Calculating the length of stay in Switzerland can be particularly tricky depending on one's life path, especially when the applicant has left Switzerland for short periods.
Ordinary naturalisation: the federal requirement (art. 9 SCA)
The applicant must prove they have lived in Switzerland for ten years in total, including three of the five years preceding the application. Time spent in Switzerland between the ages of 8 and 18 counts double, but the actual stay must have lasted at least six years.
Ordinary naturalisation: the Geneva requirement (art. 17 LNat/GE)
To file an ordinary naturalisation application in the canton of Geneva, the foreign national must have actually lived there for 2 years, including the 12 months preceding the application.
The residence condition is met when the person is validly registered in the cantonal population register as settled in Geneva and there is no indication that they have moved their main residence abroad. They must actually live in Switzerland and hold a valid settlement permit throughout the procedure.
Facilitated naturalisation: the federal requirement
- Spouse of a Swiss citizen: five years of residence in Switzerland in total, including the year preceding the application. If they live or have lived abroad, they can also apply after six years of marriage, provided they have close ties with Switzerland (art. 21 SCA).
- Stateless minor child: five years of residence in Switzerland in total, including the year preceding the application (art. 23 SCA).
- Child of a naturalised person: five years of residence in Switzerland in total, including the three years preceding the application (art. 24 SCA).
- Third-generation foreigner: born in Switzerland, holding a settlement permit and having completed at least 5 years of compulsory schooling in Switzerland (art. 24a SCA).
For details on these cases, see our guide to facilitated naturalisation in Geneva.
How is the length of stay calculated?
- Time spent in Switzerland between the ages of 8 and 18 counts double.
- Stays under an F permit count for half.
- Stays under L, N and G permits do not count.
The stay is not interrupted when the foreign national leaves Switzerland for a short period with the intention of returning. However, it ends on departure if the person has declared their departure to the competent authority, or if they have actually lived outside Switzerland for more than six months (art. 33 SCA).
According to current practice, an absence of less than six months with the intention of returning primarily concerns holidays or training lasting less than a year (Federal Supreme Court ruling 1D_2/2021 of 11 December 2023, consid. 3a).
Unsure how to count your years?
Absences, permit changes, childhood years: we check with you whether you meet the residence requirement.
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