Swiss Citizenship (Einbürgerung) — Canton Knowledge Tests — Syllabus & notes

Exam overview

Ordinary naturalisation in Switzerland requires a C permit and 10 years’ residence in Switzerland, 3 of them in the 5 years before the application (Citizenship Act, BüG Art. 9), plus the residence the canton sets (2 to 5 years, BüG Art. 18). Applicants must speak a national language at B1 and write it at A2 (Citizenship Ordinance, BüV Art. 6) and be familiar with Swiss living conditions (BüV Art. 2). The ordinance lets each canton decide whether to test that knowledge, so the test differs by canton: Aargau runs a 45-question computer test, Zurich a 50-question test drawn from a published 350-question catalogue, Bern a 48-question written test in 90 minutes, Basel-Stadt a recorded interview. The federal fee for an adult is CHF 100 (BüV Art. 25); canton and commune fees come on top.

Subjects

Federal requirements · Language (B1 oral, A2 written) · Canton knowledge tests

Exam languages

German · French · Italian · English