Swiss Citizenship Act (SCA)
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Chapter 1 Acquisition by Law
Art. 1 Acquisition by descent
1 The following persons are Swiss citizens from birth: a. a child whose parents are married to each other and whose father or mother is a Swiss citizen; b. the child of a female Swiss citizen who is not married to the child's father. 2 The minor foreign child of a Swiss father who is not married to the child's mother acquires Swiss citizenship as if at birth on establishing filiation with the father. 3 If a minor child who acquires Swiss citizenship under paragraph 2 has children, they also acquire Swiss citizenship.
Art. 2 Cantonal and communal citizenship
1 On acquiring Swiss citizenship, a child acquires the Swiss parent's cantonal and communal citizenship. 2 If both parents are Swiss, the child acquires the cantonal and communal citizenship of the parent whose surname the child uses.
Art. 3 Foundlings
1 A minor child of unknown parentage who is found in Switzerland acquires citizenship of the canton in which he or she was abandoned, and thus acquires Swiss citizenship. 2 The canton decides where the child holds communal citizenship. 3 Citizenship acquired in this way lapses if it is established who the parents of the child are, provided the child is still a minor and will not become stateless.
Art. 4 Adoption
Where a minor foreign child is adopted by a Swiss citizen, the child acquires the cantonal and communal citizenship of the adoptive parent and thus acquires Swiss citizenship.
Chapter 2 Loss of Citizenship by Law
Art. 5 Loss by termination of filiation
If filiation is terminated with the parent who has conferred Swiss citizenship on the child, the child loses Swiss citizenship provided the child does not become stateless thereby.
Art. 6 Loss by adoption
1 If a minor Swiss citizen is adopted by a foreign national, he or she loses Swiss citizenship on adoption if he or she acquires the nationality of the adoptive parent thereby or already holds that nationality. 2 Swiss citizenship is not lost if filiation with a Swiss parent is established on adoption or such filiation remains following adoption. 3 If adoption is annulled, loss of Swiss citizenship is deemed not to have taken place.
Art. 7 Loss by being born abroad
1 A child born abroad to a Swiss parent who is a citizen of another country forfeits Swiss citizenship on reaching the age of 25, unless his or her birth has been notified to a Swiss authority abroad or in Switzerland or he or she has declared in writing that he or she wishes to remain a Swiss citizen. 2 If a child forfeits Swiss citizenship by virtue of paragraph 1, then his or her children also forfeit Swiss citizenship. 3 Notification in terms of paragraph 1 is constituted in particular by any notification by parents, relatives or acquaintances with a view to the child's entry in registers in Switzerland, matriculation or the issuing of identity documents. 4 Any person who, against his or her will, has been unable to provide notification or a declaration in terms of paragraph 1 in time, may still do so validly within one year of the reason for their failure to do so ceasing to apply.
Art. 8 Cantonal and communal citizenship
Any person who loses Swiss citizenship by law loses cantonal and communal citizenship at the same time.