Becoming Swiss in Vaud: naturalisation basics
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A long-term orientation for students who may stay in Vaud after their studies: the federal conditions, what Vaud adds, the language level, the procedure and the published fees. Naturalisation is years away for most newcomers; this page helps you plan (keep your residence certificates, learn French).
Key facts
- Federal minimum (LN art. 9): a C permit (settlement permit) and 10 years in Switzerland in total, including 3 of the 5 years before the application.
- Ages 8 to 18 count double, but at least 6 years of actual residence are required (LN art. 9 para. 2).
- Student years count: LN art. 33 counts any stay under a residence or settlement permit (B or C). A student B permit is a residence permit; F permit years count half. Vaud states that L, G, N and S permits do not count.
- Vaud: 2 years in the canton, including the year before the application; some communes add 1 year in the commune.
- Language: French B1 oral and A2 written (OLN art. 6; vd.ch).
- Fees (Vaud, ordinary, individual): cantonal CHF 450 + CHF 75 identity check, communal CHF 100 to 400, federal CHF 100 (adult).
1. Federal conditions
Formal (LN art. 9):
- a settlement permit (C);
- 10 years in Switzerland in total, 3 of them within the 5 years before the application;
- the time between ages 8 and 18 counts double, with at least 6 years of actual stay.
Which years count (LN art. 33): stays under a residence permit (B) or settlement permit (C); half of the time under provisional admission (F); a FDFA legitimation card. Vaud adds that time on an L (short stay), G (cross-border), N (asylum seeker) or S (protection) permit is not counted (vd.ch, permits and years of residence). The rules for communal voting rights are different (L and N years count there): see Voting rights for foreigners. A short trip abroad with the intention of returning does not interrupt the stay; it ends if you declare your departure or live abroad for more than 6 months. A stay abroad of up to one year for training or for your employer counts as a short absence (OLN art. 16).
Integration (LN art. 11 and 12, OLN art. 2 to 8):
- respect public safety and order (a criminal record entry can block it);
- respect the values of the Constitution;
- speak a national language: B1 oral, A2 written at least;
- take part in economic life or be in training; no social assistance in the 3 years before the application or during the procedure, unless repaid;
- know Switzerland's geography, history, politics and society, and take part in local life.
Language proof (OLN art. 6): it is accepted if French is your mother tongue, if you did at least 5 years of compulsory school in French, if you completed upper-secondary or tertiary education in French, or with a recognised language certificate. The training must be given in a national language, so a degree taught in English does not count as language proof. Most EPFL Master's programmes are taught in English: plan on a fide language passport or a recognised certificate.
2. What Vaud adds
The État de Vaud lists:
- C permit (or a legitimation card after a C permit);
- 10 years in Switzerland, 3 continuous years in the 5 years before the application;
- 2 years in Vaud, including the year before the application;
- live in Switzerland during the whole procedure and in Vaud until the communal procedure ends;
- French B1 oral, A2 written;
- no cantonal social assistance (RI) in the 3 years before or during the procedure, unless fully repaid;
- no tax debts, no debt enforcement over CHF 1,500, no wage garnishment and no loss certificates in the 5 years before or during the procedure;
- no police record and no VOSTRA criminal record entry.
Commune: you must live in the commune whose citizenship you apply for, and a commune may require 1 year of residence there by regulation (LDCV art. 12 and 13, BLV 141.11). Ask your commune's office (greffe).
Accepted language documents (vd.ch): Vaud asks for a fide language passport (B1 oral, A2 written). You are exempt if French is your mother tongue, you did 5 years of compulsory school in Switzerland in French, you hold an upper-secondary or tertiary certificate taught in French, or you hold a language certificate recognised by the fide secretariat (the application page names DELF, TCF or TEF). A registration for a fide exam is not accepted. Vaud's law leaves the level to federal law and requires all tests to be in French (LDCV art. 17). Some welcome pages quote A2 oral / A1 written: that is the level for an ordinary C permit, not for naturalisation (vd.ch, French level). Where to learn: EPFL Language Centre.
Where to learn French and take a fide test: see Low-cost French courses outside EPFL.
3. The Vaud procedure
- Check the conditions (vd.ch offers an anonymous self-test).
- Download the form for your situation, print, fill in and sign it.
- Attach the documents: C permit, identity document, residence certificates covering the 10 years, language proof.
- Send the complete file by post (no drop-off) to: Service de la population, Division communes et nationalité, Secteur des naturalisations, Centre de numérisation, Case postale, 1014 Lausanne. Phone 021 316 45 91.
- Canton and commune examine the file; the SEM grants the federal authorisation (in general within 8 months of receiving the complete file, OLN art. 23); the canton then decides within one year (LN art. 14).
Duration: Vaud's law says the procedure from filing to the commune's decision must not exceed 18 months (LDCV art. 21); the SEM step and the cantonal decision come after that. Vaud's guide for communes puts the whole procedure at 24 to 36 months (État de Vaud, aide-mémoire Naturalisations).
4. Fees published by Vaud
| Level | Ordinary, individual | Ordinary, family |
|---|---|---|
| Commune | CHF 100 to 400 | CHF 200 to 500 |
| Canton | CHF 450 + CHF 75 identity check by the civil registry | CHF 550 + CHF 75 |
| Confederation | CHF 100 (adult); CHF 50 (minor) | CHF 150 (spouses applying together or family with minor children) |
The exact communal fee depends on your commune. Published examples: Lausanne CHF 250 (individual or family; Ville de Lausanne); Ecublens CHF 300 individual, CHF 400 family (Ecublens administration). Renens, Chavannes-près-Renens and St-Sulpice do not publish their amount: To verify with the commune office.
5. Facilitated naturalisation for spouses (short)
If you are married to a Swiss citizen and live in Switzerland (LN art. 21): 3 years of marriage and living together, and 5 years in Switzerland in total including the year before the application. The SEM decides, after consulting the canton. Vaud publishes a fee of CHF 900 (OLN art. 25: CHF 500 SEM fee plus up to CHF 400 for the cantonal report). Registered partners of Swiss citizens follow an ordinary procedure with shorter residence (LN art. 10).
6. Until then
Swiss nationality brings the right to vote and stand for election at all levels. Before that, foreign residents already have some voting rights in their Vaud commune: see Voting rights for foreigners in Vaud. Keep your B permit valid every year, because gaps can cost you years: see B permit renewal.
After naturalisation: military service and the exemption tax, see Military service exemption tax in Vaud.