As is well known, Swiss citizenship is highly valued and, accordingly, not easy to obtain. The information portal Swissinfo.ch has prepared a kind of brief step-by-step guide for those who want to go through this, let's say right away, difficult, costly and very long path.
So, there are three ways to become Swiss: by birth (if you have at least one Swiss parent), after marrying a Swiss man or woman (after which you need to live in Switzerland for at least five years), or by living in Switzerland for at least 12 years. Note that simply being born in Switzerland is not enough; you do not automatically become Swiss after that.
If neither of your parents is Swiss, and you are not married to a Swiss citizen, then you have no choice but to live here permanently and legally for 12 years (however, from January 1, 2018, this period is reduced to 10 years).
After you have lived the required period and submitted an application for citizenship, the authorities of the canton and municipality where you are registered will carefully check how socially integrated and law-abiding you are. If you are lucky enough to successfully pass this stage, you will be informed of the next steps. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will also check whether you pose a threat to national security.
In a number of cantons and municipalities, you will need to pass oral or written exams in the official languages, i.e., German, French, or Italian, in which you will have to explain, among other things, why you want to become Swiss. You may also be asked general questions to show how well you know the country. The questions can range from the simplest (e.g., "What city is the capital of Switzerland?") to a request to explain the specifics of the Swiss pension system.
In other regions, you may even have to appear before a municipal assembly, and its participants will tell you to your face everything they think about you. And then they will decide whether you are worthy of Swiss citizenship at all – and this, according to those who have gone through this procedure, is an experience that burns many nerve cells.
But tying the knot with a Swiss man or woman is the shortest path to citizenship. As a rule, you must then be married to a Swiss citizen for at least three years, and also have lived in Switzerland for a total of five years, including one year immediately before applying.
In addition, children under the age of 22 who did not obtain citizenship together with their parents (for example, if the parents emigrated alone) can also quickly become Swiss, provided they have lived in Switzerland for a total of five years, including one year immediately before applying.
There are no other ways to speed up the citizenship process. Another matter is if you have certain "close ties with Switzerland." We admit that this is a rather vague formulation, but in fact, it is intended for people living abroad who have been married to a Swiss man/woman for at least six years. However, an annual ski vacation in St. Moritz and eating fondue twice in Gruyères do not count as "close ties."
Of course, you will have to dig very often and very deep into your wallet. But since the specifics of the citizenship application process can vary greatly depending on the canton and municipality, it is impossible to give any fixed fees here. However, you will definitely have to pay at least 2-3 thousand francs. By the way, an impromptu survey of those who have already received a passport showed that amounts can range from "about 400 francs" to "one month's salary."
And how much time does all this take? Again and again: it all depends on the canton and municipality. Even if you take the short path, i.e., get married – from 18 to 24 months, at least. However, we have heard of both examples of faster citizenship acquisition and cases where the entire procedure dragged on for about four years.