A study has revealed the most expensive places to apply for Swiss citizenship. While the federal price for citizenship is the same across the country - 100 Swiss francs - the associated costs in different cantons and councils (Gemeinde) can make some applications much more expensive than others. 

Schwyz the most expensive place to apply for citizenship

Research from the Swiss comparison website Comparis has compared the prices of associated costs for citizenship applications across the country, and has found that the canton of Schwyz has the most expensive application procedure.

The overall cost of an application in Schwyz is 3.600 Swiss francs, comprised of 100 francs paid to the federal government, 500 francs for cantonal administration, and a huge communal fee of 3.000 Swiss francs. 

The cheapest available option for those seeking citizenship can be found in Lausanne, at a cost of 800 Swiss francs. This is once again made up of 100 Swiss francs in federal administration fees, with a further 450 to be paid to the canton and 250 francs in communal fees. 

Applicants face additional costs in some Swiss cantons

While the main fees are used to pay for federal, cantonal and communal administration costs, Comparis’ report details other fees that applicants might have to pay to get their Swiss passport. In several cantons, applicants are required to pay for a citizenship course to pass the naturalisation exam and obtain a certificate of integration. 

In order to pass the integration exams, applicants must also obtain a Swiss language certification and thus have to pay for language classes in French, German, Italian or Romansh. All of these costs put together can quickly add up, making the idea of obtaining Swiss citizenship for the 100 franc price set by the federal government far from reality. 

Cheapest and most expensive places to apply for Swiss citizenship 

According to Comparis, these are the cheapest and most expensive places to apply for Swiss citizenship, from cheapest, to most pricey:

• 1. Lausanne - 800 Swiss francs
• 2. Sion (Valais) - 955 Swiss francs
• 3. Appenzell (Appenzell Ausserrhoden) - 1.100 Swiss francs
• 4. Delémont (Jura) - 1.265 Swiss francs
• 5. Bellinzona (Ticino) - 1.350 Swiss francs
• 6. Geneva - 1.350 Swiss francs
• 7. Neuchâtel - 1.750 Swiss francs
• 8. Zurich - 1.800 Swiss francs
• 9. Herisau (Appenzell Innerrhoden) - 2.100 Swiss francs
• 10. Altdorf (Uri) - 2.100 Swiss francs
• 11. Schaffhausen - 2.100 Swiss francs
• 12. St. Gallen - 2.200 Swiss francs
• 13. Basel-Stadt - 2.250 Swiss francs
• 14. Sarnen (Oberwalden) - 2.300 Swiss francs
• 15. Aarau (Aargau) - 2.350 Swiss francs
• 16. Stans (Nidwalden) - 2.400 Swiss francs
• 17. Frauenfeld (Thurgau) - 1.450 Swiss francs
• 18. Fribourg - 2.580 Swiss francs
• 19. Chur (Graubünden) - 2.600 Swiss francs
• 20. Glarus - 2.700 Swiss francs
• 21. Bern - 2.750 Swiss francs
• 22. Zug - 2.800 Swiss francs
• 23. Lucerne - 2.800 Swiss francs
• 24. Solothurn - 3.100 Swiss francs
• 25. Liestal (Basel-Landschaft) - 3.150 Swiss francs
• 26. Schwyz - 3.600 Swiss francs

To find out more about how Comparis created this report, see Comparis’ full dataset.