29.02.2016 - Federal Approval.
01.04.2016 - Request to supply documents "as soon as possible" for Kantonal approval.

Despite what I previously wrote, for sure the Kanton wanted their facetime.

... Nov 2016. Mr Fatboy waddles off to the Kanton to very politely ask "what of it?". They reply "perhaps in Winter". Perhaps I misunderstood where they part about "rushing to do things".

Don't know if that dislodged a rusty cog or something, but ...
21.01.2017 - Letter asking to come to the Kanton on the 15.02, at 09.40am. (Date and time only very slightly fictitious to protect the guilty).
15.02.2017 - Interview. Girlfriend timed how long I was behind closed doors. Barely 9 minutes. Think it went well. Or at least, not badly. Did note the looks of terror on other candidate faces.
Expected: Week of 21 March 2017: Meeting of the Grosser Rat. Sometime thereafter, notification. Finally.

For anyone who took the Kantonal Deutsch Exam in Zurich (the KDE), how long did it take you to get the result? I took the test a month ago (can't imagine not passing it), but I've heard nothing from anyone.

The next thing we heard was the invitation to the Gemeinde interview (in Stadt Zürich), which I presume would only have happened with a KDE test pass. We didn't hear anything directly following the test, but were informed of our scores during the Gemeinde interview. So on that basis, no news is good news

... and finally, after around 1100 days from submitting the first documents, a letter arrived saying "come to a ceremony in early May, we'll baptize you in Fondue" and you'll officially be Swiss.

While being very happy with my new home and new status , some of the edge was taken off by the marathon endurance test the process became .

Congratulations!

Baptised in fondue, eh. Sounds yummy!

Congratulations! I became Swiss last December and I haven't received any invitation to be baptised in Fondue, I'm very jelly

After submitting my initial application exactly a year ago, I seem to be near the end of the process. Today I received my Schriftenempangschein with my invalidated C-permit, and last week I received my voting ballot for the May 21st referendum. But what's next? Do I wait for more communication about applying for the passport? Or can I go to the passport office already? And who do I need to inform about my change of status - employer, bank etc ? And when?

If you've received a ballot for a federal vote then you're a Swiss citizen. Identity documents can be applied for here: https://www.schweizerpass.admin.ch/pass/de/home.html

Preparing for first vote as Swiss citizen! 14 months from start to finish (Kanton ZH).

Only a year? That's not too bad for CH. Congrats.

I'm not the average EF'er I think. I was born in Zurich, American parents, and we lived on and off in Switzerland, in Zurich and Geneva, in my childhood. I was surprised to find that a Swiss birth makes a huge difference in the citizenship process - no language tests, no interviews, nobody checking me out except for the obligatory forms that are required with the application. I came back to Switzerland almost 8 years ago, but didn' know I was eligle for citzenship after 2 (I think) due to fulfilling residency requirements in the childhood years.

Hey all,

Here's an updated timeline, for those who are in process in Lausanne. I understand the smaller communes are much quicker:

21 November 2013 - official application date
15 March 2015 - received a convocation to appear at the police station for an interview
30 April 2015 - interview with police
20 June 2015 - received the first bill (communal 250CHF)
9 March 2016 - interview with a Municipal
19 March 2016 - Received the approval letter from the Commune of Lausanne
5 Oct 2016 - Received a letter from the Canton of Vaud asking for fresh copies of everything, and a bill
10 Oct 2016 - Got all of the fresh documents in the mail, and paid it
25 Oct 2016 - Letter from the canton saying I was "recommened"
19 Nov 2016 - Official approval by the Conseil d'État (no notification)
10 January 2017 - Got a form from the Federal Government asking me to vouch for my non-criminality
26 January 2017 - Federal approval (they wrote to the canton, not me)
1 May 2017 - Convocation to the prestation de serment
31 May 2017 - Swiss!

__________________
http://identi.ca/markjaroski

Congrats.

Enjoy the new sense of belonging to the community, by being "one of us" and not only "permitted".

Quite an endurance test too.

Wow! congratulations MarkJ!
My story sounds a bit similar, but looking at your experience I realize that I may be only slightly farther than half-way.

March 2015 - Applied in Lausanne
April 2016 - Police interview
April 2017 - Commune interview
... and now waiting...
Looking at the rhythm - April 2018 - Fondue party! probably
Although I hope to be done by end of the year, but it's Lausanne, so you never know.

Once you have the Schriftenempfangschein (note your spelling error) you require no other paper from the authorities to apply for an ID/Passport or both.
Depending on your canton you can do one or more of the following:

-apply for the ID card in your Gemeinde (eg Kanton ZH)
-apply for the Passport in your PassBüro
-apply for the Kombi-Passport and ID in your PassBüro at the same time
-apply for the ID card in your Passbüro (where Gemeinde no longer issue du to Cantonal law eg TI/BE IIRC)

It's important whichever you do first, you bring along the cancelled Ausländerausweis as they will likely ask for it in exchange.

Once you have an ID/Passport you can then start writing letters for all documents where your non-Swiss nationality is stated (eg Driving license) and enclose a copy of your ID/Passport to change your Heimatort to your new Swiss one and/or your nationality (e.g. Fahrzeugausweis).

Don't forget to inform your pension fund, insurers, bank, employer, etc as your canceled ausländerausweis currently on file with them is now no longer valid!

Personally although in Kt. ZH I could apply for the ID in the Gemeinde, I made an appointment with the Passbüro for the Kombi. The Passport arrived faster than the ID. Buy a few stamps for your letters.

The driving license change costs 15CHF in ZH. You may need to include a new photo

I can't quite work out the process.
1) We had to go to the town to get the documents together and checked.
2) They sent them to Sion.
3) Sion sent them to our Commune. We were invited to an interview by the Commune: friendly chat.
4)Commune sent docs to Sion.
5)Sion sent them to Bern.
6) Bern sent a document back to us that says it is a nationality approved document and that we must wait for communication from Sitten.
7) Letter from Sitten saying hurry up and pay 350 chf so you can go to the GrossRat in November.
8) Letter inviting us to an interview with a Gross Rat person.

So, what is this latest interview?
Which is the one where you are asked difficult questions about how the country functions?

I started the application process in the city of Zurich last August (2016). I received an invitation to take the Kantonal Deutsch test around Christmas (2016). I took the test in February, and then didn't hear anything at all again until June (2017), when I received my invitation for an interview. Interview is in two weeks and I am really nervous. I really don't know anyone who did the interview for normal naturalization specifically in Zurich city. I know the experience varies dramatically from commune to commune. I'll post when its over.

We did the interview in Städt Zürich just over 2 years ago and it really is nothing to worry about. More like a friendly chat! They wanted to know our motivations for naturalising, asked us what would change for us (biggest difference to C Permit of course the right to vote) and basically wanted to see we didn't have two heads but were law abiding, tax paying citizens. We were given the choice whether to converse in high German or Swiss German. They didn't ask any specific "Swiss knowledge" quiz questions, or try to catch us out at all, but rather gave us the opportunity to show we had done our homework and knew what it was all about in our answers to their friendly questions. Good luck!

I just had my interview in Zurich City this morning. Interestingly, my interviewer never asked me why I wanted to be Swiss. He did most of the talking, actually. (Wonderful, since I have trouble expressing myself in German.) He asked me 20 questions about politics, history and geography--all from the little book they mailed me a few months ago. The decision seems way less subjective than I imagined. He gave me the impression that since I did well on that little verbal quiz, there was no problem. This is Stadt Zurich, which may be one of the easiest places to be naturalized.

Maybe you made facilitated naturalization, this thread is titled normal naturalization, different requirements.