Basel-Country citizenship test

How Basel-Landschaft checks your knowledge

There is no canton-wide written test in Basel-Landschaft. The Security Directorate forwards your application to the burgher or municipal council of your municipality, which assesses your integration in an interview with test character. This covers German skills and basic knowledge of the geographical, historical, political and social conditions in Switzerland, the canton and the municipality. Questions about your municipality are common.

Each municipality must issue naturalisation regulations (Einbürgerungsreglement) that set out the procedure and fees. That is why the interview differs from one municipality to the next. Some municipalities provide guides; the burgher community of Binningen, for example, has a guide to preparing for the civics interview. In addition, the cantonal Security Directorate holds a personal interview with you. There is no score: the burgher or municipal council gives an opinion on your integration.

What you should know about the canton of Basel-Landschaft

• Structure: The capital is Liestal, but the largest municipalities are Allschwil and Reinach. The canton has five districts: Arlesheim, Laufen, Liestal, Sissach and Waldenburg, plus 86 municipalities and about 306,000 inhabitants.
• Authorities: The parliament is the Landrat with 90 members, and the Regierungsrat has five. The Landrat elects the president of the government anew each year. The highest court is the Kantonsgericht in Liestal. As a historic half-canton, Basel-Landschaft has only one seat in the Council of States, and the constitution states the goal of becoming a full canton with two members of the Council of States. The constitution dates from 1984.
• People’s rights: An initiative needs 1500 voters, as does a referendum, within eight weeks. A law must go to the people if fewer than four fifths of the Landrat approve it.
• History: Before 1798, Liestal, Sissach and Waldenburg were subject territories of the city of Basel. In 1832/33 the countryside became independent. In 1994 the Laufen valley moved from the canton of Bern to Basel-Landschaft. In 2014 the canton rejected a merger with Basel-Stadt with over 68 percent voting no. In 1986 a chemical fire at Schweizerhalle polluted the Rhine.
• Geography: The canton borders Basel-Stadt, Aargau, Solothurn and Jura as well as France and Germany. The Ergolz flows through Liestal and into the Rhine at Augst, and the south belongs to the Jura. In the south-west the canton touches the German-French language border.
• Culture: The Roman town of Augusta Raurica lies in Augst. At the Chienbäse in Liestal, burning bundles of wood are carried through the old town, and in many municipalities people walk the municipal boundary on Banntag. The region is known for cherries, the Baselbieterlied is considered the unofficial anthem, and Ricola has its headquarters in Laufen. Both Basels have jointly funded the University of Basel since 2007.

The naturalisation process in the canton of Basel-Landschaft

The application goes through the cantonal Security Directorate to your municipality. The burgher or municipal council holds the interview, and the burgher or residents’ municipal assembly grants municipal citizenship, unless the regulations delegate this to the burgher council. After the permit from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the Landrat grants cantonal citizenship.

The language requirement is higher than the federal minimum: German B1 spoken and written. The residence rule is five years in the canton, and municipalities may require two to five years in the municipality. The cantonal fee is about 1550 francs for a single person, and the municipal fee depends on the regulations, in Liestal for example 1500 francs for single people and 1800 francs for married couples.

How to prepare

Start with your municipality: read its naturalisation regulations and ask for preparation material. Many burgher communities indicate which topics come up in the interview. For the part about Switzerland, general study material such as «The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide» is suitable.

Because the interview has test character, you should know facts precisely: how many members does the Landrat have, who grants cantonal citizenship, when is Banntag in your municipality? Also practise writing, because Basel-Landschaft requires B1 in writing.

With the practice questions and the mock test on this page you can check your knowledge before the interview.