An elderly Dutch couple, Ronny van Unen (72) and Saskia Scheltes (66), were refused Swiss nationality by the municipality of Unteriberg, near Zurich, underlining Switzerland’s tough naturalization laws.
Regarding the rejection, the president of Unteriberg, Philipp Trütsch-Trinkler, said only: “We had the impression that the couple did not really identify with Switzerland. They did not convince us.”
The population of Unteriberg, some 47 square kilometers in the Schwyz District of the Schwyz canton, is only 2,395, and according to 2007 statistics, only 5.4 percent were foreign nationals.
The naturalization commission, reports Blick, believed the Dutch duo “had too few friends and acquaintances in Unteriberg, did not participate enough in social life, and were not sufficiently informed about current political issues in the municipality.”
However, the couple reportedly answered only two of their 12 interview questions incorrectly. They have lived in Unteriberg for 20 years, speak perfect German, and have no criminal record.
Deciding to take their case in front of the commission in late April, they tried to emphasize their involvement in several local associations. In a letter, they also outlined their numerous activities, including Ronny’s membership in the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) and as a pilot in a Swiss flying club. The couple also restores Swiss watches, which they exhibit at various markets.
Their application was nevertheless rejected again, at which point the Dutch couple said they would appeal to the cantonal administrative court.
The Blick portal says such a rejection is typical, highlighting a case in 2016 when a Kosovar man’s application was rejected because local residents felt that his habit of walking around in tracksuits was not in line with local norms. And in 2024, a French man was rejected because he was rarely seen and worked, and reportedly mowed his lawn, on public holidays.
Earlier this year, Switzerland’s Federal Council came out against a popular initiative to make it easier to gain Swiss citizenship. The team behind the initiative wanted foreign residents to be able to gain Swiss citizenship after 5 years of residence, regardless of the type or permit held.
Currently, those desiring Swiss citizenship need 10 years of residence with 3 years on a C-permit before a request can even be submitted. The country is known to have some of the toughest citizenship rules in Europe. However, there is wide variability between cantons and municipalities, with each one having different rules onto of the standard necessary requirements set at the federal level.
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