First time registration - Birth certificate

Hi all, I have one question regarding registration for residential permit. Sorry if question was already answered but I couldn't find the right post.

I am about to move to Switzerland, Zurich, in next couple of months.

I have read in some posts here, that someone was asked to present his birth certificate and criminal record together with passport,job contract and flat contract in order to get residential permit.

I am dual national, EU (Hungary) and Serbian, thus I have never lived in any other country except Serbia.

So, my question is, if they ask me for my birth certificate and criminal record (is this regular now or from case to case, I assume that this is unnecessary) what should I present, Serbian or Hungarian Birth certificate? I assume that Serbian bc on international form (or translated to German) will be accepted. As well because I had never lived in Hungary, I am not sure if I could get criminal record from Hungary.

Thank you.

Criminal records apply only to the countries you live in so you don’t need to get one from Hungary. Serbian birth certificate since you’ll be travelling on a Serbian passport I guess. Still best to have both certificates/passports with you if you have them just in case. Can never be 100% sure what you may be asked for.

Edit: What nationality did you get the job with? That needs to match up with your certificate/passport otherwise it’ll cause problems.

I can understand how one can have two nationalities - I have 2. But how are 2 birth certificates possible? You can only be borne in one country!?!

Quite easily. I have 2 birth certificates also. Born in the US of British parents, I have my US birth certficate and also one from the British Consulate where my birth was registered by my parents.

I got the job with Hungarian of course. Are they ask for bc often or it depends fon clerk or municipality you submit your application ?

Birth certificate: In general from the place where you were born. Born in Bern get it from Bern. Born in Sarajaveo get it from Sarajeveo. Born in Koenigsberg get it from Kalingrad. Born in Karl-Marx-Stadt get it from Chemnitz.

Usually just the once I think, though if you move cantons/gemeindes and need to apply for a new permit they may ask again.

I have a UK and a German birth certificate.

Totally depends on your ancestry as well these multicultural days. So long as a country recognises dual/multiple nationality I would think it’s quite easy for a child to have one, two or even more birth certificates as I did if the births are registered with the relevant embassies/consulates.

AFAIK the Swiss authorities will not issue such a "birth" certificate in case a Swiss was born aboard. Why should they? The event happened aboard.

Perhaps not, but other countries do - the UK for one.

" Register a birth abroad

You must register your child’s birth according to the regulations in the country where the child was born. They’ll give you a local birth certificate.

This local birth certificate should be accepted in the UK, eg when you apply for a passport or register with a school or doctor. You might need to have it translated and certified if it isn’t in English.

Once you’ve registered locally you may also be able to register the birth with the UK authorities. You can only do this if the child was born on or after 1 January 1983.

You don’t need to register with the UK authorities but it means:
the birth will be recorded with the General Register Offices or at the National Records Office of Scotland
you can order a consular birth registration certificate "

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth

I also have two birth certificates. But I always present the One from the country in which I was born. It makes things less complicated. However it is not the country of citizenship that I register with. There's never been a problem with this. If I were you I would just give them the Serbian birth certificate and the Hungarian passport. It should be fine.

As was said above you only need to the criminal record from the countries you have lived in in the past five years.

Well, so long as anyone is happy with my old original I could do that. But otherwise, no. No longer possible for me to get a copy of my birth certficate from the place I was born since I need US government authorised ID to order it. Since I renounced I don’t have any US ID documents any more.

Well, we weren't really discussing you, were we?

True - but there must be an awful lot of ex-Americans out there in the same boat as I am.