Does past residence matter for citizenship?

Visas, Permits, Passports and Naturalization
1
I'm British, living in the UK with my Swiss partner. We do plan to fill out the marriage papers at some point and are also looking at moving to Switzerland in the not too distant future.

As I understand things I would be able to get a c permit and live in Switzerland no problem once married. I've got my eyes on what it takes for a full passport however.

I read that 5 years of residence and 3 years of marriage are what this takes.

Prior to moving to the UK I had lived in Switzerland for 4 years.... Would this count towards my 5 years? Or does this need to be continuous? - before leaving Switzerland I was briefly on chomage and the rules state 3 years of not claiming is necessary. Is this 3 years whilst in the country or would it reset after years abroad?

Does the prior 4 years count for anything for this purpose?

2
You’ll get a B permit not a C.

Yes those 4 years count, but you have to have been married for 3 and lived the last year in Switzerland.

Edit: and pass the language test.

3
OK thanks.

So in theory to minmax this (not the actual plan) - we get married tomorrow. Move to Switzerland in 2 years and then in 3 years I'd be able to apply for a Swiss passport?

4
Yep. Also if you stay in U.K. you can apply after 6 years of marriage.

5
Just bumping this as I've read conflicting information elsewhere.

Apparently for citizenship applications in general you need a c permit. The simplified naturalisation by marriage text doesn't make mention of this, though the c permit is mentioned in a position where it seems to cover everything.

Any idea if needing the 5 years of residence for the c permit still applies for citizenship or if there actually is an exception to this in marriage?

6
Facilitated does not require a C permit.

7
True. However, I found that having the C permit made me feel less stressed. The naturalization process takes time, and it seems post-Covid it takes even longer.

If I hadn't gotten the C permit when eligible, I would have had to renew the B permit for yet another year, because the naturalization process took that long.