A Swiss passport at last!

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
61
congrats....!!! Now you can use the double black diamond ski tracks...

to anybody:

I heard from somebody that works on the police force (admin job) that you can apply when you are in your 4th year of residency (married to a Swiss), and wait for the passport to arrive in 1 or 2 years. But, when I ask her again, she wasn't 100% sure that the info she got was correct.

Have anybody even heard about this?

Also, what about changing your address from one Canton to another in the last year?

Thanks in advance.

Sorry for my poor english

62
except it clearly states that it will not affect citizens who already have dual-citizenship. Hows that suppose to work exactly? Anyway agree with Starbug it will never get through

63
When you qualify for facilitated Swiss citizenship, then you become a citizen of the same commune where your spouse is a citizen. It is irrelevant where you live in Switzerland.

64
Thanks, but is not what I mean. According to the requirements you must live in the same Canton for the last 2 years or so, before applying. Or is only when you apply from a "C"?

65
This is interesting to know. I applied for this accelerated naturalisation couple of months ago. Got a letter from the Cantonal Police 2 days ago. They said it's about "information collection". Hope they don't speak Bernese German to me. Well, I assume you could always ask them to speak high German in case you don't understand.

I am going to see them tomorrow and will report to everyone about what they want to know.

Interestingly I was summoned to the local police station. The friendly cop explained (in fairly thick dialect) that in these cases they simply collect all the paperwork and do a few simple checks. Yes, he wanted to see how good my German was and I get the feeling that was significant, but actually if you fulfil all the requirements it's in Swiss national law and they cannot deny you.

No tests at all, but heavy emphasis on a "real marriage", i.e. living together, secure couple, etc. They checked that with all 4 of the witnesses I had to furnish too. Obviously trying to spot marriages of convenience.

RS[/quote]

66
I used to think that being in possession of a Swiss passport would be the be-all and end-all of everything in life: but recently I have come to the conclusion it isn't. Good luck to the recipient but I have waited in lengthy queues with a Swiss citizen trying to legally enter the Port of Dover whereas all of the rest of us with burgundy coloured passports sailed through.

67
Hi Richard.

Congrats on the passport. Do you mind telling me what Kanton you live in? My daughter (14 yrs) applied for Swiss citizenship last year. We got a letter stating that she'll have to go before a panel at the Gemeinde level to answer questions about Swiss culture, politics, history, etc. We've read, but don't know for sure, that the police and/or mayor will want to come to our house to meet her.

We live in Kanton Schwyz. We're wondering if the rules differ greatly in other areas of the country. You mentioned you didn't have an interview or voting process. Kt SZ I believe still has the vote.

Thx

68
I'm in Schwyz too. That Kanton is notorious for voting not to grant! My situation is different to your daughter's in that my right to a Swiss passport is enshrined in federal law as long as I meet the 3 years married to a Swiss, 5 in CH and not a spy rules. In other words Schwyz cannot refuse me and therefore I had no interview. The local police just collected all the info and co-ordinated things.

I guess your daughter's application will be voted on by the Gemeinde. The outcome depends very much, I'm afraid, on the ethnicicty of her parents. Schwyz is pretty right-wing.

I did read that someone's just invented a "Trivial Pursuits" type of game to help studying to answer those questions. I saw that somewhere on www.swissinfo.ch .

Best of luck!

RS

69
Rsargeant, I am in the exact possition as you, married to a swiss and more than 5 years here. However my German is not really good and dont think i will pass an interview. Did you have an interview afterall? Do you already have your new passport? Thank you in advance

70
A Swiss passport at last!

Same here - (unannounced) visit from 2 Police - checking wife was there, short chat in German etc.

71
Funny thing, I also live in Horgen like you. How long ago was that? do you have the citizenship now?

Thanks.

72
That's where Switzerland was until the 1960s.

Some have argued that the reason for allowing dual nationality is the same as that for readmitting women to Swiss citizenship if they had lost it upon marriage to a foreigner and naturalisation abroad (even if that naturalisation was involuntary, as in the case of Italy at the time).

Citizenship was also offered to offspring born abroad of Swiss women. Before then only men could pass their citizenship.

Then, after a few years, it became possible for children of women who regained their citizenship to apply for expedited naturalisation themselves, provided only they lived in Switzerland for 3 years and spoke a Swiss language, etc.

So what was the reason? At least one wag surmised that it was in the context of low fecundity and a falling population: what was a quick way to get more white babies for Switzerland?

As a practical matter it will be difficult, consistent with human rights norms, to abrogate the citizenship of anyone already holding it. A new law would affect those born or naturalised thereafter. Nationality law principles have come a long way since the post-WW I and post-WW II years when there were substantial exchanges of territory and forced movement of populations.

A nation's attitude towards dual nationality says much about its self-confidence. The Baltic states are particularly restrictive, reflecting a long history of tension with ethnic Russians and with Russian domination. Liberalisation has happened elsewhere (Germany most notably), and there are political pressures too in Scandinavia (bearing in mind there is what amounts to an exchange facility of nationality within the Nordic area) and the Netherlands.

73
It's against the trend of thought in matters of nationality law. Switzerland can scarcely ignore the work of the Council of Europe (the Strasbourg organisation of which it's a member) in this area.

To give you some idea of the anomalies the old Swiss rule against dual nationality gave, and the mental gymnastics judges went through -- only to come to inconsistent conclusions -- see Levita-Mühlstein v. Dépt. féd. de justice et police, Trib. féd., 14 June 1946, A.T.F., 72-I, 1946, p. 407 and Rosenthal v. Eidg. Justiz- und Polizeidepartment, Trib. féd., 8 Oct. 1948, A.T.F., 74-I, 1948, p. 346. In both cases Swiss women married Jewish refugees from Germany during the war. In the one case the judge decided that since the Nazi revocation of the German nationality of Jews was clearly a violation of international law and void, the Swiss woman had, by marrying a German, gained German nationality and thus lost her Swiss nationality. In the second case the judge came to the opposite conclusion: the Jewish husband was stateless, the Swiss bride did not become German, and hence she remained Swiss.

74
Congratulations on the Swiss passport. Hope you're not going to Tripoli any time soon. They won't let you in I'm afraid with a Swiss passport.

Shame though, 'cos Tripoili is a beautiful place.

75
RSargeant,

Did they send you the paperwork to apply for citizenship after 5 years or did you need to request it?

Thanks!

76
No, a B, but I don't think the permit type is at all relevant. As far as I understand it the Swiss law says you have to have been in Switzerland [legally!] for a total 5 years, the last year actually in Switzerland, married to a Swiss for 3 years, not a spy, etc.

RS

77
Interview - not really - more of a friendly chat at the local police station with one of the policemen. Remember that as long as you fulfil all the conditions this is an entitlement, not discretionary and there's nothing in the law you have to speak German so "pass" an intervie doesn't really come into it. After all you could speak (only) one of the other three Swiss national languages, Romansch perhaps, and then where would your local bobby be? My impression is that the local police have the task of ensuring you meet all the conditions, uppermost of which is that it's a genuine marriage and you are living with your spouse. As others have noted here they will check all the witnesses you cite!

Good luck!

RS

78
As far as I know, where and for how long you live in Switzerland is not relevant in this case.

RS

79
Tripoli is certainly high on my list, but I'll use my British passport for that trip. Mind you, they don't like Brits much either!

RS

80
You have to request it, and can do so late in your fourth year I believe. The Bund have a very informative web site.

RS