Hi everyone.
I have a non EU B permit and Im getting married with my swiss fiancee next month. I have been here only since July (8 months). I am a bit confused with the marriage process. Id appreciate if you could help me clarify..

1. I guess my current nonEU B permit will be renewed with a marriage B permit (or something like this). Whats the difference? Am I still limited to live in a certain canton, to a certain employer etc? Or is it similar like C permit?

2. Do you get swiss passport after 3 or 5 years of marriage? or is it 3 years of marriage + 2 years of living = 5 years spent in Switzerland?

Thanks

1. You will get another Non-EU B Permit, but it will have written on it both your employer and the fact you are spouse of a swiss citizen. The only difference is you must live with your wife and your have the same working rights as a Swiss citizen (not restricted to a canton or employer). These permits are not subject to quota.

2. To apply to get spousal facilitated Swiss citizenship as a resident of CH you must:

• have lived in Switzerland for at least 5 years total (time you held a permit, not arrival date or holidays)
• have lived the last 12 months continuously in Switzerland
• have been in a stable marriage for at least 3 years.

You can add around 12-18 months after application for it to be processed, so effectively 6-7 years.

__________________
So sayeth the 'Speed
* I do look like my avatar

Do you know if am I required to remain in the same town and kanton during my marriage until i get a passport or can we freely move our home and that this will not effect anything unlike the plain old non EU B permit without marriage?

This link should answer your 2nd question:
<http://www.bfm.admin.ch/index.php?id=121&L=3>

You and your wife are free to move around as much as you like, but it may slow your citizenship application down when the time comes, as every Gemeinde/Kanton you have lived in may be asked to report about you (ie Taxes, debts, etc). The more that are involved, the more chances of delays in your application. Best to avoid moving unless you really want/need to.

I think it's a bit harder these days to get the Swiss pass. I got mine pretty easy (Boom!) after 5 years of marriage. But I've read somewhere that you'll have to be able to speak and understand german and maybe a few other requirements before they'll give you the pass. Has anyone else heard about this?

They certainly don't rush to give it to you. You have to prove integration, so being able to hold a conversation in at least one of the local languages (D/F/I) is pretty much a prerequisite. They may also check up on you, ask neighbours, etc to ensure a stable and genuine marriage.

The big hold-up I believe is usually the Kantonal/Gemeinde checks. Although the decision lies in Bern, these groups can slow the process down, especially checks at the "Heimatort" or home gemeinde (they keep the records relating to the marriage).

i think they will not ask for language skills etc. as proof of integration if married to a Swiss. That is more so for the people looking to get permanence via the employment route. Having a Swiss spouse fulfils the integration requirements.

sorry to put this in here, but for some reason when i try to post a new thread it doesn't allow me to type a message, only a title.

can someone help me out: i live in the UK but just married a swiss citizen. can i apply for a B-permit at a swiss embassy, or must I apply to the canton government?

Hi there

You apply at the swiss embassy in the UK.

You will have to fill in the same form 3 times - 1 is sent to Bern, 1 is sent to the canton you wish to live/work in and the other stays in the embassy in the UK.

You need to apply about 2 months before you leave for Switzerland.

The permit will be issued to you in Switzerland after you have gone to the population office in your canton.

I don't want to thread on your toes but you are not even married yet and already you think ahead of naturalisation? It is five years spent in Switzerland, and at least three years of marriage. If you fulfil these requirements you can put your application, but then it takes quite long to get processed. You are not bonded to a specific canton, but you should live togheter with your spouse.

I just spoke to an Austrian today "in the process" who has been married to his Swiss wife for 5 years. He's one year into the "waiting period".

lala makes a good point.

And even once you get the Red Book, you are still not home and hosed. Tuesday's TAGBLATT had an interesting article on a guy from former Yugoslavia. He arrived in 1990, got married to a Swiss woman, but the marriage went south pretty quick.
In 1996, he fathered a child to a woman whilst holidaying in his homeland. About the same time he made a facilitated naturalisation application based on his already destroyed marriage.
A year after receiving his passport they divorced. A year later the other woman came to Switzerland on Asylum but was refused. They then got married and had further children.

Now, he has lost his citizenship and is fighting for a right to stay in Switzerland. Most likely, he and his family will have to leave the country. His reputation is apparently otherwise spotless. His fathering of the first child is probably what has brought him undone - living proof the marriage was not stable at the time of the application. His lawyer claimed he didn't know about the child but that is pretty dubious.

And anything can happen in the next 5 years. The political climate in Switzerland is such, that even facilitated citizenship could be made more difficult. Point is, once you get citizenship, it can be recinded.

So when you are getting married, I hope your main thoughts are about your future family, and nothing else, at least at this stage. It will be closer to 7-8 years from now before you have the Red Book in your hand.

Just something you should be aware of.

__________________
So sayeth the 'Speed
* I do look like my avatar