I think they mean that the cantonal e-Einbürgerung webapp allows you to specify that you have already passed the Grundkenntnistest (and upload a certificate I presume), and the question is whether Zurich City would just accept that or they would call you in and ask you to click through the test once again.
Which we won’t figure out until somebody tries, I guess. And it would only speed things up if Zurich City also decides to waive the interview. But it’s a nice idea, I would probably done so if it occurred to me pre-applying.
I don’t think this is possible in the City of Zurich as explained by @tdbrock.
I asked the City of Zurich if I can take the basic knowledge test, and I was told to wait until I am invited for the interview. Eventually, I was not invited to the interview but simply to do the basic knowledge test. Therefore, even if you could claim that for some reason you have already received the certificate, I am not sure if you can speed up the process. They can ask you to repeat the test with them or invite you for an interview, which will be exactly the same, with the difference that doing the test with them doesn’t cost anything, but doing it in an examination center is about 200 or 250 francs.
I contacted some examination center as well, and again, I was told that I need to contact the City of Zurich if I am allowed to do the test.
All these answers that I got sound to me like I cannot.
Another thing to consider is that even taking the KDE test is not that trivial, you need an invitation from the City of Zurich so that you can register for the test. If you just go to an examination center and tell them you want to take KDE for fun, it seems that they will not allow you. I would expect a similar response for taking the basic knowledge test.
If you want to be sure, the best option is to contact the City of Zurich directly and then share the answer with us.
Not true in my case (not Zurich City though but a gemeinde in Canton Zurich)… I had to do both a test and an interview, I got the bill 2 weeks later. It was CHF 500 for the admin costs and CHF 100 for the test, it was explicitly stated like that in the itemized bill.
Just an update on getting your passport and ID once you get your golden letter. They say you need to wait 3 weeks before you can apply.
I was a bit of an eager beaver and called the Zivilsamt yesterday after 10 days to check if I was already registered as a citizen. They confirmed that I was, so I immediately booked an appointment online and went passburo in Zurich today.
Appointment lasted 3 minutes. They even accepted a copy of my current passport which I lost a few weeks ago - along with the police report. Easy, painless and efficient. Should get my passport in a week or two!
Congrats, I’m so glad that they didn’t make you go through the hoops of renewing your other passport!
Re: registration at the Zivilstandsamt — a friend that got the same golden letter in Zurich City saying to wait 3 weeks just went to the Zivilstandsamt in the Stadthaus with the golden letter that same day and asked them to register his Swiss citizenship which they did on the spot (because they do it on basis of the same golden letter which they get a copy of).
Did you receive the form from the Canton as part of the naturalization process? It would be helpful if you specified “the authorities”.
If you’re referring to the paperwork related to RAV (for your unemployment benefits), it has no impact on the naturalization process (at least at this stage).
I received a form from the canton for my company to complete. I have a contract until May, but I am currently recovering and have a doctors certificate.
I don’t have any personal experience, but I’ve never heard of anyone reporting a form like this being required from their employer, especially at this final stage.
Some have reported receiving a self-declaration form for major changes during the application process (such as marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child), but nothing involving their employer. Unless the authorities are missing information or double-checking details already submitted at the beginning of the process (Arbeitgeberbästetigung).
In the letter that I received, they ask for information about divorce, birth, any crimes I may have committed, taxation, and an attestation from my employer or a form to complete regarding my job (function) and contract.
I guess the cantonal practice in Vaud is different. In principle they are allowed to re-check if you still satisfy the economic integration condition after receiving an OK from SEM but SEM recommends only doing this if more than 6 months pass from the SEM approval to when they came back to your case for finalization (SEM handbook, section “337 Kantonaler Entscheid über die ordentliche Einbürgerung”). In Zürich they told me very explicitly that they’re not interested in the updates about my work life after I got Gemeinde approval.
I think you’ll be all right even if your employer now certifies that they’ve terminated your contract. You are entitled to >= 1 years of chômage assuming you worked in your position for more than a year, chômage is not social welfare and so you’re adequately secured financially.
Are you applying for facilitated naturalization perhaps? For ordinary naturalization, they ask for all this certification from the employer at the start, before the canton and the town have decided.
Holy crap! I thought the SEM step would take forever because I have a sanctioned namesake but my file just moved to Schlussprüfung!
Timeline so far:
27.10.2024 Pressed the submit button in eEinbürgerung
28.10.2024 Got an Empfangsbestätigung by paper mail from Gemeindeamt ZH (28.10 is the date on the letter, the letter itself was sent by B-Post and came a few days later).
07.11.2024 Got a paper letter from Stadthaus Zürich reminding me that I’ve become eligible for citizenship and that I should apply (thanks Stadthaus :))
14.11.2024 Got a paper letter from Gemeindeamt saying that my file has been sent to my Wohngemeinde for processing the municipal citizenship.
18.11.2024 Got a paper letter from Stadtkanzlei Zürich with an invitation for the Grundkenntnistest on 20.12.2024.
20.12.2024 Did the Grundkenntnistest on a tablet in Stadthaus Zürich, informed that it should be 8-9 months until the final decision from now.
15.01.2025 Application status changed to “Prüfung Kanton”.
21.01.2025 Application status changed to “Prüfung Bund”.
31.01.2025 Got the SEM 100 CHF invoice for Einbürgerungsbewilligung des Bundes, entered it for payment immediately (paid on 3.02.2025)
17.02.2025 Application status changed to “Schlussprüfung”.
