Aargau citizenship test

How the Aargau civics test works

Aargau has a clearly regulated computer test: 45 multiple-choice questions, each with four answers, one of them correct. You have 40 minutes, with no extension. You pass with 34 correct answers, about three quarters. That is considerably stricter than in cantons with a 60 percent pass mark.

The test is compulsory from age 16 and comes before you submit your application to your municipality. There are no exemptions except for impairments. You can retake it as often as you like, and each attempt costs 50 francs.

The big advantage: the whole pool of about 330 questions about the Confederation and the canton is public, with answers. The topics are democracy, federalism and the rule of law, the welfare state and civil society, and history. Municipalities may not run their own tests. Your knowledge of your municipality is checked in a separate naturalisation interview, where no federal or cantonal questions are repeated.

What you should know about the canton of Aargau

• Authorities: The parliament is the Grosser Rat with 140 members (formerly 200). The Regierungsrat has five members elected directly by the people. It is chaired by the Landammann for one year at a time. The administration has five departments, and the highest court is the Obergericht. The constitution dates from 1980.
• Structure: Aargau has eleven districts, the most populous being Baden, and since 2026 it has had 196 municipalities. With about 735,500 people it is the fourth largest canton. The capital is Aarau. A municipality is traditionally headed by the Gemeindeammann (mayor). Smaller municipalities decide at the municipal assembly, larger ones have a residents’ council (Einwohnerrat).
• People’s rights: An initiative needs 3000 signatures within twelve months, a referendum 3000 within 90 days. A law automatically goes to the people if it does not receive at least 71 votes in the Grosser Rat. Foreign nationals cannot vote in Aargau, but like all residents they can submit petitions.
• History: Napoleon created the canton in 1803 with the Act of Mediation from four areas: the Bernese Aargau, the County of Baden, the Fricktal and the Freie Ämter. Philipp Albert Stapfer from Brugg campaigned for it in Paris. In 1798 Aarau was the first capital of the Helvetic Republic. Habsburg Castle near Brugg is the ancestral seat of the Habsburgs, and Vindonissa was a Roman legionary camp. Women gained the vote in 1971.
• Geography: The name means «land on the Aare». At the Wasserschloss («water castle») near Brugg, the Aare, Reuss and Limmat meet, and in the north the Rhine forms the border with Germany. Lake Hallwil is the largest lake, and the highest point is the Geissfluegrat.
• Culture and economy: The coat of arms shows three waves and three stars. Hallwyl Castle is a well-known moated castle. Aargau is an industrial canton: BBC (today ABB) was founded in Baden in 1891, and there are nuclear power plants in Beznau and Leibstadt. People celebrate at the Maienzug in Aarau and at the Badenfahrt.

The naturalisation process in the canton of Aargau

First you pass the civics test. Then you submit the application to your municipality, which holds the naturalisation interview about the municipality and decides on municipal citizenship. The canton reviews the application, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) issues the federal permit, and the canton then grants cantonal citizenship.

German at least at B1 spoken and A2 written is required, as are five years of residence in the canton, the last three without interruption in the municipality.

How to prepare

Download the current question catalogue with answers, valid from 29 September 2025, and use the online practice test of the Aargau municipal associations. The booklet «Blickpunkt Aargau» helps your understanding, and Annex 4 of the cantonal handbook, with suggested topics and sample questions, helps with the municipal interview.

Because you need 34 out of 45 correct, you can hardly afford any gaps. Work through the catalogue systematically and repeat the questions you got wrong until they stick. Train your speed too: 40 minutes for 45 questions means just under a minute per question.

The Aargau mock test on this page has the same format as the real test: 45 questions in 40 minutes, passed with 34 correct. The questions are written by us; you will find the official ones in the linked catalogue.