How inclusive are citizenship laws in the 26 Swiss cantons?

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The Index on Citizenship Law in Switzerland measures the relative inclusiveness of legislation on ordinary naturalization and access to electoral rights for foreign nationals across Switzerland’s 26 cantons as of 2017.

In the field of naturalization, the cantons of Zurich, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Jura have the most inclusive provisions. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the cantons of Aargau, Schwyz and Graubünden have the least inclusive provisions, generally imposing higher requirements in terms of residence, language, civic and cultural integration, good moral character and economic resources.

As for access to electoral rights, only seven cantons have extended the right to vote or stand as a candidate to long-term foreign residents in at least some local elections, while nine cantons allow citizens residing abroad to cast a ballot in cantonal elections from their country of residence.

For a more in-depth analysis of our comparative findings extended to other European, North American and South American countries, read our scientific publications on migrants’ voting rights in national and local elections and on expatriates’ voting rights in regional élections.

Where in Switzerland are migrants naturalized most often?

How many migrants get naturalized over time?

Do migrants want to become naturalized?

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Note on methodology: The coding is based on an assessment of the legal provisions as specified in the relevant cantonal laws, compiled in the Repository on Citizenship Law and summarized in the Database on Swiss Citizenship Law. For a comprehensive overview of the methodology used for compiling the Index, see our Explanatory Note. Complete data files (in Excel format) can be downloaded here.

Terms of use: The Index is made available free of charge for non-commercial use by the general public. We ask that users of the database acknowledge it as the source when using the data in their publications. Please cite as follows: Arrighi, Jean-Thomas and Piccoli, Lorenzo. SWISSCIT: Index on Citizenship Law in Swiss cantons. Neuchâtel: nccr – on the move, 2018.

Last update: 10 January 2019