I was born and have lived in New York my entire life. My grandfather emigrated from Switzerland to New York. He married a French woman in New York City. My father inherited citizenship and passed it down to me. When I was 18 I went to the Swiss embassy in New York City, claimed my full citizenship and received my passport.

I'm graduating from college in two years and I'm doing research into what's required to become a resident in Switzerland. Unfortunately there are a lot of details and it's unclear how to proceed from the rare point of being a citizen but never having lived in the county before!

Already a citizen ... easy!

Step 1: move to your chosen community/gemeinde
Step 2: tell 'em you're here
Step 3: repeat at will

I assume you already know one of the national languages---probably French?

How about a phone call (or email) to the consulate

I speak basic French from 4 years of High School and level II in college. If I'm serious about moving I'd probably make it my minor.

The other people on this board can give you better advice about how to adapt to Swiss life, but one thing I've learned about Switzerland is this. Although many Swiss know English, there IS a language barrier and the Swiss expect foreign residents to at least try to learn the local language. They will expect more from someone holding a Swiss passport.

Also, if French is the language you plan to study, you are going to need to move to somewhere in Swiss Romaine. If you move to the German-part of Switzerland, they will expect you to learn German even if they understand French or English. There was another thread on this board about someone going into the Swiss equivalent of a state unemployment agency, and they were shocked that nobody knew Italian and there was no Italian literature. (I mean documents, not a copy of The Divine Comedy.) So it's important to know and learn the local language of the canton you plan to reside in.

Edward J. Cunningham
Derwood, MD

That's good advice, especially considering I had my sights on Zürich for the sake of employment. The relatives I have in Switzerland are from Romandy (Vaud) but making contact with them might be strange as I've never met them, though other American relatives have. I have the advantage of still going to school, so I have the opportunity to learn advanced German, French or Italian if I really want to. Once again this is all just research I'm stacking up, unless I made specific plans I wouldn't be prepared for even a temporary stay. As of now my French is basic and incomplete and probably rather insulting to an actual speaker.

I do know that the opportunity to travel or move is widest at graduation, and many people would kill to have an actual citizenship, so I'm intent on exploring my options.

Just move there but careful as soon as you become a resident you will be required to report for military duty...

but I can't think of a better way to integrate into Swiss Society...

Definitely. You learn to play jass, yodel etc...

Here is your portal (in English) to the Swiss Armed Forces:

http://www.vtg.admin.ch/internet/vtg/en/home.html

i have a similiar story to you.
i was born and raised in south africa however my mom and dad are both swiss when they got married the moved to south africa. I was registered with the swiss consulate in south africa and when coming here i had to inform them in south africa i was no longer going to be there, then on my arrivial in ch i just had to inform them i was here, and viola...... swiss resident with citizinship ( though no spelling abiliaties this morning!!!)

Looks like I was in the wrong army. I learned neither of them.

Wait a minute -- do you mean you learned yodeling by getting the assault rifle hit in your face while launching a rifle grenade?

he's required to do that anyway - he just doesn't have to enlist. He has to pay Ersatzabgabe from 18 to 30. Of course, most Swiss citizens living abroad don't do that. however, if you ever enter the country, you might have to pay up on the spot.

Peter

Well you know those Romand troops are very relaxed...

Seriously it was quite the opposite... I was in the mountain infantry and did basic training in Savatan. Still what an amazing experience.

If you are planning on going to Zürich, there's another thing you need to know. If you step off the plane speaking perfect high (or standard) German, there's STILL another language barrier to overcome. Most Swiss in the German-speaking part of the country speak a dialect of German called Swiss-German. They can understand standard German, but they prefer to speak their dialect whenever possible. Even though Swiss-German is generally not written, people will expect you to learn to speak it. Also, this dialect varies from region to region. Go to the Language Corner for advice on learning both regular German as well as Swiss-German.

That's one advantage for going to Swiss Romaine. There may be a few odd words spoken in Geneva that aren't spoken in Paris, but for the most part (I think) the French you learn in school isn't going to be dramatically different from the French spoken in Switzerland.

I think the Swiss will cut you some slack if you try to speak French, and you are making the effort to learn more. But if you are holding a Swiss passport and claiming the rights of Swiss citizenship, I think they will expect you to eventually become fluent in French.

Edward J. Cunningham
Derwood, MD