Not specific to Zurich, but this is as specific as I could find with a quick google.
Zürich. C permit. Naturalisation
Bern Naturalisation interview - DONE
Community Involvement - Swiss Naturalisation
The questions were about why I want to become Swiss, how am I integrated into the local community, do I meet up with local people, etc. Luckily I’m a (very inactive) member of a local club – it turned out that one of the interviewers and the wife of another are also members. That seems to be a turning point in the interview. I live in a Gemeinde with about 3,000 residents, so they seem very focussed on people participating in the local community.
For anyone who has to take the German & Swiss knowledge tests, I've updated the 'Naturalization in Canton Zurich' thread linked above. If you haven't had to take the tests, I suggest that you get a study the Echo booklet, learn the Federal Council members & their functions, the Ständerat members for your canton etc.
Good luck in the interview Craig! Let us know how it goes.
In general (for others reading this thread), search for "einbürgerung test", "einbürgerung fragen" and "einbürgerungstest", perhaps coupled with your gemeinde.
I didn't find tests by Zürich city, but seeing the comment "Diese Broschüre hilft Ihnen sich auf das Einbürgerungsgespräch optimal vorzubereiten" on the page with their brochure I fully expect all answers to be contained therein.
Asking them directly won't hurt, either
A colleague who got citizenship last year in Stadt Zurich avoided it all together as they were overloaded. That may have changed by now though.
The first part was the pub quiz questions which they sent me in advance and which I had a month to prepare so that went ok. I just never want to hear or be asked about Arnold von Winkelried again.
Second part was real integration type questions but in the very indirect Swiss way of asking. Do you have many Swiss friends in the Gemeinde. What events do you go to, etc. So practice small talk if you are reading this as I could have done better here.
It lasted about 20 min and was in Swiss German although some of the interviewers were more understandable than others. i.e. less thick accent more towards High German. They didn't ask about switching to High German which is fair enough. I spoke High German myself which may have been an issue, they were hard to read.
Now I just wait 4 to 6 weeks for the Gemeinderat to meet and see what they say. Wish me luck.
I got a letter to say I was accepted by the Gemeinde which also said I was excused from the German test. I don't know why it could be either that I already have the Zertifikat Deutsch or that I have been to German classes for X years. I wanted to let that particular sleeping dog lie. Enough to say I was relieved I didn't have to do it.
I've now also got a letter from Kanton Zurich to say they have accepted me. I have to pay another 500 for more paper shuffling, they send the application to Bern and I have to wait 3 to 5 months for God knows what.
In summary slow, expensive, bureaucratic, often illogical telling them things they already know, lots of paper and running round collecting more paper. Virtually nothing computerised. Everything you expect in Switzerland and should be used to by the time you get around to citizenship.
Tom
I applied for the Swiss passport about 4 months ago and I got a nice letter back saying thanks for your application and the process can take up to three years, which was what I was expecting so no worries so far - I actually needed the time to get up-to-speed with knowledge of all things Swiss and improve my German (I did the B1 exam last year but not actually speaking German very often - for my sins).
Then this week I get a call already from the police in Afoltern am Albis asking me to come in for the hour interview next week!! So I'm totally unprepared! I can't do much about the language in that time, I'll just have to wing it. But I would really like to know from others who have had the interview are what questions are they asking about in relation to Switzerland??? I really need to focus on that in the short time that I have.
I'm married to a Swiss so I'll be going down the 'erleichterten Einbürgerung' route.
Would really appreciate any help that you can offer!!
Thanks.
The Kanton interviewed them concerning integration, day to day life, clubs, hobbies etc. Why they did this is a mystery, as it didn't seem to make any difference in the end!
In BL at least, it seems all that matters is that you've not been in trouble with the law, you pay your taxes, are not on social, use local services and have a B1 German certificate.
https://www.englishforum.ch/2629195-post5.html
Hope you can manage to spend every free minute, form now till then, learning about these topics, and as far as possible in German. Good wishes!
I just wanted to give some feedback on the passport 'interview' with the police for the 'erleichterten Einbürgerung' route.
I did a brain dump of the questions below - the ones I can remember anyway. The 'interview' lasted about 40 minutes and they were mostly interested in my life in Switzerland and how I'm integrated rather than a focus on Swiss history, politics etc - so I had over-prepared in that area.
I also discovered during the meeting that I ended up getting an invite to the police station because they had been to my house 3 times but we were never there :0)
Warum wollen Sie ein Schweizer Bürger sein?
Wie haben Sie in Ihrer Gemeinde integriert?
Was tun Sie in Ihrer Freizeit?
Was tun Sie in Ihrer Freizeit mit den Kindern?
Was würden Sie sagen, ist typisch schweizerisch?
Haben Sie im Urlaub in der Schweiz gehen?
Wie Haben Sie Ihre Frau kennengelernt?
Haben Sie Verwandte in der Schweiz?
Welche Sprache sprechen Sie zu Hause
Ist jemand in die Schweiz kommen würde, die vier Plätze würden Sie empfehlen?
Was sind typische Schweizer Gerichte / Essen?
Was ist typisch schweizerisch?
Welche Zeitung lesen Sie?
Was ist Ihr Lieblings Schweizer Kantone?
Wie viele Mitglieder in der Bundesrat?
was ist die Notrufnummer für die Polizei