Switzerland’s cantonal freedom to set natural-isation fees has always produced a patchwork of costs, but two of the country’s largest cities have now moved to make the Swiss passport markedly cheaper. On 13 December 2025 the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Bern confirmed they will cut their administrative fees for ordinary naturalisation by nearly 40 per cent from 1 January 2026. Basel-Stadt will charge CHF 600 instead of CHF 980, while Bern will reduce its fee from CHF 880 to CHF 520. The move comes after years of criticism from the federal price-watchdog that applicants face a “postcode lottery” that has little to do with real processing costs.
Under Switzerland’s federal system, the Confederation, the canton and the commune each levy a charge for every citizenship application. The federal portion is capped at CHF 100, but cantons remain free to set their own tariffs. A 2024 survey found a range from CHF 350 in Zug to over CHF 1,400 in Ticino; critics argue the lack of harmonisation penalises mobile professionals who happen to settle in high-fee cantons.
Basel and Bern justify the reduction with efficiency gains from digitalised case management and a desire to improve labour-market integration. Human-resources managers say the announcement is already featuring in recruitment pitches to highly skilled third-country nationals who weigh long-term settlement options when choosing between Swiss cities.
![Basel and Bern Slash Citizenship Application Fees, Exposing Cantonal Price Gaps]()
Meanwhile, applicants eager to capitalise on the lower costs can streamline their paperwork through VisaHQ. The company’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) aggregates the latest visa, residence-permit and document-legalisation requirements, offers easy online dossier checks and tracks cantonal updates, helping would-be citizens submit complete files the first time and avoid unexpected delays.
The wider business community hopes the price cut will spur other cantons to follow suit. Swissmem, the engineering industry association, called harmonised, affordable citizenship “a competitiveness issue”, noting that headquarters staff from the United States and Asia increasingly ask about the path to a red passport that guarantees EU-wide mobility. Parliament, however, has so far resisted a federal ceiling, arguing that cantonal autonomy is a constitutional principle.
For global mobility teams the message is clear: location choice within Switzerland can have a multi-thousand-franc impact on an assignee’s future naturalisation costs. Employers may wish to factor the new Basel and Bern tariffs into assignment-planning models and communicate the changes to current foreign employees contemplating a long-term stay.
Under Switzerland’s federal system, the Confederation, the canton and the commune each levy a charge for every citizenship application. The federal portion is capped at CHF 100, but cantons remain free to set their own tariffs. A 2024 survey found a range from CHF 350 in Zug to over CHF 1,400 in Ticino; critics argue the lack of harmonisation penalises mobile professionals who happen to settle in high-fee cantons.
Basel and Bern justify the reduction with efficiency gains from digitalised case management and a desire to improve labour-market integration. Human-resources managers say the announcement is already featuring in recruitment pitches to highly skilled third-country nationals who weigh long-term settlement options when choosing between Swiss cities.
Meanwhile, applicants eager to capitalise on the lower costs can streamline their paperwork through VisaHQ. The company’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) aggregates the latest visa, residence-permit and document-legalisation requirements, offers easy online dossier checks and tracks cantonal updates, helping would-be citizens submit complete files the first time and avoid unexpected delays.
The wider business community hopes the price cut will spur other cantons to follow suit. Swissmem, the engineering industry association, called harmonised, affordable citizenship “a competitiveness issue”, noting that headquarters staff from the United States and Asia increasingly ask about the path to a red passport that guarantees EU-wide mobility. Parliament, however, has so far resisted a federal ceiling, arguing that cantonal autonomy is a constitutional principle.
For global mobility teams the message is clear: location choice within Switzerland can have a multi-thousand-franc impact on an assignee’s future naturalisation costs. Employers may wish to factor the new Basel and Bern tariffs into assignment-planning models and communicate the changes to current foreign employees contemplating a long-term stay.
