How to become Swiss

Series Switzerland Explained, Episode 7:

If you have a connection to Switzerland through your family or your partner and want to make it official by becoming Swiss yourself – this is how you can go about it.

The Swiss passport can seem difficult to get. In this ‘Switzerland Explained’ video we describe how to kickstart the application process if you’re living abroad and how to find out if you’re eligible for a fast-track application procedure.

There are three ways of becoming Swiss: by birth (having a Swiss parent), marrying a Swiss or living in Switzerland for at least ten years. Being born in Switzerland doesn’t mean you automatically get a Swiss passport.

The process can cost hundreds and even thousands of francs and takes up to around two years. You’re excluded if you’re on welfare or have a criminal record. In 2018, 42,500 people acquired Swiss citizenship – so it is doable with the right information. This video should help point you in the right direction.

Series Switzerland Explained

• Episode 1: 1. How the Swiss asylum system works
• Episode 2: 2. The reality of climate change in Switzerland
• Episode 3: 3. How Switzerland is trying to combat climate change
• Episode 4: 4. Why is Switzerland so expensive?
• Episode 5: 5. What is it like to work in Switzerland?
• Episode 6: 6. Switzerland’s four languages
• Episode 7: 7. How to become Swiss
• Episode 8: 8. Commodity trading in Switzerland, explained