# If Michelle Bachmann was granted Swiss citizenship, could I? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550 "2012-05-10T21:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/1 "2012-05-10T21:25:56Z")
Over in MSIMP forum, there is a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=651294) about Bachmann’s recent dual citizenship declaration and rapid denouncement of said citizenshop. Apparently her husband is of Swiss ancestry and since she is married to him she was eligible…at least that’s what the press says. I too am of Swiss ancestry. The last descendants I have that were born and lived in Switzerland are 8 generations back, my sixth great grandfather and grandmother. According to the Swiss government’s [website](http://www.swissworld.org/en/faq/obtaining_swiss_nationality/) if I am of Swiss ancestry I can only claim Swiss citizenship under the following circumstances: > [@](#): > > If you had Swiss citizenship at birth in addition to a foreign nationality, you must register your desire to keep this citizenship before you are 22. If you have missed this deadline, you may apply to have your Swiss citizenship restored, but must do this within 10 years. > > To recover Swiss citizenship, you must prove a close connection with Switzerland. I’m pretty sure Bachmann’s husband is over 32, so how did he get it and can I. _Not that I seriously want to, but curious if I could._ ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/2 "2012-05-10T21:35:00Z")
His parents are/were Swiss. That’s probably a lot closer of a connection than you have. ETA: And I don’t know that he “recovered” his citizenship recently. [This Politico article](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76142.html) makes it sound like he was a Swiss citizen when he married Michele. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/3 "2012-05-10T22:30:22Z")
I read this yarn that Michelle Bachmann had to get Swiss citizenship in order that her kids might get Swiss citizenship. Her kids were too far removed unless she did it. ---
**Author:** ![charmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/53a042/32.png) [@charmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charmstr)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/4 "2012-05-11T12:58:43Z")
Hey, my sister married a Swiss national and has lived in and around Bern for the last 35-40 years. Do you think I can get in on this deal? 😉 > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > The last descendants I have that were born and lived in Switzerland are 8 generations back, my sixth great grandfather and grandmother. FYI, your parents, grandparents and other ancestors are not your “descendants.” You descend from them, not the other way around. You’re welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/5 "2012-05-11T13:00:14Z")
But, I’m my own grandpa. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/6 "2012-05-11T15:04:12Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > I read this yarn that Michelle Bachmann had to get Swiss citizenship in order that her kids might get Swiss citizenship. Her kids were too far removed unless she did it. Makes sense. Why should her kids suffer because of her isolationist viewpoint? I see nothing wrong with someone who has a connection through ancestry or marriage having dual citizenship. It’s not like they came along with the intent - “I’m taking out Swiss citizenship so I can forget the USA.” Ironically, one of the most Islamic of the candidates for the Egyptian presidency was disqualified because his mother had dual American citizenship. Apparently their rules are that the parents of a candidate cannot be foreign citizens either. (Hope it does not give the tea party ideas!) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/7 "2012-05-11T15:22:54Z")
> [@charmstr](#): > > FYI, your parents, grandparents and other ancestors are not your “descendants.” You descend from them, not the other way around. > > You’re welcome! :smack: Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/8 "2012-05-11T16:31:00Z")
Curiously enough, Switzerland requires all of its citizens to buy health insurance. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/9 "2012-05-11T18:04:17Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Curiously enough, Switzerland requires all of its citizens to buy health insurance. I wonder how they expect to enforce that against citizens not only living in other countries, but that have never even set foot on Swiss soil?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/10 "2012-05-11T22:04:03Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I wonder how they expect to enforce that against citizens not only living in other countries, but that have never even set foot on Swiss soil?😕 I assume it applies to resident citizens … ---
**Author:** ![Eurograff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Eurograff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eurograff)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/11 "2012-05-14T10:44:41Z")
If you don’t have any family ties to Switzerland, getting the Swiss citizenship is very difficult, requiring 12 years residence in the country and proving that you’re well integrated into Swiss society. [More about Swiss nationality law](http://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home/themen/buergerrecht.html). Ancestors from 8 generations ago wouldn’t count as sufficiently close family ties. It seems that in Ms. Bachmann’s case, she got married with a man who already was a Swiss citizen in 1978, correct? Now normally in most countries after getting married with a citizen you still need to be resident in said country for some number of years before you can apply for citizenship, and even after applying, you are not automatically granted it. This case is different, however. Switzerland changed their laws on naturalization through marriage in 1992. Before that, they had [very different laws](http://aso.ch/en/consultation/living-abroad/citizenship/swiss-by-marriage) for men and women (remember, this is a country which values gender equality so much that they gave women the right to vote already in 1971…). Swiss women living abroad who married a foreigner were routinely taken away their citizenship, only from 1950’s onward could they specifically request to keep it, while foreign women who married Swiss men were more or less automatically granted Swiss citizenship. So because of this, it appears that she in fact might have been Swiss citizen since 1978. Nowadays there is a waiting period regardless of gender before you can apply, so the current law is more similar to that of most other countries. Though now another Swiss specialty is that even if a couple resides abroad, the foreign spouse can apply for Swiss citizenship after 6 years of marriage, provided there are close links to the country. Of course participating in other country’s politics seems to be rather opposite of what they mean by close links, but this all wouldn’t matter since the marriage took place before 1992 and the law revision. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-michelle-bachmann-was-granted-swiss-citizenship-could-i/621550/12 "2012-05-14T12:51:43Z")
So, what do the rules say about their children? If he was born outside of Switzerland, then I assume if their laws are close to British laws, grandchildren of natural-born citizens are not automatically citizens?