Blog

What are the inhabitants of Switzerland called?

An inhabitant of Switzerland is a Swiss person: un Suisse (man), une Suissesse (woman).

Particulier

What are the inhabitants of Switzerland called?

Table of contents

1. The official term: Suisse and Suissesse
2. The cantonal demonym: Genevois, Vaudois, Valaisan…
3. Helvète, Confédéré, Romand, Welsche: when to use them
4. Administrative designations: what the law expects
5. Ready-to-use formulas for your correspondence
Three habits to adopt right now
FAQ

1. The official term: Suisse and Suissesse

The inhabitants of Switzerland are called les Suisses. In the masculine: un Suisse. In the feminine: une Suissesse. The demonym takes a capital letter. The adjective, by contrast, stays in lower case.

Are you filling in an OCPM (Cantonal Population and Migration Office) form, drafting a residential lease or preparing an international move? Here are the habits to keep.

The noun: « Un Suisse a signé le bail. » « Une Suissesse a déposé la demande. »
The adjective: « la cuisine suisse », « un passeport suisse », « le droit suisse ».
The plural: « les Suisses », « les Suissesses ». For a mixed group, one writes « les Suisses ».
For a single person, « Suisse » is enough: « Elle est suisse » (adjective, lower case) or « C'est une Suisse » (noun, capital letter).

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The demonym changes according to the language (Schweizer, Svizzero, Svizzer), but in a file written in French, « Suisse » is the only term to use.

According to the Confederation, Switzerland comprises 26 cantons, and each has its own demonym. This is where form errors creep in.

2. The cantonal demonym: Genevois, Vaudois, Valaisan…

In Geneva, you will mostly come across French-speaking Switzerland's demonyms. Here are the forms to know for the cantons most often encountered in a settling-in file. The feminine follows in brackets.

Geneva: Genevois (Genevoise)
Vaud: Vaudois (Vaudoise)
Valais: Valaisan (Valaisanne)
Neuchâtel: Neuchâtelois (Neuchâteloise)
Jura: Jurassien (Jurassienne)
Fribourg: Fribourgeois (Fribourgeoise)
Ticino: Tessinois (Tessinoise)
Bern: Bernois (Bernoise)
Basel: Bâlois (Bâloise)
Zurich: Zurichois (Zurichoise)
Lucerne: Lucernois (Lucernoise)
St. Gallen: Saint-Gallois (Saint-Galloise)
Graubünden: Grison (Grisonne)
Thurgau: Thurgovien (Thurgovienne)
Aargau: Argovien (Argovienne)
Solothurn: Soleurois (Soleuroise)
Schaffhausen: Schaffhousois (Schaffhousoise)
Uri: Uranais (Uranaise)
Schwyz: Schwytzois (Schwytzoise)
Obwalden: Obwaldien (Obwaldienne)
Nidwalden: Nidwaldien (Nidwaldienne)
Glarus: Glaronnais (Glaronnaise)
Zug: Zougois (Zougoise)
Appenzell: Appenzellois (Appenzelloise)

The 26 cantons also include Basel-Landschaft (Bâlois or Campagnard bâlois, depending on local usage), Appenzell Inner Rhodes and Appenzell Outer Rhodes. In an official document, cite the name of the canton rather than guessing the demonym.

Common spelling pitfalls: « Neuchâtelois » takes a circumflex accent, « Saint-Gallois » keeps its hyphen, « Valaisan » takes only one « l ».

Please note: « Genevois » refers to the inhabitant of the canton as well as that of the city. To distinguish them, write « habitant de la ville de Genève » or « résident du canton de Genève ».

3. Helvète, Confédéré, Romand, Welsche: when to use them

These terms exist, but not all of them are suitable for a file. Here is how they are used.

Helvète: a literary or historical term, from the name of the Helvetii. It appears in the press or in poetry. Never use it in a form, a residential lease or an employment contract.
Helvétique: an adjective of formal usage (« la Confédération helvétique », « CH » for Confoederatio Helvetica). It appears in official texts, not in your everyday correspondence.
Confédéré: refers to a citizen of another canton, seen from one's own canton. A Genevois speaks of a « Confédéré » for a Bernese. It is a term of internal usage.
Romand: inhabitant of French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura, and French-speaking Valais and Fribourg).
Alémanique: inhabitant of German-speaking Switzerland. Write « Suisse alémanique », not « Suisse-allemand » with a hyphen.
Suisse allemand: also used for the language (le suisse allemand, a group of dialects).
Tessinois: inhabitant of Ticino, Italian-speaking.
Welsche: a German-Swiss word for the Romands. Seen from Zurich or Bern, it is common. Among Romands, people avoid claiming it for themselves.

Rule of thumb: in a file, stay neutral and factual. Write « Suisse » by default, then specify the canton or region only if the document asks for it. Regional terms are drafting tools, not identity markers to be settled.

4. Administrative designations: what the law expects

In official texts, one does not speak of « Suisse » in the broad sense. Precise statuses are distinguished. The criterion is nationality, not place of residence.

Citoyen suisse or ressortissant suisse (Swiss citizen or national): a person who holds Swiss nationality, governed by the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship (LN). The term « ressortissant suisse » is common on forms.
Double national (dual national): a person who holds Swiss nationality and another. Switzerland allows dual nationality.
Étranger résidant (resident foreign national): a person without Swiss nationality who lives in Switzerland with a residence permit.
Permit holder: permit B (annual residence), C (settlement), L (short-term) or G (cross-border commuter).

