Cantonal Citizenship Ordinance (CCO) (KBÜV)

For every female and male applicant, the following documents must be enclosed with the naturalization application

a. Document from the civil registry office regarding personal status,

b. Criminal record extract (private extract) for persons who have reached the age of 18.

documents

The municipality obtains an excerpt from the debt enforcement register from the competent debt enforcement offices to verify the fulfillment of the payment obligations according to § 2 para. 1 lit. c KBüG.

**1 On the Procedure**

1 Sections 10 and 17–19 are applicable to the procedure.

2 The municipality informs the naturalized person of their admission to municipal citizenship after the decision has become legally binding.

3 It notifies the civil registry office of the naturalization and the date on which the decision became legally binding.

**Obligations**

**Procedure**

**Part 2: Ordinary Naturalization of Foreign Nationals**

**Section 1: Cantonal Requirements**

1 Fulfilment of payment obligations

1 The payment obligations under § 6 KBüG are, in particular, not fulfilled if there are entries in the debt collection register regarding unpaid debts for the relevant period.

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Cantonal Citizenship Ordinance (KBüV)

2 Debt collection proceedings against which an objection (Rechtsvorschlag) has been raised will not be taken into account if

a. the objection was raised more than one year before the naturalisation application was submitted, and

b. the creditor has not made any efforts to remove the objection.

3 The Municipal Office obtains an extract from the debt collection register from the competent debt collection offices to verify the fulfilment of payment obligations according to para. 1.

The municipal office ensures that applicants have access to a German test.

German Test

Basic knowledge test

§ 6. 1 A basic knowledge test must meet the following requirements

a. Question formats must be used where answers can be clearly assessed as right or wrong.

b. The usual test quality criteria must be adhered to.

c. The test must be piloted beforehand on a comparable population group.

2 The municipal office provides municipalities with a cantonal basic knowledge test free of charge.

Application

a. Submission

b. Advance payment of costs

Section 2: Procedure

A. General Provisions

1 Applicants submit the naturalization application to the municipal office

electronically or in paper form.

2 For each person covered by the application, the following documents

must be enclosed

a. Document from the civil registry office regarding civil status,

b. Proof of participation in economic life or the acquisition of

education according to Art. 7 paras. 1 and 2 of the Ordinance of June 17,

2016 on Swiss Citizenship (BüV)6.

The municipal office may, in individual cases, particularly when

special circumstances exist in accordance with Art. 12 para. 2 of the Federal Act

of 20 June 2014 on Swiss Citizenship and Art. 9 OCS,

waive the payment of an advance on costs, in whole or in part.

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141.11

If the applicant moves to another municipality or canton after the completion of the residence-necessary clarification for the examination according to § 12 KBüG, the authority previously dealing with the application remains competent.

1 Suspension of proceedings

The competent authority may suspend the proceedings if individual requirements for naturalisation are not met and it expects them to be fulfilled within one year.

2 It links the suspension with conditions or obligations.

3 If criminal proceedings are pending against an applicant, the municipal office shall suspend the naturalisation proceedings until the criminal proceedings have been finally concluded.

4 The suspension is free of charge.

If there are indications that speak against the granting of the municipal police

right, the municipal office can commission the Cantonal Police or a clarifications

communal police with further clarifications.

§12. The municipal office and the municipality record the results of their respective surveys in the report pursuant to Art. 17 of the Citizenship Ordinance.

B. Examination by the Municipality

1 The municipality may conduct a naturalisation interview with the applicant. During this interview, it particularly examines the integration criteria according to § 12 para. 1 lit. c-e and g KBüG.

2 It conducts the interview, at the applicant's request, in standard German or in Swiss German dialect. It adapts the interview to the German language skills required in § 8 KBüG.

3 Applicants may be accompanied by an adult reference person.

4 The municipality records the naturalisation interview in minutes or documents it with an audio recording.

a. In General

1 No naturalization interview is conducted with children under the age of twelve. They may be present at the interview for family applications.

2 For children aged twelve and over, the interview is conducted in accordance with their age and developmental stage. For children under the age of 16, an adult reference person must be present.

b. with children

under the age

of 16

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Cantonal Citizenship Ordinance (KBüV)

Receipt

of social assistance

Personal

circumstances

By

Municipal Assembly

or Municipal

Parliament

a. Procedure

b. Information

of eligible voters

c. Personal

data

Content of the

decision

To verify whether the applicant has received social assistance in accordance with Article 7, Paragraph 3 of the BüV, the municipality obtains a confirmation from the competent social welfare authority.

