2.5 years??!! Wow that’s long, especially after you have to wait 10 years to be able to apply (at least that’s my case and I guess I am EU-lucky).
Apparently the average is around 2 years, I guess I got lucky 
Even better, I had to wait 11 years (it went from a 12-year waiting period to a 10 right at that moment).
I guess I sort of won a year, yay \o/
(well, only half considering)
1 Like
Can be more if you move cities/cantons.
Thanks for all the info. 1k is cheaper that what I heard, it seems to be around 2.5k in NE. But 2.5 years is the length I hear about often indeed.
I’ll start the process this year…
Fiscal disadvantage: if you work for an international organization in Geneva you have to pay income tax whereas foreigners don’t.
You don’t only can vote ( permit c holder can already vote sometimes) but can be elected as well. Feel like a bundesrat career? It comes with a nice pension package.
I’ve heard Swiss authorities are quite good when it comes into rescue citizen abroad, like if some terrorists kidnaps you. Not sure that applies to permit c holder. Very unlikely scenario anyhow.
You can get elected at the municipal level at some places without being Swiss.
Inventive for what? Becoming swiss? The incentive is to get the nationality of the country that Welcomes you. Money is not a subject when speaking about getting nationality.
Agreed. But it may be to get rid of it. Tell that to Americans enjoying FATCA.
I don’t think he only meant “financial” incentives, although they do play a role in my opinion. I guess nobody gets another citizenship (in CH or anywhere else) just for fun, there will always be some advantages/disadvantages to weight in (vote, or buy a house, or you have a “better” passport to travel around, or you are sure you cannot be spelled/deported, or you get discounts/increase on tax, insurance, or whatever that new country might bring you).
Furthermore, in the Swiss case specifically, from the experience I have seen with co-workers/friends, getting the Swiss Citizenship might be too demanding for a “country that welcomes you”… where I come from you just need to live there for 4 years if you are single, 2 years if you are a highly qualified professional, or even 1 year if you have a kid born there or is married to a national… and that’s it, if you want you fill a form (for free), show a few documents, and “next day” you are a citizen… it’s simply assumed you are integrated (no tricky language exams, no questions that even some nationals cannot answer, no interviews with neighbours, etc.).
So, to go through all this trouble (and costs) here in CH, people do wonder if there’s any advantage (which I myself still didn’t feel compelled to, even though having a Swiss Passport would be way better than my current one).
4 Likes