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Letter of the Law

DW staff (nda)November 15, 2007

When 70-year-old Ulrich Kring applied for a Swiss passport, he didn't think it would be such a big problem. But the German didn't count on the inflexibility of the Swiss bureaucratic system.

https://p.dw.com/p/CECn
A sign at the Swiss border
Abandon hope of flexibility all ye who enter hereImage: dpa

The Swiss town of Dielsdorf takes its red tape very seriously -- as Kring is now finding out.

All foreigners wanting to obtain a Swiss passport have to take a German language course as part of the process. And despite being German and speaking the German language, well, like a native, Kring has been ordered to go back to school to learn his own native tongue.

German must learn German despite being German

According to the Tages Anzeiger newspaper, Kring -- who has lived in Switzerland his entire life -- has to pay 250 Swiss francs (152 euros, $222) to attend a German-language course before he can be considered for a passport.

The Dielsdorf authorities are standing firm, saying that the class is obligatory and that the town will not make an exception for the German national.

Kring has lodged an appeal against the decision with a higher local authority, but has yet to hear back from them.