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Third generation foreign nationals

If you are a young foreign citizen whose grandparents emigrated to Switzerland, you can apply for simplified naturalisation if you meet the following requirements:

  1. At least one of your grandparents was born in Switzerland and can be proven to have acquired a right of residence here.
  2. At least one parent (has) acquired a permanent residence permit, (has) lived for at least ten years in Switzerland and attended compulsory schooling in Switzerland for at least five years.
  3. You were born in Switzerland and hold a permanent residence permit.
  4. You have attended compulsory schooling for at least five years in Switzerland.
  5. You are successfully integrated.
  6. You submit your application before your 25th birthday.

If you submit the application after your 25th birthday but otherwise meet all the requirements, you can apply for simplified naturalisation until 15 February 2023 provided you will still be under the age of 40 on that date (transitional law).

What does ‘being successfully integrated’ mean?

The simplified naturalisation procedure requires that you be successfully integrated. You are successfully integrated into Swiss society in particular if you:

  • show respect for public security and order, for example by paying your taxes on time, not being the subject of debt collection proceedings, not having any certified unpaid debts and not having a criminal record;
  • show respect for the values enshrined in the Federal Constitution;
  • can communicate in a national language in everyday situations, both orally and in writing;
  • participate in economic life or acquire an education; this also means that you have not claimed social assistance benefits in the three years before applying or you have repaid in full any social assistance benefits claimed;
  • encourage and support your family members in their efforts to integrate.

Appropriate account is taken of your situation if you are unable to participate in economic life, acquire an education or get the required language skills because of disability or illness or for other significant personal circumstances, or can only do so with difficulty.

In addition, you must not pose a threat to Switzerland’s internal or external security.
  

Where can I get the application form?

If you live in Switzerland, you can order the application form by email directly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) at ch@sem.admin.ch, indicating your exact postal address. The form will be sent to you by post and must be submitted, duly completed, to SEM by post.

What documents do I have to submit?

All the documents on the ‘List of required documents’ must be submitted together with the application form and annexes as well as the duly signed list of required documents.

The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is responsible for the simplified naturalisation of third generation foreign citizens.
  

Further information

Questions and answers on third generation naturalisation 

Handbook on citizenship, chapter 6: Other forms of simplified naturalisation, third generation naturalisation (Section 64) 
in German (PDF, 310 kB, 13.07.2020) 
in French (PDF, 313 kB, 13.07.2020) 
in Italian (PDF, 567 kB, 13.07.2020)

Last modification 02.03.2021

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