My question is regarding the Heimatort (Gemiende) for facilitated: Will I inherit the Heimatort of my Swiss spouse or get the Heimatort where we are currently residing within the same Kanton? My Swiss spouse has a Heimatort in a different Gemeinde, but we are living in the same Kanton.
Some people say its up to the Kanton to decide and some say Kantons give an option to the person to decide.
I will check with the Gemeinde for the Heimatschein, thanks for mentioning that, it is an important document for the records, better to get an extract of that as well.
I want the Heimatort to be the Gemeinde we are currently living in, else I would need to get it changed for 250 CHF.
Thanks for that info, so its basically inherited from the Swiss spouse. Seems a weird rule, because all decisions and communications I received were from the Gemeinde I am living in, and even the interview was conducted in my Gemeinde of residence, the 30 day appeal period is also processed by the Gemeinde I reside in (at least that was stated in the SEM letter), but they assign you to places and Kantons you have never lived in.
So to become a citizen of the Gemeinde I am living in, and that can then later be my Heimatort:
The cost to submit the form / application for municipal citizenship in my Gemeinde is 150 Fr, and need to be living in that Gemeinde for 3 years within the last 5 years, which I satisfy. But, my spouse has already 2 municipal citizenships and they mentioned those will be inherited by me in the SEM letter. A Swiss citizen can only have a maximum of 2, so I need to renounce once (send a written letter to get that started), that could come at a cost, then I apply submitting all the required documents which also add up to a cost (Strafregisterauszug, Extract from Betreibungsregister, Personenstandsausweis or Familienausweis, Decision letter from one municipality stating I am no longer their citizen). They say the whole takes up to 3 months. After that you have to get your Pass and ID issued again, another cost. That is a pain, thatâs why I guess people donât change it. Just purely bureaucratic process.
Yeah I think its only because it makes it easier to request documents for administrative processes, if you live in the same Gemeinde as your Heimatort, you can visit them physically and quickly, thatâs probably the only benefit I can relate to.
But now adays everything can be ordered online. My Gemiende office is nearby at a walking distance. But again in this digital age physical visits to Heimatort are not required, all requests can be sent online or via post.
I think they did have an initiative to change it and put Place of birth on identity documents instead, but it did not receive majority votes in order to retain Swiss heritage, so its still there.
My Heimatort is the other side of the country to where I live. The only document that I have EVER needed from them, was my Heimatschein right after naturalisation. I emailed them, they posted it.
Thatâs just how it works, so donât worry too much. The municipality where one lives is the primary point of contact for administrative purposes, whether a person is Swiss or not.
If you really love where you live and want to be a citizen there, go for it. Iâm perfecty happy having the Heimatort of my spouse and letting the place where I live deal with admin. As Island Monkey says, you only need the Heimatort for the Heimatschein. Thatâs the only thing I can think of I ever needed from them.
Until about 15 years ago, when Swiss women married, they always obtained their husbandâs Heimatord, and would lose their own (i.e., their fatherâs). The idea was that Heimatort follows surname.
Yeah for facilitated its like that I guess, it follows the spouse, whether itâs the husband or wife, gender doesnât matter. For ordinary naturalization (not via marriage) of course you are automatically assigned Heimatort as the Gemiende you currently live in and have applied from.
Quick update: Today I got the legally binding (final) confirmation from SEM that I have been naturalized as a Swiss citizen. The date of my naturalization is in the past, like 2 weeks ago.
16th May: Received the conditional acceptance letter from SEM. It stated that I needed to wait 30 days for the appeal period to be over. They also returned back my original Fide language certificates.
4th July: Received the legally binding confirmation from SEM today. Letter was sent via A-post and was dated 2nd July.
So in total, it took ~6 weeks as stated by others. The standard 4 weeks (30 day period) and another 2 weeks for them to process it and communicate it back. The date of my naturalization is 17th June, which is exactly 30 days after 16th May, since June has 30 days.
Will visit the Gemeinde next week to follow-up with them on the next steps. Most likely need to request the Heimatschein as many have pointed out.
Will post a complete timeline once I have the Red booklet.
What documents for facilitated naturalization do I need to bring to the Passburo to request the Passport and Identity Card? Is it just the Heimatschein and the SEM approval letter? I also read somewhere on the forum that, they take your C-Permit and you wonât get it back anymore.
Before I book an appointment at the Passburo, do I need to submit my Heimatschein (or a copy of it) to the Zivilstandsamt office in the Gemeinde where I am live? (my Heimatort is different from the Gemiende where I live, but both are in the same Kanton)
Do they accept a copy of the Heimatschein or require the original?
Do they need a copy of the SEM approval letter? I guess the original would belong to me.
Do I need to bring the passport from my home country?
Any other documents needed: Personenstandsausweis? Familienausweis? WohnsitzbestÀtigung? etc.
I have requested 2 documents from my Heimatort: Heimatschein and BĂŒrgerrechtsnachweis (Nachweis der Heimatorte fĂŒr Schweizerische Staatsangehörige). The Zivilstandsamt office in my Gemeinde mentioned they will post these documents to me once my Heimatorte (plural for Heimatort, as per Google) are registered in the Swiss civil registry, as I have 2 of them from different Kantons.
