On January 28, the Federal Chancellery confirmed that Switzerland will be voting on a plan to halve the residency requirements for citizenship. If passed, the Democracy Initiative would open up naturalisation to millions of prospective citizens. Here’s what you need to know.

Democracy Initiative headed for the ballot box in Switzerland

Created by Aktion Vierviertel, the Democracy Initiative seeks to make it easier for expats and internationals to apply for Swiss citizenship. 104.782 valid signatures in favour of the proposal were submitted to the Federal Chancellery, meaning it will be made a referendum - though the date for the vote is yet to be determined.

Under the current rules, internationals are only able to apply for citizenship after 10 years of living in Switzerland, and only once they hold a settlement C-residence permit. The famed Swiss passport is only granted to those who have fulfilled certain language certifications (depending on the canton), naturalisation tests, interviews and even votes in some cases (depending on the local council). Typically, citizenship is also denied to those with criminal records.

Proposal would significantly relax requirements for Swiss citizenship

If approved, the Democracy Initiative would allow internationals to apply for citizenship after five years of residence, regardless of what permit they hold. Applicants must only demonstrate a “basic knowledge of a national language,” and not be subject to a long-term prison sentence or present a danger to “the internal or external security of Switzerland.”  

Aktion Vierviertel wrote in a statement that Switzerland’s naturalisation rules are some of the strictest in Europe. As a result “more than a quarter of the population is excluded from democracy" - around two million people living in Switzerland today are not citizens. 

They argued that alongside long-term residents, around 600.000 people who were born in Switzerland still haven’t been naturalised. “They are at home in Switzerland and have their life centred here. It is time to recognise these people as full and equal members of society,” the committee wrote. They concluded that the changes would make the citizenship system less arbitrary and provide security for expats who fear deportation should they lose their jobs.

Democracy Initiative the first vote on expanding citizenship in over 40 years

With the Democracy Initiative now approved for a debut at the ballot box, Switzerland is set to vote on easing citizenship requirements for the first time since 1981: the Together Initiative would have created a more open immigration policy and required the government, cantonal and local authorities to involve non-Swiss people in decision making.

These plans were rejected by 83,78 percent of voters. Though the non-Swiss population has grown significantly since the 1980s, with expats unable to vote nationally, it remains unclear whether expanding citizenship through the Democracy Initiative will find a majority among the Swiss.

Naturalisation is the end of integration, not the beginning argues SVP

Though it’s too early to say which political parties will support or oppose the proposal, the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is likely to be the main opposition. Speaking against the Democracy Initiative back in 2023, SVP National Councillor Gregor Rutz argued that "naturalisation is the conclusion of the integration process - and not the beginning.”

He went on to note that the 10-year requirement and naturalisation tests were in place so that those who do naturalise don't do so for economic or self-serving reasons, but because they 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.