The citizenship test in all 26 cantons

The Confederation requires basic knowledge of Switzerland, but every canton tests it in its own way. Here you can compare all cantons and find practice questions and a mock test for each one.

All cantons at a glance

Type of test and format, residence rule in the canton or municipality, and fees as stated by the canton or municipality. As of October 2026.

Canton	Test	Format	Residence	Fees
Zurich	Written test	50 questions, 60 minutes, pass with 30 correct	2 years in the commune	Test fee depends on the commune, often around CHF 200.
Bern	Written test	48 questions, 90 minutes, pass with 29 correct	2 years without interruption in the commune	CHF 260–390, set by the commune.
Lucerne	Depends on the commune	not published	3 years in the commune of naturalisation within the 5 years before applying	Depends on the commune.
Uri	Written test	not published	5 years without interruption in the commune	You pay the test fee yourself (amount not published).
Schwyz	Depends on the commune	not published	5 years without interruption in the commune of naturalisation	Exam CHF 150, course with exam CHF 420.
Obwalden	Written test	not published	5 years without interruption in the canton and the commune	Exam CHF 60, optional course CHF 280–290.
Nidwalden	Interview	not published	5 years without interruption in the canton and the commune	No separate test fee; procedural fees from commune, canton and Confederation.
Glarus	Interview	not published	5 years in the canton, the last 3 of them without interruption in the commune	Exam CHF 100, optional course CHF 250.
Zug	Interview	not published	5 years in the canton, the last 3 of them without interruption in the commune	No separate test fee published.
Fribourg	Interview	not published	3 years in the canton, 2 of them within the 5 years before applying	Canton usually CHF 800–1500, plus commune and Confederation.
Solothurn	Course with test	not published	4 years in the canton, including the last 2 before applying, and 2 years in the commune	CHF 400 for course and exam.
Basel-City	Interview	not published	2 years without interruption in the commune	Canton free (from 1 July 2026); commune e.g. Basel CHF 800; Confederation CHF 100.
Basel-Country	Interview	not published	5 years in the canton; communes may require 2 to 5 years in the commune	Canton e.g. CHF 1550; commune per its rules; Confederation CHF 100.
Schaffhausen	Interview	not published	2 years without interruption in the commune	City of Schaffhausen flat CHF 2000 (canton and city), plus Confederation.
Appenzell Outer Rhodes	Written test	not published	3 years without interruption in the commune	Canton CHF 1000 (single adult), commune at most CHF 2000, plus Confederation.
Appenzell Inner Rhodes	Interview	not published	5 years in the canton, the last 2 of them without interruption	Not published online (ask the civil registry office in Appenzell).
St. Gallen	Depends on the commune	not published	5 years without interruption in the canton and the commune	Test CHF 120; city of St. Gallen CHF 2200 in total (commune, canton, Confederation).
Graubünden (Grisons)	Depends on the commune	not published	5 years in the commune, the last 2 of them without interruption	Canton and Bürgergemeinde together at most about CHF 2000, plus Confederation.
Aargau	Written test	45 questions, 40 minutes, pass with 34 correct	5 years in the canton, the last 3 of them without interruption in the commune	CHF 50, charged by the commune.
Thurgau	Depends on the commune	not published	5 years in the canton, the last 3 of them without interruption in the commune	Canton CHF 800 per adult, commune per its tariff, Confederation CHF 100.
Ticino	Course with test	not published	5 years in the canton and 3 years in the commune, the last 2 before applying without interruption	Course with test CHF 500, canton CHF 600, plus commune and Confederation.
Vaud	Written test	48 questions, 60 minutes, pass with 34 correct	2 years in the canton, 1 of them in the commune	Commune CHF 100–400, canton CHF 525, Confederation CHF 100.
Valais	Depends on the commune	not published	5 years in the canton and 3 years in the commune	Commune at most CHF 1000, canton CHF 300 (single adult), Confederation CHF 100.
Neuchâtel	Interview	16 questions, 20 minutes, pass with 10 correct	2 years in the canton	CHF 1750 in total for an adult; optional course CHF 150.
Geneva	Written test	not published	2 years in the canton	Canton CHF 1250 (age 25+), CHF 850 under 25; Confederation CHF 100.
Jura	Interview	not published	2 years in the commune	CHF 200 under 25, CHF 500–1000 from 25; optional course CHF 250.

Why the cantons differ

The Confederation sets the framework

The Citizenship Act requires you to be familiar with Swiss living conditions and to have basic knowledge of geography, history, politics and society. The Citizenship Ordinance leaves it to the canton whether a test is needed.

Four ways of testing

Zurich, Bern, Aargau, Vaud and other cantons use a written test. Many others, including Basel-Stadt, Fribourg and Neuchâtel, test in an interview, while Solothurn and Ticino use a course with a final test. In Lucerne, Schwyz, St. Gallen, Graubünden, Thurgau and Valais the municipality decides.

Local knowledge counts

Almost everywhere there are also questions about the canton and the municipality. In Valais the canton recommends that about a third of the questions be local, and in Vaud 32 questions per municipality are part of the catalogue.