Hi All,

My first 4.5 years in Switzerland were spent in a different canton and I was on a student B permit. There was some confusion regarding VinTa if those years will be counted, but the officer in migrationasmt, Zurich mentioned that they are counted and technically I am already eligible for VinTa as long as I have language requirements fulfilled.

My question is, will those years also be counted for citizenship?

Or, does it follow a different counting technique.

When I first came to Switzerland, I remember I received some document mentioning that these years may not count towards permanent residency requirements, but I am not exactly sure what it meant.

As the officer in immigration said that you are eligible, you can go ahead and apply and see what happens. Just one point to note : please mention in the comment section of the application form (to be provided to you at the time of the application) that you are asking an early c permit. Otherwise, the application will not be considered for vinta and will be rejected.


My (non EU) experience on vinta eligibility in terms of length of stay
- at least 5 years of uninterrupted stay in ch (L permits don't count)
- cantonal change does not impact (although cantonal changes do impact citizenship eligibility )

hope this helps.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your response.

Just to understand, if I changed a canton mid-way, the time spent in earlier canton will not count towards citizenship eligibility?

Would you have any articles or resources that show this information. I am unable to find clear information about it.

I see this article:
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home...er-werden.html

which says the following rule of eligibility:

Ordinary naturalisation is the option for foreign citizens who have lived for at least 10 years in Switzerland, three of which must be in the five years before they file their application for citizenship, and who hold a permanent residence permit (C permit);

It depends on the canton and Gemeinde. They all have different requirements. So someone who is eligible by having lived in Switzerland for 10 years may or may not be eligible to apply if they recently moved canton or Gemeinde. In Valais for example you must have lived in the canton uninterrupted for 5 years in a maximum of 2 different communes, in addition to meeting the 10 years in Switzerland threshold. Here in Basel, I think it's only two years.

Have a look at this. It has Cantonal Requirements when you scroll down.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_nationality_law