Dear EF members,
Do you know what the official Swiss forms (e.g. driving licence exchange form) require when they say " Heimatstaat " for foreigners? This might sound like a silly questions but I struggle with the actual meaning / definition a bit. Is it asking where one was born, or rather asking what one considers as their national identity / home etc.?
I was born in Romania as a Hungarian, when I was little my parents moved to Hungary (so I grew up in both Romania and in Hungary), I lived in England before moving here. I have Hungarian and British citizenships. My permanent residence is here in Switzerland and I consider the UK (in terms of where I think I'll move back to / retire) as my home.
Do I just say my "home state" is Hungary?
thanks.
b
It's your home country, of which you are a citizen.
If you have more than one citizenship, pick one.
As you plan to return to the UK, I'd pick that.
Tom
And if you are CH citizen you of course will be asked about the Canton where you are citizen. As there in reality are no "Swiss citizens" because you are a citizen of your Canton and so indirectly a member of the club. In case you are citizens of two or three countires INCLUDING CH, the question is about the canton
Your Heimat is where your family originates. In modern terms, where you feel at home, not necessarily where you are born. In Switzerland your Heimat is the town or village where your family records are kept, not always where you or your parents were born. As a foreigner, when you take Swiss citizenship, your Heimat is freshly given as the town or village where you achieved Swiss citizenship.
Strictly speaking your heimat is probably Hungary as you grew up there, not because you are now a Hungarian citizen, even if you and your father's place of birth and citizenship were once in Rumania.
The term refers mostly to your home and to a relationship between man and space. In common parlance, it is applied to the place in which a person is born and which hosts the earliest socialization experiences that shape first identity, character, mentality, attitudes and world views.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimat
But "Heimat" by Swiss law refers to the country (or the Canton) of which you have citiizenship. Where you were born is irrelevant.
And if you are a citizen of more than one canton?
Tom
Not for facilitated naturalization.
Tom
In my case, Yes, even if the "other" does not really matter. I can give either in principle quite legally but correct is the major one
And, if you have two or more, which is the major one?
Tom
The form was for a driving license. Foreigners often have to pay higher insurance premiums depending on their home nations. Answer: Whichever of your nationalities gets you the lower bill.
When it comes to the immigration authority: Which country of your passports do you prefer to get deported to... just in case...
Check spelling though - did you mean 'Heimatstaat' or 'Heimatstadt'?
In your situation, I would pick the UK.
He probably meant Heimatstaat as he holds British/Hungarian/Romanian citizenships. Heimatstadt (or more precisely Heimatort / lieu d'origine) is only for Swiss citizens.
Not totally true, if facilitated you inherit the Heimatort of your facilitator.
Which could be a place neither of you had ever been, let alone lived, even another canton, which was my case.
My wife now has two heimatorts, in two German/speaking cantons, neither of which she's ever been to. Any time she needs to send for a document, I have to do it for her, as she doesn't speak German!
Tom
Shows just how ridiculous the "Heimatort" concept is in the modern world.
Everytime I see "Heimatstaat", I always see "Heimatsalat" for a split second.
Maybe for you !My "Heimatsort" is Langnau am Albis when I deal within "Switzerland". So what`s wrong whit this?
Under "Heimatstaat" but Romania/Hungary/UK .Let them pick ,simple