After passing — Switzerland (Zurich) Zurich Basic Knowledge Test (Grundkenntnistest Kanton Zürich)

From passing the test to the citizenship application

In Zurich the Grundkenntnistest is one proof of integration among several. The notice that you passed is information, not a formal decision: your municipality (Gemeinde) uses it when it checks your basic knowledge.

Where to apply: online to the cantonal Gemeindeamt (Office for Municipal Affairs). Add your test result and German certificate if you already have them.
Documents: an extract from the Swiss civil-status register (no older than 6 months when you apply) and proof that you work or study. The authorities obtain debt-collection and social-assistance records themselves.
Main conditions: a valid C permit, 10 years in Switzerland (3 of them in the last 5 years), 2 years in the same Zurich municipality (under 25: 2 years in the canton), no social assistance in the last 3 years, no unpaid debt-collection entries in the last 5 years, and German at B1 spoken and A2 written.
Fees (2026): Confederation (SEM) CHF 100 per adult, CHF 150 for a married couple; canton CHF 500 if you are 25 or older, CHF 250 if under 25, nothing if under 20; municipality: its own cost-covering fee. Minor children included in your application pay nothing.

Decision and ceremony

Your municipality grants municipal citizenship, the canton grants cantonal citizenship, and the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) issues the federal naturalisation permit. The canton must then take its final decision within one year. When that decision becomes final, you acquire municipal, cantonal and Swiss citizenship together. The canton says the whole procedure takes about 2 years.

Federal law does not require an oath. The naturalisation decision may not be published. Where the municipal assembly (Gemeindeversammlung) decides, voters are told only your name, first name and year of birth. Ask your municipality whether it invites new citizens to a welcome event.

ID card and passport

Once you are a Swiss citizen, order your documents (adult fees, 2026, valid 10 years):

Passport: CHF 145 at the cantonal passport office (Passbüro); passport and ID card together: CHF 158.
ID card without chip: CHF 70, ordered from your municipality (in the City of Zurich: the Stadthaus).
Biometric ID card with chip: available from 2 November 2026 at the Passbüro, for the same fee as the ordinary ID card.

You need an appointment, and you should expect up to about 10 working days for delivery.

Your previous citizenship

Switzerland has allowed dual citizenship since 1992. You do not have to give up your nationality, and naturalisation does not end it automatically. However, your country of origin may withdraw its nationality when you acquire another one. Ask its authorities before your final decision.

Tax and social security

Little changes: as a C-permit holder you already file an ordinary tax return, and your AHV, pension fund, health and unemployment insurance continue. Two things are new:

Military service for men: if you become Swiss before age 25, you are liable for military recruitment. If you are naturalised later, you may be called for civil-protection service until the end of the year you turn 30. Men who do not serve pay the military service exemption tax (3% of taxable income, at least CHF 400; rules as of 2026) until age 37 at most.
Moving abroad: Swiss citizens who move outside the EU/EFTA can join the voluntary AHV/IV insurance if they were insured for at least 5 consecutive years just before.

Voting and other rights

From age 18 you can vote and stand for election at municipal, cantonal and federal level, and sign initiatives and referendums. As a citizen you cannot be expelled from Switzerland and you get Swiss diplomatic protection abroad. Switzerland is not in the EU, so there are no EU elections.

Effect on children

Minor children who live with you are normally included in your application and do not need 10 years of residence. From age 12 the conditions are checked for them individually, and from age 16 they must sign the application themselves. A child born during the procedure can still be added if the Gemeindeamt learns of the birth before the decision. Children born after you become Swiss are Swiss from birth if their parents are married. If the parents are not married, the child is Swiss from birth when the mother is Swiss, or once paternity is recognised when the father is Swiss. A child born abroad who also has another nationality loses Swiss citizenship at 25 if nobody has registered them with a Swiss authority by then.

Frequently asked questions

Does my test result expire? The canton publishes no expiry date. Ask your municipality whether it accepts an older result.

When exactly do I become Swiss? On the day the canton's final decision becomes legally binding. From then on you hold municipal, cantonal and Swiss citizenship and can order a passport.

Can I move house during the procedure? Moving to another municipality before your municipality has finished its checks normally ends the application. Applicants under 25 may move within the canton.

Do I still need a residence permit? No. Swiss citizens need no permit, and the Federal Constitution protects them from expulsion.

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