Ordinance on the Citizenship Act - Required Documents

1. Anyone applying for municipal and cantonal citizenship must submit an application along with a brief curriculum vitae to the municipal council office. The following original documents must be attached to the application, unless otherwise noted

a) Swiss nationals

1. Certificate of residence

2. For single, widowed, divorced individuals, and persons in dissolved partnerships: personal status certificate; for married individuals and persons in registered partnerships: family or partnership certificate

3. Declaration regarding the retention or renunciation of the previous citizenship

b) Foreign nationals

1. Application for the federal naturalization permit

2. Certificate of residence

3. Civil status documents regarding birth, gender, names, origin, marital status (for widowed, divorced persons or persons in dissolved partnerships: date of dissolution of marriage or partnership)

4. Copy of passport

5. Copy of residence permit

6. Extract from the debt collection register for the last five years

7. Certification from the tax authority confirming no outstanding tax debts

8. Proof of proficiency in the German language

9. Proof of participation in economic life or the acquisition of education

10. Certification from the social welfare authority stating no social assistance was received in the last three years

11. Information regarding the fulfillment of mandatory schooling in Switzerland for at least eight years

c) Minors additionally

1. Consent of the legal representative

2. Consent of the parent not included in the naturalization process for the naturalization of a minor child in cases of joint parental authority

3. Own written consent, if the child has reached the age of 16

1. Anyone applying for citizenship is obliged, during the pendency of the proceedings, to promptly report to the naturalization authority any significant changes in personal and financial circumstances, particularly changes in marital status, the birth of a child, dissolution of marriage or partnership, the death of a person who would have been included in the naturalization, commencement or termination of professional activity, etc.

2. Likewise, the initiation of criminal proceedings, a criminal conviction, new debt enforcement proceedings, or a change of residence must be reported.

1. The competent authority shall investigate the facts ex officio and examine whether the prerequisites for naturalization are met at the time of the decision.

2. Hearings of the applicants shall be recorded and included in the files. Likewise, the authority's own investigations and clarifications shall be documented and included in the files.

3. The applicants are obliged to cooperate in the determination of the facts.

1. The municipal council examines whether the simplified procedure is applicable. If this is not the case, it submits an application for a decision on the naturalization request to the body responsible under the municipal constitution, provided it is not itself authorized to make the decision.

2. If the municipal citizenship is granted, the municipality forwards the naturalization decision along with the assessment report and the complete records to the Office for Justice and Municipalities.

1. The Office for Justice and Municipalities forwards the municipality's naturalization decision to the State Secretariat for Migration SEM for the purpose of obtaining the federal naturalization authorization, after the examination has been completed.

1. The Office for Justice and Municipalities communicates the granting of municipal and cantonal citizenship to

a) the applicant

b) the municipality

c) additionally, in the case of foreigners, to

1. the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)

2. the Migration Office and Passport Office

1. The Regulation on the Civil Rights Act of December 12, 2006, is repealed.

1. This regulation shall enter into force on January 1, 2018.

2. It is to be published in the Official Gazette and included in the cantonal law collection.