What to remember for an OCPM file: exact nationality matters. A Geneva resident is not necessarily Genevois in terms of origin, nor Swiss. A permit C holder lives in Switzerland without holding its nationality.

In a residence permit application, state your nationality as it appears on your passport, not your place of residence. For the reference texts, consult the Citizenship Act on fedlex.admin.ch and the SEM (State Secretariat for Migration) pages on sem.admin.ch.

Nor should you confuse domicile and origin. A Swiss national of Bernese origin who lives in Geneva remains a Swiss national, with Bern as place of origin, and a resident of the canton of Geneva.

Criterion	Swiss citizen or national	Dual national	Resident foreign national with permit
Determining criterion	Holding Swiss nationality, governed by the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship (LN)	Holding Swiss nationality and another nationality (dual nationality is permitted in Switzerland)	Not holding Swiss nationality and living in Switzerland with a residence authorisation: permit B (annual residence), C (settlement), L (short-term) or G (cross-border commuter)
To state in the file	The nationality as it appears on the passport, not the place of residence	The nationality as it appears on the passport, not the place of residence	The nationality as it appears on the passport, not the place of residence
Pitfall to avoid	A Swiss national of Bernese origin domiciled in Geneva remains a Swiss national: place of origin Bern, resident of the canton of Geneva	Do not confuse nationality with domicile or origin: these are three distinct notions	A Geneva resident is not necessarily Genevois by origin, nor Swiss; a permit C holder lives in Switzerland without holding its nationality

Determining criterion

Swiss citizen or nationalHolding Swiss nationality, governed by the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship (LN)

Dual nationalHolding Swiss nationality and another nationality (dual nationality is permitted in Switzerland)

Resident foreign national with permitNot holding Swiss nationality and living in Switzerland with a residence authorisation: permit B (annual residence), C (settlement), L (short-term) or G (cross-border commuter)

To state in the file

Swiss citizen or nationalThe nationality as it appears on the passport, not the place of residence

Dual nationalThe nationality as it appears on the passport, not the place of residence

Resident foreign national with permitThe nationality as it appears on the passport, not the place of residence

Pitfall to avoid

Swiss citizen or nationalA Swiss national of Bernese origin domiciled in Geneva remains a Swiss national: place of origin Bern, resident of the canton of Geneva

Dual nationalDo not confuse nationality with domicile or origin: these are three distinct notions

Resident foreign national with permitA Geneva resident is not necessarily Genevois by origin, nor Swiss; a permit C holder lives in Switzerland without holding its nationality

Nationality, domicile, origin: three distinct notions that your OCPM file must not confuse

Key takeaway

In an OCPM file, what counts is the nationality shown on the passport, never the place of residence nor the cantonal demonym.

Source: Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship (LN) — fedlex.admin.ch; SEM — sem.admin.ch

5. Ready-to-use formulas for your correspondence

Here are phrases to copy, depending on the document. Adapt the nationality and the canton.

Official letter or letter to the OCPM:

« Je soussigné, ressortissant français, domicilié à Genève depuis le 1er novembre, vous informe de mon arrivée. »
« Ressortissante suisse, originaire du canton de Vaud, je sollicite… »

Residential lease:

« Le locataire, de nationalité suisse, domicilié à Carouge… »
« Le locataire, titulaire d'un permis B, déclare… »

Condition report (état des lieux):

No mention of nationality is necessary. Simply note the name, the date and the defects observed, then send the list within 10 days.

Employment contract:

« Le travailleur, ressortissant suisse ou titulaire d'un permis de séjour valable… »

Arrival notification:

It is made to the OCPM within 14 days. Bring your identity document, your lease or housing certificate, and your employment contract where applicable.

In all cases, write « Suisse » with a capital letter when it is the name of a person, « suisse » in lower case when it is an adjective. For an inhabitant of Geneva, « Genevois » or « Genevoise » with a capital letter. Finally, check the agreement: « une Suissesse », « les Genevoises ».

Pitfalls to avoid:

Confusing Suisse and Helvète in an official document.
Writing « les Suisses-allemands » instead of « les Suisses alémaniques ».
Forgetting that Genevois refers to the inhabitant of the canton as well as that of the city.
Mixing up nationality and domicile.
Forgetting the capital letter on the demonym.

Three habits to adopt right now

Before your next letter, remember these three points.

Check the cantonal demonym. Consult the list above or cite the name of the canton, especially for lesser-known cantons.
Choose « Suisse » by default. It is the neutral term, correct in all administrative contexts.
State the exact nationality in a permit file. It must match your passport, not your place of residence.

To better understand local customs, also read our guide on the characteristics of the Swiss: a practical guide to getting along with your neighbours. It complements this article with behavioural pointers.

Next step: the arrival notification to the OCPM, to be made within 14 days of your arrival in Geneva. Prepare your documents before going to the counter. For local culture, our page on Swiss culture and traditions gives you the context.

"The information presented in this article is purely informative and constitutes neither legal advice nor an official procedure; for any question relating to your personal situation (nationality, residence, settling in Switzerland), please consult the competent authorities or a qualified professional."

FAQ

In the feminine, one says une Suissesse. The demonym takes a capital letter: « une Suissesse ». For the adjective, one writes « suisse » in lower case, for example « la cuisine suisse » or « un passeport suisse ».

Need help with your OCPM file?

Arrival notification, residence permit, residential lease: we check your forms before submission. Avoid the nationality and demonym errors that delay your settling in Geneva.

Lucas

[email protected]

Blog & News

Our latest articles

Find our latest news, articles, and expert advice to help you choose the best insurance solutions.

Particulier