In future, expats and internationals may only have to wait five years before applying for Swiss citizenship, under plans now set to be voted on. Aktion Vierviertel confirmed that the “Democracy Initiative” will be made into a nationwide referendum, arguing that making it easier for expats to naturalise is a societal and democratic necessity.

New proposal to ease citizenship residence requirements in Switzerland

In a statement released on Tuesday, Aktion Vierviertel confirmed that it had collected 135.000 signatures in favour of the Democracy Initiative, enough for the proposal to be voted on at the national level. They will submit the referendum on November 21, after which the Swiss government will comment on the plan and set a date for it to be voted on.

The popular initiative seeks to amend the Swiss constitution to make it easier for expats and internationals to naturalise. Under the current system, only holders of C-residence permits (Settlement Permits) may apply for citizenship, and only if they have fulfilled certain language certifications (dependent on the canton), naturalisation tests and interviews (dependent on the local council), and do not have a criminal record.

Eligible applicants are only able to naturalise after 10 years of residence in Switzerland, three years of which must have been in the last five years.

Swiss citizenship process "arbitrary", supporters argue

If passed, the new rules would allow anyone who has resided in Switzerland for five years to apply for citizenship, provided they have not been sentenced to a “long-term prison sentence”, do not “endanger the internal or external security of Switzerland” and have a “basic knowledge of a national language”.

In pushing for the law, Aktion Vierviertel wrote that the current citizenship rules in Switzerland are “unworthy of a democracy”. Around a quarter of the Swiss population are long-term residents rather than citizens, and are therefore not able to have a say in politics and the laws that affect them. Watson noted that by European standards, only Cyprus has a more restrictive naturalisation system than Switzerland.

The committee argued that making it easier to naturalise would help make the process less “arbitrary” and would provide security for expats who fear deportation if they lose their jobs. It will also benefit the large population of people who were born in Switzerland but are not citizens. “It is time to recognise these people as full and equal members of society,” the committee concluded.

Easing citizenship requirements in Switzerland remains a challenge

When voted on, the Democracy Initiative will amount to a once-in-a-near-half-century struggle to ease the requirements for citizenship in Switzerland. The last time the country voted on the subject was the Together Initiative in 1981, which would have created a more open immigration policy and required the government, cantons and local authorities to involve expats in decision-making processes. 

This idea was rejected by 83,78 percent of voters. With expats unable to vote, it remains to be seen whether expanding citizenship to more people will find a majority among the Swiss.

SVP: Citizenship is the end of integration, not the beginning

With its Anti-immigration views and No 10 Million Switzerland! referendum looming large, the biggest opposition to the Democracy Initiative will likely come from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Speaking against the proposal back in 2023, SVP National Councillor Gregor Rutz argued that "naturalisation is the conclusion of the integration process - and not the beginning.”

Rutz argued that the 10-year requirement and naturalisation tests are in place so that those who do apply are committed to Swiss values, culture and civic duties like national service. “This relationship between rights and obligations is becoming increasingly imbalanced. People are demanding more and more rights, but are hardly willing to fulfil their duties,” he concluded.