Swiss naturalisation to cost less in Geneva

Tribune de Genève.

Geneva’s government accepted changes to the laws on applying for Swiss citizenship last Friday. The changes mean the charge associated with applications will be determined by the costs of processing applications rather than the current system which calculates charges based on applicants’ income.

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The change, which will reduce the cost naturalisation, is required under changes to the canton’s constitution that were made in 2013 requiring the process to be simple, fast, and the charges to be in line with the costs of processing applications.

According to Tribune de Genève, the cost saving will be between 1.5% to 70% depending on the applicant’s age and income. Currently, according to the newspaper, an applicant over 25 pays CHF 1,300 to CHF 4,600 depending on their income. Under the new rules he or she will pay CHF 1,250.

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The Socialist Party wanted a maximum charge to be included in the new rules. Ensemble à Gauche, a collection of far left parties, called for the process to be free. Both of these ideas were rejected.

Geneva’s state council accepted the changes by 65 votes to 12.

Update: The cantonal government announced on 26 April 2017 that the new charging structure will come in to force on 1 June 2017.

More on this:
Tribune de Genève article  (in French)  – Take a 5 minute French test now

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