Switzerland, Basel City, Local Citizenship Requests - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Schwiez, Basel-Stadt, Bürgerschafts Kontrakte, 1348-1798

Collection Time Period
This collection of citizenship requests from the City of Basel covers the years 1348-1798.

Record Description
This is a collection of extracts of requests of citizenship in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Each individual entry may include place of birth, previous place of residence, occupations, and related individuals. This collection includes an alphabetical index by last name, which provides last name, given name, and page number. These records are part of the Nachlaß F. Weiss-Frei Collection kept in the city archives of Basel, Switzerland.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in citizenship requests may include:


 * Name of person requesting citizenship
 * Place of origin or residence
 * Sometimes his/her occupation
 * Comments and further explanations regarding the citizenship requests

How to Use the Record
The most important information one can take from this record is the place of origin of the immigrant, but it is first necessary to know the place where the person requested his/her citizenship and when he or she did so.

Record History
The outflow of Swiss was balanced by an inflow of foreigners, particularly from Germany, Italy, and Austria. The communes and cantons were and are responsible for naturalization matters. Most of the foreigners came from neighboring France and Germany, while others came from Italy and other nearby countries. In order for foreigners to have the civil rights to live and work in Switzerland, they needed to apply for citizenship.

Why the Record Was Created
Local civil authorities needed to keep a record listing of all those applying for citizen’s rights by way of naturalization.

Record Reliability
This records are reliable for genealogical research.

Related Websites

 * Naturalization: Receiving German Citizenship (in German)
 * German Naturalization (in German)

Related Wiki Articles

 * Switzerland
 * Switzerland Emigration and Immigration

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Bürgerschafts Kontrakte, 1348-1798. Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt, Basel, Switzerland.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection

 * “Switzerland, Basel City, Local Citizenship Requests, 1348-1798,” database and digital images, found in FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 28 March 2012),

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.