1 If there are indications of personal circumstances in accordance with § 12

Para. 2 KBüG, the municipality gives the applicant

the opportunity to submit corresponding proof. The applicant

bears the costs for this proof.

2 If there are doubts about the submitted proof, the municipality may

obtain a report or an expert opinion from a qualified person.

The municipality bears the costs for this.

C. Granting of Municipal Citizenship

1 If the municipal assembly or the municipal parliament is responsible

for granting municipal citizenship, the municipal executive board shall submit the application.

2 It shall notify the applicant in advance of a negative application, stating the reasons. It shall give the applicant the opportunity to

a. comment on the application or

b. withdraw the application.

3 The decision on naturalization shall contain the surname, first name, and year of birth of the applicant.

1 The invitation to the municipal assembly contains the number of naturalization applications.

2 The Explanatory Report contains the name, first name, and year of birth for each applicant.

The municipality deletes the personal data of the applicant from the internet as soon as the purpose of the publication has been fulfilled. The regulation on the unalterability of official publications remains reserved.

The municipality records in its resolution that the granting of municipal citizenship is subject to the granting of cantonal citizenship and the federal naturalization permit.

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Cantonal Citizenship Ordinance (KBüV)

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1 The municipality shall inform the municipal office of its decision and the fee to be levied after the notification has become legally binding.

2 The district councils shall inform the municipal office of their appeal decisions after the expiry of the appeal period and state whether these have become legally binding unchallenged.

D. Granting of Cantonal Citizenship and Naturalization Decision

1 The Municipal Office grants cantonal citizenship if

a. municipal citizenship has been granted and

b. the conditions pursuant to § 11 KBüG are met.

2 After granting cantonal citizenship, the Municipal Office applies to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) for the granting of federal naturalization approval.

Granting of Cantonal Citizenship

1 Fee for Admission to Cantonal Citizenship

The cantonal fee for admission to cantonal citizenship is CHF 500.

2 If the application is submitted electronically, the municipal office may reduce the fee appropriately.

3 If the municipal office rejects the application, the fee is CHF 200. If the applicant withdraws the application, no fee is imposed.

4 The fee imposed for admission to cantonal citizenship is owed regardless of a later rejection or withdrawal of the application.

5 The municipal office may, for special reasons, waive the fee in whole or in part.

Fees

The Directorate transfers to the municipalities the municipal fees to which they are entitled at least once a year.

Municipal fees

1. The municipal office issues the cantonal naturalization decision in accordance with § 13 para. 3 KBüG, when the requirements for cantonal naturalization are met.

1. The municipal office may obtain a report from the cantonal police or a municipal police force, particularly concerning the existence of a marital community in accordance with Art. 10 BüV.

2. If doubts arise regarding the existence of a marital community, the municipal office may commission the cantonal police or a municipal police force to conduct additional inquiries.

The municipal office may commission the municipality in which the applicant resides to conduct the necessary inquiries.

The municipal office and the municipality record the results of their respective surveys in the report pursuant to Art. 17 BüV.

The municipal office transfers to the municipalities once a year a share of the fee received from the SEM for their surveys.

4. Part: Release from Citizenship

1 Anyone wishing to renounce their municipal citizenship must submit their request to the competent municipal authority. The request must be accompanied by the civil status certificate from the civil registry office.

2 Anyone wishing to renounce their Swiss citizenship must submit their request to the municipal office with the following enclosures

a. Civil status certificate from the civil registry office,

b. Proof of residence abroad,

c. Proof of possession or the certain impending acquisition of another nationality.

1 The competent authority shall notify the civil registry office of the release and the date of legal force.

2 The municipal office shall additionally notify the Office for Military and Civil Protection of the release from Swiss citizenship.

The release from Swiss citizenship is free of charge.

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Cantonal Citizenship Ordinance (KBüV)

Part 5: Electronic Processing of the Procedure

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**1 The competent authorities shall record and transmit all data and documents required for the application electronically.**

**2 Documents submitted in paper form shall be destroyed or returned after their electronic capture.**

The Municipal Office grants the responsible persons of the municipalities access to the application.

**The municipal office is responsible for the security of the data protection application. It defines measures to achieve the protection goals according to and informs-**

to carry out assessments according to § 9 para. 2 IDG.

1 OS 78, 175; For justification, see ABI 2023-04-06.

2 Entry into force: July 1, 2023.

3 LS 141.1.

4 LS 170.4.

5 SR 141.0.

6 SR 141.01.

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