Solothurn citizenship test

How the new citizens’ course and exam work

Solothurn combines learning and testing: anyone who wants to become Swiss generally attends a new citizens’ course of 20 lessons from the age of 18. The course and exam are organised by the adult education centres (EBZ) Solothurn-Grenchen and Olten on behalf of the cantonal citizenship commission. Course and exam together cost 400 francs; retaking the exam is charged separately.

To be admitted you need German at A2 written and B2 spoken, and your municipality signs the registration form.

The final exam is written and has two parts:

1. Basic knowledge without notes
2. Detailed knowledge, for which you may use the course material

Together both parts take at most one and a half hours. Each part is graded, and the overall grade is the average. With an overall grade of 4.0 you pass (Swiss grades run from 1 to 6). The questions relate only to the course content. You can retake the exam once without attending the course again, and you can appeal against the result within ten days.

The learning objectives include the requirements for naturalisation, key dates about Switzerland and the canton of Solothurn, the democratic system and voting, social insurance, the economy and work, and the cantonal school system.

What you should know about the canton of Solothurn

• Structure: Solothurn has five Amteien (administrative regions), each with two districts: Solothurn-Lebern, Bucheggberg-Wasseramt, Thal-Gäu, Olten-Gösgen and Dorneck-Thierstein. Since 2026 the canton has had 104 residents’ municipalities and about 293,000 inhabitants. The largest municipality is Olten, just ahead of Grenchen.
• Authorities: The Kantonsrat has 100 members and the Regierungsrat five. The Regierungsrat elects the Landammann from among its members for one year. All authorities are elected for four years. The constitution dates from 1986. The district courts (Amtsgerichte) rule at first instance, and Solothurn has six seats in the National Council.
• People’s rights: An initiative needs 3000 voters or ten municipalities within 18 months, a referendum 1500 voters or five municipalities within 90 days. A law automatically goes to the people if the Kantonsrat passes it with less than a two-thirds majority. With the Volksauftrag, just 100 voters can submit a request to the Kantonsrat, and the constitution even allows for the recall of the Kantonsrat or the Regierungsrat.
• History: Solothurn joined the Confederation together with Fribourg in 1481. From 1530 to 1792 the French ambassadors resided here, hence the name «Ambassadors’ Town». The canton remained mainly Catholic but did not belong to the Sonderbund in 1847.
• Geography: Solothurn lies on the Central Plateau and in the Jura and borders Bern, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau, Jura and France. The Aare flows through Solothurn and Olten, and the Weissenstein is the capital’s local mountain.
• Culture and economy: The number 11 is considered magical; St. Ursus Cathedral was built in eleven years. The Solothurn Film Festival takes place in January, and at carnival the town is called «Honolulu». Grenchen is a centre of the watch industry, and the Gösgen nuclear power plant stands in Däniken.

The naturalisation process in the canton of Solothurn

You register for the new citizens’ course through your municipality and take the exam. You submit the application to the municipality. The Oberamt (district office) then holds an interview with you and prepares an assessment report. The burgher community (Bürgergemeinde) decides on the promise of municipal citizenship. After the permit from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the Regierungsrat grants cantonal citizenship.

The residence rule is four years in the canton, including the last two before applying, and two years in the municipality.

How to prepare

Read the booklet «Informationen zur Einbürgerung 2026» from the Office for Municipalities and the course and exam regulations. Because the exam only covers the course content, the course itself is your most important preparation: take notes during the lessons and mark up the material well, because you may use it in the second part of the exam.

For the first part without notes you should know the basics by heart: authorities, people’s rights and the key dates about the canton and Switzerland. The practice questions on this page and the mock test are a good way to consolidate exactly this basic knowledge.