Did you acquire Swiss citizenship while living abroad? What challenges did you face – and what does the red passport mean to you?

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Swiss Abroad Community

Did you acquire Swiss citizenship while living abroad? What challenges did you face – and what does the red passport mean to you?

Hosted by: Melanie Eichenberger

In my work, I focus on topics that are relevant to Swiss citizens abroad – from political developments in Switzerland and their impact on the diaspora to social, economic, and cultural issues. Before joining SWI swissinfo.ch, I worked as a local journalist for the Aargauer Zeitung. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Multilingual Communication and, as is typically Swiss, completed an apprenticeship as a commercial employee.

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Many Swiss citizens living abroad assume that Swiss citizenship is automatically passed down from one generation to the next.

In principle, this is true. However, there is one important exception: anyone born abroad who holds another nationality alongside Swiss citizenship and fails to meet certain deadlines may lose their Swiss citizenship.

Were you born abroad and did you acquire Swiss citizenship through your parents? Was the process of obtaining a Swiss passport straightforward – or did you face any challenges along the way? We’d love to hear about your experiences and your story.