Nidwalden citizenship test

How the canton of Nidwalden checks your knowledge

Nidwalden relies entirely on the personal interview. Integration is assessed in two steps:

1. Interview with the criminal police: In an assessment interview the Nidwalden criminal police check whether you respect public order and the values of the constitution and take part in economic life. This results in the assessment report.
2. Naturalisation interview at the municipality: The authority of your municipality checks whether you are familiar with social, cultural, political and civic conditions. This includes basic knowledge of geography and history, including the canton and the municipality.

The municipal council then decides on municipal citizenship. No scoring scheme is published, and there is no official question catalogue. There is no separate test fee, but the procedural fees of the municipality, the canton and the Confederation apply.

What you should know about the canton of Nidwalden

• Municipalities: Nidwalden has eleven municipalities: Beckenried, Buochs, Dallenwil, Emmetten, Ennetbürgen, Ennetmoos, Hergiswil, Oberdorf, Stans, Stansstad and Wolfenschiessen. The capital and largest municipality is Stans. The canton has about 45,000 inhabitants on about 276 km².
• Authorities: The parliament is the Landrat with 60 members, elected by double proportional representation. The Regierungsrat has seven members and is elected by majority vote. The Landrat elects the Landammann for one year. Nidwalden has one seat in the Council of States. The high court (Obergericht) also serves as the constitutional court. The Landsgemeinde was abolished in 1996; the constitution dates from 1965.
• People’s rights: 250 signatures are enough for a legislative initiative or a referendum, within 60 days for a referendum. With the Gegenvorschlag (counter-proposal), voters can set their own version against a bill of the Landrat.
• History: Nidwalden («below the forest») formed Unterwalden together with Obwalden and is one of the founding members of 1291. The Stans Agreement was concluded in Stans in 1481, and the Winkelried monument stands on the village square. French troops invaded in September 1798, after which Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi cared for orphans in Stans.
• Landscape: Nidwalden lies on the southern shore of Lake Lucerne. The Stanserhorn and Buochserhorn shape the landscape, and the Engelberger Aa flows into the lake near Buochs.
• Economy and culture: Pilatus Aircraft in Stans is the largest employer. Also well known are the Glasi Hergiswil glassworks, the CabriO cable car up the Stanserhorn with its open upper deck, the Hammetschwand lift on the Bürgenstock and the Stanser Musiktage festival. The Älplerchilbi (alpine herders’ festival) is part of local tradition.

The naturalisation process in the canton of Nidwalden

You submit the application with the official form to the civil registry and citizenship office in Stans. Cantonal offices review the application, including the cantonal police with the assessment interview. The municipality then holds the naturalisation interview and decides on municipal citizenship. Then follow the federal naturalisation permit from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the canton’s decision.

Important: Nidwalden requires German at level B2 for speaking, listening and reading and B1 for writing. The residence rule is five years without interruption in the canton and in the municipality.

How to prepare

The canton recommends several documents: «The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide», the Lucerne list «100 Fragen und Antworten», the canton portrait on nw.ch, the City of Zurich’s booklet, ch.ch and the «Kleine Staatskunde» civics booklet you receive during the procedure. Also read the canton’s two information sheets on the interview and on naturalisation.

What counts in the interview is that you can speak freely and clearly. So practise out loud: explain how the municipality, the canton and the Confederation work together, what you like about your municipality and how you take part in local life. Because of the B2 requirement, it pays to practise longer answers and to understand follow-up questions too.

The practice questions and the mock test on this page help you check your knowledge before you go into the interview.