A man had his Swiss citizenship revoked in February 2026 for lying on his naturalisation test. What else could prompt authorities to take such a drastic step?
The man in question, in his 40s, had his naturalisation revoked after it was discovered that he had not disclosed past criminal offences while applying for citizenship in Neuchâtel.
However, the canton eventually discovered that he already had a criminal record – which he had concealed during the naturalisation proceedings – stripping him of Swiss citizenship.
He is allowed to remain in Switzerland, but as a foreign national.
READ MORE: Which minor offences could prevent you from becoming a Swiss citizen?
The fact that he is a dual national made it possible for Swiss authorities to revoke his Swiss passport, because stripping someone of their citizenship is only possible if the person has a second nationality. Otherwise, Switzerland would create stateless people, an act prohibited by international law.
So if you are a citizen of Switzerland and no other country — in other words, you have no dual nationality — then no matter what terrible things you do, your passport is safe.
What actions and behaviour could result in loss of Swiss citizenship?
As the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) explains it, “dual nationals can have their Swiss citizenship revoked if their conduct is seriously detrimental to Switzerland’s interests or reputation.”
One example of when such a drastic and irrevocable step can be taken is in the case of people convicted of war crimes, terrorism, or treason.
‘Mass’ expatriations took place in this country between 1940 and 1947, when 80 Swiss nationals were deprived of their citizenships because they collaborated with the Nazis.
More recently, in 2019, a Turkish-Swiss dual national lost his Swiss citizenship after being convicted by the Federal Criminal Court for being a member of Islamic State (ISIS).
The last such case, in 2020, involves a woman who was born and raised in Geneva but also has a French passport in addition to a Swiss one. She took her two young daughters to live in the ISIS enclave in Syria without the knowledge of their respective fathers.
In both these cases, authorities revoked their citizenships, banning them from returning to Switzerland and possibly posing a security threat within the country.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, more than 130 countries around the world have such legislation on the books, including 19 EU members.
This basically means that whichever country of citizenship revokes the passport first, the other has no choice but to take in the law breaker.
In the case of a Geneva woman, the Swiss beat the French to the punch.
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There are also other situations when citizenship can be lost:
Lying during naturalisation
If a foreigner provides false information or conceals important facts during the naturalisation procedure, they run the risk that their citizenship will be revoked – as the case cited above proves.
This is possible for up to eight years after naturalisation, according to SEM.
The agency doesn’t publish data about how many people have been caught fibbing, but the message is clear: don’t do it.
Automatic loss
According to SEM, a child born abroad of a Swiss parent and who has another nationality, automatically loses Swiss citizenship at the age of 25, unless they have been registered with a Swiss authority or have declared in writing that they wish to maintain their Swiss nationality.
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Citizenship can also be renounced voluntarily (don’t ask us why)
Swiss citizens living abroad who are also nationals of another country can apply to their nearest Swiss embassy or consulate to be relieved of their Swiss citizenship, SEM says.
“The application will be passed on via SEM to the authority responsible for the relief of Swiss citizenship in the person’s canton of origin.”
Can Swiss citizenship be reinstated?
In certain cases, yes, although this process is neither easy nor quick.
Basically you can qualify for reinstatement under the same conditions as when apply for citizenship in the first place.
These are SEM’s criteria:
- Be successfully integrated if you live in Switzerland;
- Have close ties with Switzerland if you live abroad;
- Show respect for public security and order;
- Show respect for the values enshrined in the Federal Constitution; and
- Not pose a threat to Switzerland’s internal or external security.
If you lost your Swiss citizenship less than 10 years ago, you can apply for reinstatement irrespective of whether you live abroad or in Switzerland.
After this period, you can only apply for reinstatement if you have been living continuously in Switzerland for at least three years with the intention of remaining here permanently.
