I also received a confirmation today from the SEM, they approved my application. Mine’s facilitated so decision comes from the SEM. Now I need to wait 30 days more. If no complaint or appeal comes from Kanton or Gemeinde within 30 days, SEM will inform me in writing of the final decision.
I am not sure if this contributes to a Golden letter, Silver or even Bronze letter. This type of categorization or classification I guess has only been introduced by some people on this forum.
My timeline in Zug
Applied online: Aug 2023
First call about the process: Feb 2024
Submitted documents: Apr 2024
Gemeinde Int: Sep 2024
Kanton Int: Nov 2024
Sem conf: Jan 2025
Gemeinde conf: Apr 2025
Kanton Conf: May 2025
Good luck to everyone and hope above helps.
Congrats KKR007!!! Appreciate the timeline as here in Zug we don’t have so many data points on the forum.
For me, the interesting part is that it took so long from application online to first call about the process. Also, given you have submitted a few months later too, that slows down.
BUT, from docs submitted to final kanton confirmation roughly a year is pretty good!
Do you know if your references were contacted? By whom? Geminde? Kanton? SEM? I keep reading that for Zurich people SEM contacts them… curious on your experience.
Thanks for sharing, and congratulations, cant wait to share mine!
Howdy! wow, that’s a timeline that looks like quickstep… quick quick, slow, slow, quick quick, slow, slow… (quick from your side, slow from theirs’). I started mine in November 2024… still nowhere. Literally 
could you give a hint (PM also OK) on which type of questions you got on the Gemeinde and Kanton interviews? I am soooo ultra bad with numbers, I cannot even remember my own card pins, let alone the years of wars and alliances… :-(. Thanks!
ASCVD, you were right — they just sent back the original documents, which explains why it came by registered mail.
As a non-EU/EFTA national, here’s a summary of my current naturalisation timeline for Lausanne, VD:
So, in total, it’s been 22 months, with nearly half of that time spent just on the civil status registration ! If you can somehow manage to get that part done before starting the naturalisation procedure, it could potentially speed things up a lot!
Now just waiting for the SEM bill. Fingers crossed it all wraps up this year!
25 months and counting for me in VD.
SEM told me 3-4 months it will take them to treat the file after the bill being paid. Canton sent my file to SEM 4 months after their letter. Usually it is faster.
My case was special as I was moving between jobs etc. so that slowed down the initial process.
None of my references were contacted
From what I have heard the interviews have gotten much more stringent so probably worth checking with someone who has done it more recently. Good luck!
Quick update. Zürich Stadt
Jan 25 (end of) cantonal approval, 3-4 months after gemeinde approval (no online status change from gemeinde to canton, but received one when canton approved.
June 25 (start of) online status switched to schlussprüfung, just shy of 4 months after SEM bill paid.
Update:
Congratulations! Interestingly, they skipped the “Schlussprüfung” in your case, saving you at least three more months of waiting before the “Abschluss”!
Hi @swisstobe , more than 3 months passes since you have been in the Schlussprüfung status. Do you maybe have an update?
97 days to be exact, but unfortunately no updates yet 
Congratulations! let us know when you get the letter and how long after you can apply for ID (it says 3 weeks but I guess sooner).
Congratulations @swisstobe! Did the whole process take more than 21 months for you? I mean did you submit in early September 2023?
It seems that, in the City of Zurich, the total period has increased from about 19 months (a few months ago) to more than 21 months according to the latest comments here.
Also the final approval by the canton that used to be 1-2 months a few years ago, now it’s mostly at least 3 months.
@megapixel I received the letter yesterday (June 18th, letter dated June 16th), and it says I should wait three weeks before scheduling an appointment for my ID and passport. I’ll try to call next week to see if they have already entered the required data into the civil status register so I can hopefully apply earlier.
@Silvano Thank you! Yes, it took exactly 21 and a half months (from early September 2023 until mid-June 2025). It seems the final phase—from paying the SEM bill until getting the completion letter (Abschluss)—has the most variance. I know people who finished that phase in about 3 months, while others waited 8-9 months. In my case, it took 7 months.
Congrats all of you, this place is definitely a very good source of information for all of us, I still have a year and few months before my application but I am kinda already well informed about the process 
Yeah, unfortunately the SEM has had my file for 4.5 months now so i get the feeling that I’ll be on the long end of that cycle.
@swisstobe
Thank you for your contributions to this topic.
My status changed to “Schlussprüfung” on 13th March and it has yet to change to the next stage. I have phoned the Kanton today and they said mine said has not yet been checked.
Could you please share with me:
Thank you and best wishes.