud, and Zurich, because the wait there will be all that much longer if authorities inform you that such or such document is missing and you still need to send it in.

How should you apply to ensure the smoothest possible process?

This may sound evident, but many applicants may not know where to send in their application.

It should be submitted to authorities in your canton of residence.

What documents should you send in with your application?

All cantons require you to submit a copy of your C permit, and proof of language proficiency acquired from a registered language school in Switzerland.

Other requirements may vary from canton to canton, but they are also likely to include (as, for instance, in Geneva):

  • An extract from the Swiss civil status register, not older than six months
  • A certificate from the tax administration, dated less than three months;
  • A certificate from the prosecution office, less than three months old;
  • A certificate of successful completion of the test validating knowledge of history, geography, as well as Swiss and cantonal institutions.

It goes without saying that if you send in your application but one of the necessary documents is missing, then your application will be put on hold until you provide what’s needed. That will delay the whole process.

So it follows that the best way to ‘speed up’ the entire procedure is to practice the Swiss qualities or organisation and preparedness.

READ ALSO: When can I start counting my residency in Switzerland towards citizenship?

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