21,698 new Swiss citizens in 1999

Just under 22,000 people became Swiss citizens in 1999, a figure which almost matches that of 1998. The biggest group, at 26 per cent of the total, were Italians.

Just under 22,000 people became Swiss citizens in 1999, a figure which almost matches that of 1998. The biggest group, at 26 per cent of the total, were Italians.

The Federal Justice and Police Department said the 21,698 new citizens came from a wide range of countries besides Italy. They included Yugoslavs (10 per cent), Turks (also 10 per cent), French (9 per cent), Croats (3 per cent), and Germans (also 3 per cent). A broad range of other nationalities made up the remaining 61 per cent.

There are several ways to obtain Swiss citizenship. The majority of the new 1999 citizens (67 per cent) followed the standard route: requesting citizenship from their commune and canton, after having taken the first step of obtaining permission to apply for it from the Federal Foreigners Office.

The rest (31 per cent) obtained it because they were the spouse or child of a Swiss citizen. A small minority – 246 people – had formerly been Swiss citizens, but had given up their passports for unspecified reasons, and since asked for their citizenship back.

There were slight changes in the two major categories, over the 1998 figure: 2.5 per cent more people in 1999 than in 1998 applied through the standard route, and the increase in the spouse and child category was 5 per cent.

The Federal Foreigners Office said it gave out 9,924 permissions to apply for citizenship in 1999, in response to 16,135 requests. This document allows applicants to make a request at the communal and cantonal level.

The Office did not provide statistics showing how many of those holding a federal permission were successful in obtaining citizenship after applying to their commune and canton.

swissinfo with agencies