On the other channel, in the case of my wife, the time between the step of “here is commune, we’re all good, over to the canton you go” and “hiya, canton here, we’re taking over” was just a tad short of 10 months.

Finally, our long awaited golden-letter has arrived!

Our timeline:
Feb 20 2020 - Submit application to Kanton ZH
Apr 09 2020 - Application sent by Kanton ZH to Gemeinde
Apr 21 2020 - Invoice from Gemeinde (CHF 1910)
Jun 09 2020 - Interview with Gemeinderat
Jun 19 2020 - Approval from Gemeinde
Aug 06 2020 - Application received by Kanton ZH back from Gemeinde
Sep 22 2020 - Invoice from Kanton ZH (CHF 1000)
Oct 29 2020 - Invoice from SEM (CHF 150)
Feb 16 2021 - Letter from Kanton ZH (SEM has granted approval)
Apr 22 2021 - Golden Letter!

CONGRATS!!!



I was really hoping yours would come soon, seems it was almost 6 months for the last phase. In any case you've earnt it, time to celebrate!

Yeah, longest 6 months of my life
Perfect timing since now the terraces are opened!

Well based on your timeline, I should get mine in time for 1st August

And still, your total timeline is still a very respectable 14 months. I'm about to hit the 2 year mark

Congrats, I'm still waiting for SEM confirmation after I paid 100 CHF bill on 10th of January 2021

Here is my timeline so far (canton Vaud):

2019-12-17 Submitted my application to canton VD
2020-10-09 Invoice from canton (CHF 450), asking for more documents
2020-11-18 Letter from canton, miscalculating years of residence!
2020-12-09 Letter from canton, accepting my years (got the document form the canton itself...)
2020-12-10 Application sent from canton to commune
2020-12-15 Invoice from commune (CHF 250)
2021-04-21 Interview with commune (rapport d-enquête)
2021-04-29 Written exam with commune (basic knowledge test, multiple choice)
...

Pretty quick, right?

Question: what happens if I change my commune within the same canton at this stage? I'm renting and would like very much to move to a new place.

You can change the commune already. A couple of days after the test you should get a letter saying you can move within the entire country as well.

Hello everyone and thank you all for all this useful information. I'm sharing my experience for a single (unmarried) "ordinary" naturalisation (10+ years in same commune, C Permit)

I have been browsing through all your listed experiences since the new law entered force (for those applying from 2018), but I was unable to find much similarity; it seems cantons and communes have very diverse ways and "gears" in which they operate.

Here's my timeline and exchanged letters, plus some questions for my process (canton VD, commune Lausanne):

Sep 2019 -> sent my full folder to the canton (including FIDE/language)

Apr 2020 <- Canton requests civil status documents + cantonal bill 450 CHF, notified that moving outside of the canton will kill the naturalisation

May 2020 -> sent all requested documents to the canton

May 2020 <- Canton replies all documents are complete, confirms end of first part, sends folder to Commune

Jun 2020 <- Commune confirms receipt of folder

Sep 2020 <- Commune notifies me for enquete + test

Nov 2020 -- pass both enquete and test. -- people at the enquete said I can expect 8-9 more months until final decision (commune+canton+federal) -- people at test said 6-9 more months until final decision

end Nov 2020 <- Commune notifies the communal collection process is complete (avis de cloture) and will be submitted for decision; also, as of this moment, free movement even outside the canton

early Jan 2021 <- received bill from commune, 250 CHF

mid Jan 2021 <- Commune notifies that during a session in Dec 2020 the commune gave a green light and that the folder returns to the Canton

start of Feb 2021 <- Canton notifies that a procedure to register my civil status is starting (they probably add the documents sent in May 2020 to their systems), and this must be completed before moving on with the naturalisation. No indication of whether the folder returning from the commune had been received. No idea whether the timing of the start of this cantonal registration of civil status was coincidental or correlated with the return of the folder from the commune.

I am writing this just shy of May 2021, that is 3 months since the last interaction, and 5 months since they said it takes 8-9 (or 6-9) months until the final decision. No bill or letters received from SEM/federal.

