Many foreigners living in Switzerland dream of obtaining Swiss citizenship. How to get the coveted passport, what are the possibilities, how real is it? Let’s start with the fact that you can get a Swiss passport only in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the country.

According to the act on the acquisition and loss of Swiss nationality, Swiss nationality is acquired through family ties, adoption or naturalization. Citizenship is acquired automatically by a child in a married couple where one of the spouses is Swiss. Citizenship is also acquired at birth by a child whose mother is Swiss and is not married to the child’s father.

In addition, a foreign child who has not attained the age of majority and whose father holds a Confederate passport but is not in an official union with his mother may get a citizenship  A child who has acquired citizenship in this way then transfers citizenship to his children. All of the above-mentioned ways of obtaining Swiss citizenship are indicated in the article one of the Act. Article seven also concerns the acquisition of a passport with a white cross as a result of the adoption of an adult child of a foreigner. It is important to emphasize that only minor children are may get citizenship in this way. Adoption of adults does not give the latter the right to apply for citizenship.

According to the latest data published by the Federal statistics office in 2009, 43,000 people received a red passport with a white cross by naturalization. In 2008, there were 44,000 and in 2007, 43 900 people. Thus, every year more than 40 000 foreigners become citizens of the country. There are two types of naturalization – ordinary and simplified.

Ordinary Naturalization

A foreigner has the right to request a permit for ordinary naturalization if he or she has lived in Switzerland for at least 12 years, three of which were in a row. The procedure for obtaining citizenship is determined by the municipal regulations and include the following conditions:

• Legal residence in Switzerland;

• Willingness to perform the duties of a citizen;

• Respect for the laws;

• Recognition of one of the national languages of the country.

The whole procedure takes two-three years and the cost is 750-1000 francs.

Simplified Naturalization

In the vast majority of cases, simplified naturalization concerns persons married to a Swiss citizen. According to the law, one has the right to apply for citizenship if he lives or has lived in Switzerland for 5 years, three years of which he was married to a Swiss citizen.

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