Switzerland's Council of States, the upper house of parliament, voted 34 to 9 with 2 abstentions on Thursday 24 September 2026 to recommend rejecting the popular initiative "For a modern citizenship law (Democracy Initiative)". The initiative would give foreign residents a right to Swiss citizenship after five years of lawful residence instead of the current ten. The National Council rejected it in April, and both chambers declined to offer a counter-proposal, so Parliament will formally recommend a No. The initiative now goes to a national vote on a date not yet set. Until then, and unless voters approve it, the ten-year requirement stays in force for anyone planning to become Swiss.
Background
The initiative was launched by a civil-society alliance, Aktion Vierviertel, and submitted on 21 November 2024 with 104,569 valid signatures. Its supporters argue that more than a quarter of Switzerland's population cannot vote, and that the rules vary widely between cantons and municipalities. The Federal Council recommended rejecting it on 5 November 2025, saying it would cut deeply into cantonal powers, and asked the cantons to harmonise their procedures themselves. On 30 April 2026 the National Council rejected the initiative by 130 votes to 62, with one abstention. This week's Council of States vote completes Parliament's position.
What the initiative would change
The initiative would move naturalisation law to the federal level. Cantons and municipalities would still process applications, but could no longer set their own criteria. Anyone who had lived lawfully in Switzerland for five years would have a right to naturalise, provided they had basic knowledge of a national language, had not received a long prison sentence and did not threaten Switzerland's internal or external security. It would not require a C (settlement) permit. In the National Council debate, SP member Martine Docourt said about 40,000 people are naturalised each year out of roughly a million who could be. SVP member Pascal Schmid warned that about a million foreigners could become Swiss if the initiative passed. In the Council of States, a bid to put alternative constitutional provisions to voters failed by 28 votes to 17. The proposals included easier naturalisation for the second generation (today only the third generation qualifies), easier access for people who spent five years in Switzerland before age 16, and citizenship after 25 years of lawful residence.
Current rules vs the initiative
- Residence today: at least ten years in Switzerland plus a C permit, including three of the five years before applying. Years between ages 8 and 18 count double, with at least six years actually lived there.
- Which stays count today: time on B and C permits in full, F (provisional admission) at half; asylum-procedure (N) and short-stay (L) time does not count.
- Cantonal layer today: a further two to five years in the canton and municipality, plus any extra integration criteria the canton sets.
- Under the initiative: five years of lawful residence, basic knowledge of a national language, no long prison sentence, no security threat, and one set of federal criteria.
- Parliament's vote: National Council 130–62 (30 April 2026); Council of States 34–9 with 2 abstentions (24 September 2026). No counter-proposal.
Who it affects and what to do
Nothing changes now for Switzerland's more than two million foreign residents. Take someone who arrived on a B permit in 2021. Under current law they cannot apply before 2031, must hold a C permit by then and must meet their canton's rules. If voters approved the initiative, the same person could in principle qualify sooner and without a C permit. A popular initiative needs a majority of voters and of cantons, and the detailed rules would then have to be written into federal law, so a quick change is unlikely, and Parliament's clear No makes approval harder. If Swiss citizenship is part of your long-term plan, keep counting towards the existing thresholds: keep your permit history continuous, check how long your canton and municipality require you to have lived there, and do not delay an application on the assumption that the rules will soon relax. On top of the federal fees of CHF 100 for an adult, CHF 150 for a couple applying together and CHF 50 for a minor, you pay cantonal and communal fees. Our guide at /country-guides/switzerland covers permits and the path to a C permit.
When it takes effect
Nothing takes effect now. Both chambers are expected to hold their final votes on Friday 2 October 2026, after which the Federal Council sets the date of the national vote. The current rules apply until voters decide otherwise and new federal legislation follows.
Key Takeaway
Switzerland's parliament has rejected a five-year route to citizenship: the ten-year and C-permit rules stand, and voters will have the final say at a date not yet set.