Legal Regulation of the Grounds for Acquisition and Termination of Citizenship in the Swiss Confederation

Introduction. This article examines the features of Swiss citizenship in the Swiss Confederation, its specifics, and procedural aspects. It analyzes the key principles of Swiss citizenship, including the three tiered citizenship model, the principle of acquiring citizenship by descent, the prevention of statelessness, and the permissibility of multiple citizenships. The main methods and mechanisms for acquiring and terminating citizenship are analyzed separately. The distribution of powers between the municipality, canton, and federal government is examined, as well as the content and nature of the criteria used to grant citizenship or, in Resources and methods. The study is based on an analysis of current Swiss legislation, judicial practice, and official commentaries and publications of Swiss government bodies. The article utilizes a combination of scientific methods, including general logical methods, comparative legal analysis, systematization, and generalization of regulatory material.

Research results. The characteristic features of Swiss citizenship, conditioned by the decentralization of powers between the federal government, cantons, and municipality, are identified. Swiss citizenship is acquired by birth or through naturalization, which is divided into ordinary and simplified. The ordinary naturalization procedure, which is primarily the responsibility of the cantons and municipalities, is highly subjective in its assessment of applicants based on their country of birth, creating risks of discrimination in the processing of their applications. Simplified naturalization, which is administered by federal authorities, is, in contrast, based on uniform formal criteria, virtually eliminating the risk of bias in citizenship decisions. Termination of citizenship is possible both voluntarily and involuntarily, but the law strictly limits such cases to prevent statelessness exceptional cases, to revoke it. and maintain a balance between the interests of the state and human rights.

Discussion and conclusion. Conclusions are drawn regarding the need to develop uniform standards and criteria for the review of naturalization applications. This approach will minimize the risk of discrimination, eliminate subjectivity in citizenship decisions, and increase the transparency of the process. At the same time, the Swiss model demonstrates that decentralization of citizenship regulation can preserve local democratic participation while simultaneously generating significant legal and practical inequalities. This article also emphasizes the importance of the principle of the inadmissibility of statelessness (apatrism) in Swiss law and strict adherence to legal procedures for the termination of citizenship.

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