Also, I have 2 approval letters from SEM: One letter is the conditional one before the 30 day appeal period, and the other is the legally binding letter (final one) after the 30 day appeal period is over.
Just asking these questions if someone has been through this process recently. I did not find a list of documents that the Passburo needs for facilitated naturalization.
When I got my passport, all I needed was my B permit (which they kept) and I think my British passport.
They wouldnât let me book an appointment until they could see me registered as Swiss in their computer. When you make the appointment they tell you what to bring (I didnât need any paperwork).
Here is my timeline for Luzern city for facilitated naturalization. It took ~15 months (from the time the application was submitted until I applied for the Red booklet ) to be naturalized. Below is my detailed timeline.
Date
Event / Status Change
Wait Since Last Update
Late Dec 23
Received letter from Stadt Luzern (Gemiende) that I am eligible to apply
N/A
Mid Feb 24
Collected application form and document checklist from Gemeinde
N/A
All Mar 24
Gathered all supporting documents
N/A
Early Apr 24
Application submitted to SEM (via post)
-
Mid Apr 24
Received confirmation of submission from SEM
~2 weeks
Late Apr 24
Received bill of 900 Fr. from SEM
~1 week
Late Oct 24
Call from Police officer to schedule interview at Police station
~5 months
Early Nov 24
Received letter from Gemeinde confirming interview date and time in early Dec
~2 weeks
Mid Nov 24
Contacted Police officer to reschedule interview in early Jan (was on holiday during Dec)
~1 week
All Dec 24
Studied for interview using materials provided by Gemeinde
-
Early Jan 25
Completed interview with 12/12 written questions correct
~2 months
Mid Apr 25
SEM contacted two references who were Swiss (by birth)
~3.5 months
Early May 25
Both references sent recommendations to SEM
~3 weeks
Mid May 25
Received two forms from SEM to sign (stable marriage and respecting laws)
~1 week
Late May 25
Received conditional approval letter from SEM (wait of 30 days appeal period)
~1 week
Late Jun 25
Received legally binding letter (final confirmation) from SEM and Fide language certificate was returned
~1 month
Early Jul 2025
Contacted Heimatort (Gemeinde) for Heimatschein and BĂŒrgerrechtsnachweis
~10 days
Mid Jul 2025
Received documents from Heimatort (Gemeinde) and got confirmation my data was entered into the Personenstandsregister \ Zivilastandsregister (Swiss civil register; Infostar)
~2 weeks
Late Jul 2025
Booked an appointment (www.schweizerpass.ch) with Passburo in Luzern for the next day
~2 days
Just applied today for the Pass and ID Kombo, 158 Fr.
At the Passburo today, the lady asked for my C-permit to verify my details in the system. The lady was super nice, she didnât take my C permit and returned in back to me after the process was completed. She told me once I receive the Pass and ID, I can go to the authority that issued the C-permit and return it back to them. So I am guessing I can do that probably at Amt fĂŒr Migration or Einwohnerkontrolle (Gemiende).
This forum has indeed been an inspiration and motivation for me especially in times where there were long waiting intervals for communications from SEM.
I wish you all patience and best of luck in all your endeavors!
Hi, for mine, since I did the facilitated naturalisation, they asked for only my passport from my home country.
As I mentioned before, first check with your new Heimatkanton and see if they have updated your info into the Zivilastandsregister, if they have then you can go to the online portal for Swiss passport applications and make a booking.
Please note that you have to contact a lot of different organisations after you naturalise,
Vehicle registration office (to get a new licence)
@Jay: Mine is also facilitated. I was at the Passburo earlier this week for my biometrics, they only asked for my C-permit, and returned it back to me after the photo, fingerprints and signature were done. After I confirmed with my Heimatkanton my data was in the Zivilastandsregister, only then I was able to book an online appointment with Passburo. So thatâs all done now.
Yes in the coming days, I will contact all the offices you mentioned, such as getting a new driving license etc. Car insurance for sure will get it at a cheaper rate, thatâs another benefit.
I sent my document on May 2025, a few days after I received the bill which I paid right away.
Yesterday, I receive a letter from the Gemeindeamt (Kanton Zurich), basically I form with general question about me, my work, education, etc.
Could anyone tell me how long I would need to wait for the interview or police visit after I send this letter back?
After paying the SEM bill, the Police interview was the longest wait in the entire process, for me it took like 5 months to get the interview call after paying the SEM bill. I never expected anything for quite sometime, but randomly one afternoon while at work, I received a call from a guy at the Police station.
Have you gotten the SEM bill yet? Seems they are still collecting your documents, once all documents are complete, then you receive the bill, pay and the actual process starts from the SEM, then you need to wait for quite a long timeâŠ
Yes, I received the bill like a week after I sent my documents, back in May 2025. The form I am referring to came from the Kanton. I obviously filled out this form and sent back a couple of days after I received it
) to be naturalized. Below is my detailed timeline.