- The Council of States rejected the Democracy Initiative by 34 votes to 9, with two abstentions.
- The proposal would cut ordinary naturalisation residence from 10 years to five, but still goes to a nationwide vote.
- The National Council backed nine asylum and citizenship motions; all nine face further procedure and government opposition.
Swiss lawmakers rejected a proposal for simplified naturalisation in the autumn session, while backing a separate set of tougher asylum measures. The Council of States voted against the citizenship initiative on September 24, 2026, by 34 votes to 9, with 2 abstentions. The parliamentary record records the upper house vote.
The National Council had already rejected the proposal in late April 2026 by a two-thirds majority. Both chambers said no. The initiative, “For a modern citizenship (Democracy Initiative),” proposed allowing applications after five years of residence, rather than the current 10-year requirement.
Free toolSubstantial Presence Test Calculator
On September 17, 2026, the National Council backed nine asylum and citizenship motions. The federal government opposed every one. Among them was a proposal targeting dual nationals convicted of the most serious crimes, calling for Swiss citizenship to be revoked and the people deported.
The vote did not itself change anyone’s citizenship or asylum status. The initiative and the motions now face different next steps: voters will consider the citizenship proposal, while the motions go through Parliament’s remaining procedure.
The rejected proposal still goes to voters
Current ordinary naturalisation rules require 10 years of residence, including 3 years in the 5 years before applying. The initiative would have cut the overall residence period to five years. It sought a broad shift toward a more unified federal system for citizenship.
The initiative came from Action Quatre Quarts. The Council of States rejected it on the proposal of its State Policy Committee, known as SPK-S. Only the SP and Greens supported the measure in the upper house.
Parliament’s opposition does not remove the initiative from consideration. Because it is a popular initiative, it is still headed for a nationwide vote, with Parliament recommending rejection. The Council of States did not offer a counter-proposal.
That leaves voters to decide on a proposal both chambers have turned down. The initiative would change the residence threshold; the existing 10-year rule remains in place unless the proposal succeeds at the ballot box. No date for that vote is included in the parliamentary decisions described here.
Nine motions seek tougher asylum and removal policies
The National Council considered its package during an extraordinary session focused on the EU and asylum. The nine motions covered separate issues, but the government opposed the full set. The motions still require a further procedural step in the Council of States.
The citizenship measure called for action against people with two nationalities who have been convicted of the most serious crimes. It asked the government to pursue both revocation of Swiss citizenship and deportation. The motion itself did not strip anyone of nationality or order an individual’s removal.
Other proposals addressed Afghan women’s asylum applications and sanctions against countries of origin that refuse to cooperate with removals. Those provisions formed part of the same package, but they involved different policy tools: asylum treatment in one case, pressure on governments in another.
The National Council’s vote therefore expressed support for proposed measures, not a completed change in law or a removal decision. The Council of States must take the next procedural step before those motions can advance. The federal government’s opposition covered all nine.
A separate EU package added immigration safeguards
The Council of States also advanced parts of an EU package on October 1, 2026. Its immigration provisions included a proposed levy safeguard mechanism and stricter rules tied to EU citizens’ residence status.
The upper house approved an CHF 193 million commitment for Erasmus+ as part of the package. Its position on immigration went beyond the Federal Council’s preferred approach, particularly on the levy and access rules for EU residents.
The package now moves to the National Council. Its consideration will add another parliamentary stage to the autumn’s immigration debate, separate from the popular vote on citizenship and the unresolved asylum motions.
