As far as I know they won’t ask any written confirmation/evidence that you are a member or associated with a Verein (Club), but if you have a verbal interview then that question can come up indeed.
You provide your references in the application itself and there is a space to add up to 5 references. Make sure all of them are Swiss citizens, some can be also naturalized Swiss, but make sure you put a few in that are born in Switzerland (DNA wise).
You don’t need to write any letter about integration with your application, at least I did not do it, I just submitted the documents they required on their checklist. Integration evaluations are done via in-person interviews either with the Gemeinde staff or Police. They don’t ask you to provide written evidence in terms of integration other than the language certificate.
Hello Everyone, hope you all are staying healthy and doing great!
How long do you think / guess it would take from initial application / document submission to Einbürgerungsgesprach? I applied in Stadt Luzern, but curious to hear from you based your experience as well, for different Gemeindes.
I am quite surprised that it took you 9 months in Stadt Zurich from Prufung Bund Status change (20th Jan) to Final milestone (17th Oct)
.
Is there any specific reason?
Hello, I’ve been following this thread for a bit and as my own process is hopefully coming to an end I thought I’d add my own timeline in Stadt Zürich.
01 Mar 2024 - Submitted application
01 Jun 2024 - Vorprüfung
27 Sep 2024 - Status change to Prüfung Gemeinde (I never had a “Vorprüfung” status)
01 Jun 2025 - Passed Grundkentnnisstest
05 Jun 2025 - Received Gemeinde citizenship from the city
02 Aug 2025 - Status update to “Prüfung Kanton”
20 Nov 2025 - Status update to “Prüfung Bund”
From your timeline, it looks like there were about 15 months between your application and the test. Was there a delay on their side? I’ve seen that for most people the process usually takes around 10 months.
Hi everyone,
My file is currently at the SEM for the Bund approval of my ordinary naturalisation.
I’ve read here that the processing time for this step is very random. However, I’ve noticed that files which stayed for a long time at the Gemeinde (1+ year) seem to receive SEM approval more quickly.
Could it be that they prioritize files based on how long they have already been at the Gemeinde, in order to keep the overall processing time around 18–24 months?
After going through lots of experiences shared here, it really does seem that every application follows its own rhythm. In my case, my dossier spent about three months at the Gemeinde and then around three/four weeks at SEM.
Ceremony Frequency
Ceremonies occur multiple times per year, with forum reports indicating 1-2 per month in Geneva, allowing flexibility for rescheduling upon request with valid reason. No fixed public calendar exists for naturalisation, unlike other professional oath schedules (e.g., lawyers). Candidates must contact OCPM for assignment details.
Just passed my Grundkenntnistest with 50/50. I know it’s pretty easy but still happy for the milestone. Hoping my request moves to Vorprüfung soon, hopefully early next year
My wife applied end of August (EU citizenship) in the city of Zurich and the applicational still not moved to the vorprufung state. Anyone else with similar experience?
Today I wrote the Gemeindeamt of Kanton Zürich to ask them to include my GKT certificate on my application. The auto-response I got was funny and I thought I’d share it here:
Guten Tag
Danke für Ihre Nachricht. Wir haben sehr viele Gesuche und Mails. Wir melden uns so schnell wie möglich bei Ihnen.
Wollen Sie wissen, wie lange Ihre Einbürgerung noch dauert? Bis wir das Gesuch der Gemeinde schicken, brauchen wir etwa 8 Monate. Wenn Sie wissen wollen, wie lange die Gemeinde braucht, fragen Sie die Gemeinde. Wenn das Gesuch von der Gemeinde zu uns zurückkommt, brauchen wir etwa 4 Monate, dann schicken wir das Gesuch dem Bund. Der Bund braucht bis zu 8 Monate. Dann schickt er das Gesuch uns zurück. Danach brauchen wir etwa 4 Monate. Dann können wir Sie einbürgern.
Reicht Ihnen diese Antwort? Dann schreiben Sie uns das bitte. So haben wir mehr Zeit für die Bearbeitung Ihrer Einbürgerung.
Freundliche Grüsse
Abteilung Einbürgerungen, Kanton Zürich
