Basel-Country could follow the example of its sister canton, Basel-City, in scrapping the fees for foreigners under the age of 25 who apply for Swiss citizenship.
Juliana Weber Killer, a deputy from the Social Democratic Party, has filed a motion in the Basel-Country cantonal parliament, seeking to make the naturalisation process more affordable for young foreigners.
This fee currently stands at 1,550 francs – the highest in Northwestern Switzerland.
These steep fees often represent a significant financial burden for young adults who are following vocational training or attending universities, preventing them from obtaining Swiss citizenship at an early age, Weer Killer argues.
However, if the cost of naturalisation is scrapped, “these applicants can become naturalised, regardless of their financial means,” she pointed out in her motion.
Money matters
In fact, money plays a major role in whether young adults seek naturalisation.
A survey carried out by the Bureau for Labour and Social Policy Studies on behalf of the State Secretariat for Migration, revealed that “up to 80 percent of second- and third-generation immigrants want to become naturalised citizens,” according to Lena Liechti, one of the study’s authors.
The study investigated why many foreigners do not apply for naturalisation – even if they are eligible to do so.
The high costs were cited as a reason by more than half of those surveyed.
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Among people under 25, the figure is as high as 70 percent.
In seeking to wave the fees for this segment of the populations, Basel-Country is followng the lead of Basel-City, which in2025 abolished both cantonal and municipal fees for young adults.
This means that they now pay only the federal fee of 100 francs for the naturalisation procedure in Basel.
READ MORE: How the cost of becoming Swiss depends on where you liv
