- Published on
Zurich 2025 Citizenship Timeline
- Authors
- Name
- Stephen Brown
This is the timeline of my journey towards obtaining Swiss citizenship. I will update this document as I progress through the various phases of the application process. The process is different per Kanton, and changed a couple of years ago, so I document it here so people can see what the normal timeline is line. I'm a UK citizen right now, but the process is relatively similar for other nationalities, with some differences in the required documents for the Zivilstandsregister (Civil Registry). The official process and website is here for Zurich: Ordentliche Einbürgerung.
My Timeline So Far
| Phase | German name of Phrase | Date / Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Permit | C-Bewilligung | 2020 | I could apply for a C Permit after 5 years of residence in Switzerland. |
| UK Birth Certificate | 2025-05-26 | I ordered a copy of my birth certificate from the UK government website | |
| Filled in form for entry in Civil Register | Eintrag im Zivilstandsregister | 2025-06-03 | Don't be fooled to fill in the manual PDF that's linked on the main website - you can start the process electronically at online form |
| Got email reply back from application form | 2025-06-04 | I received an email confirming that my application was received - they asked to provide a copy of the passport and of the birth certificate | |
| UK Birth Certificate recieved | 2025-06-13 | Took about 2-3 weeks to arrive but can take longer | |
| Sent documents by post to Zurich Civil registry office | 2025-06-16 | Must be via post, they will confirm by email a day or so later | |
| Confirmation form from Civil Registry office | ~2025-08-01 | They ask you by post to sign and confirm the details. I was on holiday so only sent it back on the 12th | |
| Civil status certificate recieved by Post | Personenstandsausweis | 2025-08-16 | Confirmation of entry in Civil registry |
| Created application at https://naturalization.services.zh.ch/ | eEinbürgerung | 2025-10-17 | This was a bit later than the 10 year mark, as I was waiting for my partner |
| Finished filling in, and submitted eEinbürgerung | eEinbürgerung eingereicht | 2025-10-28 | Most was very easy, but needed to write a page about hobbies, social interactions, clubs and so on |
Now it's time to wait for the next steps, which could be 3-6 months for the Grundkenntnistest invitation.
(Will update as progress happens.)