Any ideas what to expect next and when? for example
- will the canton confirm the completion of the registration of civil data, or confirm the sending of the file to SEM?
- does the SEM bill come usually before or after their decision? (in my case the canton billed me upfront but the commune billed me only after their work)
- is the SEM decision communicated separately or it's just the canton that notifies about the SEM and/or overall decision?

Thanks everyone and good luck with everything!

Hmm, In my experience and understanding, you shall receive letters in the following order:
- confirmation from Canton that they send your folder to SEM
- then 100 CHF bill from SEM
- confirmation from SEM
- "golden letter" from Canton
- Then you can go to get your ID/Passport

Thank you. Any idea how long can it take between canton starting civil data enrollment and confirmation that they send to SEM? Cheers!

Be careful. You cannot compare processes between Cantons, only within them.

If you are not sure, then contact the office you last got notification, which I believe in your case is the Canton? Otherwise go and speak to your Commune. If you approach in a polite manner you should get the answers you look for.

Update from my side

Canton Zurich, city of Zurich

End of May 2020: Submission
mid June 2020: Empfangsbestätigung with a note that it might take 2 months for further steps
mid September 2020: Zustellung an Wohngemeinde from Canton
***No interview needed, since I studied at ETH***
end of September 2020: Approval by Gemeinde and bill for 1200 CHF
beginning of November 2020: Returned to Canton with a note that it might take 4 months for further steps. And I am now able to move within Switzerland.
mid February 2021: Erteilung Kantonsbürgerrecht with a note that it might take 8 months for the rest of the process!
one week after Erteilung Kantonsbürgerrecht: Cantonal bill of 500 CHF
March 2021: SEM bill of 100 CHF
End of April 2021: Letter from canton stating that SEM approved and I might have to wait another 4 months until they process it

I am hoping it goes a little faster

Wow, you are blessed. I paid my SEM on 9th Feb and still haven't heard anything.

My application was sent to SEM in the beginning of December and I still have not heard anything from them.

Hey @catdog
Same here

Here are my updated timelines (Kanton Zurich)

Feb 2020: Submitted application
May 2020: Letter from Kanton that documents forwarded to Gemeinde
Sep 2020: Received invitation for interview
Oct 2020: Interview
Nov 2020: Approval and invoice from Gemeinde
Dec 2020: Letter from Kanton that documents received back from Gemeinde
Feb 2021: Approval from Kanton Zürich and stating Kanton and SEM bills to follow
Feb 2021: Invoice from Kanton Zürich (1 week after approval letter)
Mar 2021: SEM Bill (2 weeks after approval letter)
End April 2021 : Letter from Kanton stating they received approval from SEM and may take 4 months for them to process

(Another Lausannois noticeably saddens, disables the mailbox motion sensor, disconnects the outdoor webcam, packs up the lawn chair, unfollows the Swiss Post twitter account, cancels the galaxus order of a new passport wallet, shuffles slowly to bed, and while pulling the blanket over his head wonders if upon the renewal of his C-permit in August 2022 he’d get it in a credit card format or not)

I am reading this thread and wish to congratulate those receiving their golden letters and send good vibe to those expecting it.

I am curious about something: those who received the golden letter, could you mention the Gemeinde and whether the golden letter includes the word "welcome", or any sort of welcome, or personal congratulation?
I observe that for some of you their Gemeindes even organized a small welcome and event, while some fellas receive a simple certificate, just as an admin formality.

@ Catdog and Mickey, congrats on your progress, the last step isn't far.


However it is a bit disheartening to be so overtaken in the last mile by others who paid much later..no reflection on the applicants of course, rather the process.


@ Juraj007: I feel your pain!

Don’t think of it as a competition. Consider the silver lining: The longer the process takes, the less money we spend on passport renewal fees until Grim Reaper comes along
The only thing that puzzles me is that now the entire process is supposed to take no longer than 18 months, while I am quite comfortably heading towards a year beyond that. And if the ceremonies are reinstated that can rack up a couple of months of waiting extra. As I said before, there’s probably no internal logic, we’re just unlucky, so let’s congratulate those that went through the process much quicker than us, and patiently wait: one day we’ll hear the horns of Passportcalypse as well.