St. Gallen citizenship test

How the St. Gallen civics test works

In the canton of St. Gallen each municipality decides how it checks basic knowledge. Many municipalities, including the city of St. Gallen, require the written civics test of the Arge Integration Ostschweiz (Arge Bilang). Others use a civics course or require both course and test. Some municipalities, for example Rorschacherberg, also require a presentation about the municipality.

The test lasts 60 minutes and costs 120 francs. According to the sample questions it is varied: open questions, multiple-choice tasks, matching and fill-in-the-gap texts. No pass mark is published, and the result goes to your municipality. Tests are held in St. Gallen, Goldach, Wil, Uznach and Rapperswil-Jona.

The content is divided into modules: history, geography and languages, democracy and federalism, rights and duties, social security and health, work and education, and the canton of St. Gallen with your municipality.

Additional rules apply in the city of St. Gallen: the test is generally compulsory from age 15, the certificate may be at most two years old when you apply, and tests from other providers are not accepted.

What you should know about the canton of St. Gallen

• Founding: The canton was created in 1803 by Napoleon’s Act of Mediation from the Helvetic cantons of Säntis and Linth. Before that, the Prince-Abbey and the city of St. Gallen were associates (Zugewandte Orte) of the Confederation. The name goes back to the Irish monk Gallus.
• Structure: St. Gallen has 75 political municipalities and eight constituencies: St. Gallen, Rorschach, Rheintal, Werdenberg, Sarganserland, See-Gaster, Toggenburg and Wil. There are also special municipalities such as Ortsgemeinden, which manage forests and property, for example. The canton has about 540,000 inhabitants; the second largest municipality is Rapperswil-Jona, the «town of roses».
• Authorities: The Kantonsrat has 120 members and meets in the Pfalz by the abbey courtyard. The government has seven members, and the Kantonsrat elects its president each year by rotation. District courts (Kreisgerichte) rule at first instance, the cantonal court (Kantonsgericht) is the highest court for civil and criminal cases, and there is also a commercial court. The constitution has applied since 2003.
• People’s rights: A constitutional initiative needs 8000 signatures, a legislative initiative 6000. A referendum can be called by 4000 voters or a third of the Kantonsrat within 40 days. Women gained the vote at cantonal level in 1972.
• Geography: St. Gallen surrounds both Appenzells and borders Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. The canton shares Lake Constance, Lake Walen and Lake Zurich, and the Rhine flows through the Rhine valley. The highest mountain is the Ringelspitz.
• Culture and economy: The Abbey precinct with its cathedral and Abbey Library has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. Until about 1920, St. Gallen embroidery was the most important industry. The OLMA fair takes place every October, the University of St. Gallen (HSG) is known for economics and business, and Zwingli was born in Wildhaus in 1484. The Sarganserland and the Obertoggenburg live from tourism, Bad Ragaz from its thermal springs. Catholics, Protestants, Christ Catholics and the Jewish community are recognised under public law.

The naturalisation process in the canton of St. Gallen

Your political municipality is responsible for the ordinary procedure; in the city of St. Gallen the naturalisation council (Einbürgerungsrat) decides. The municipality decides whether you need a test or course and grants municipal citizenship. The canton then reviews the application, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) issues the federal permit, and the canton grants cantonal citizenship.

The residence rule is long: five years without interruption in the canton and in the municipality. The city of St. Gallen requires German at B1 spoken and written. For a single person over 25, the procedure in the city of St. Gallen costs 2200 francs in total (municipality 1400, canton 700, Confederation 100). The civics course, optional or required depending on the municipality, costs about 360 francs.

How to prepare

The Arge Integration Ostschweiz provides sample questions and study material, including «Der Kanton St. Gallen – Informationen und Wissenswertes» and material from individual municipalities such as the town of Wil. For the part about Switzerland it refers to the ECHO booklet. First look at the overview of the municipalities’ requirements so you know what yours expects.

Because the test includes open questions and fill-in-the-gap texts, recognising answers is not enough. Practise wording answers yourself and spelling terms correctly. The sample questions show you what the tasks look like. Plan the test in good time, but not too early: in the city of St. Gallen it may be at most two years old when you apply.

With the practice questions and the mock test on this page you can consolidate the basic knowledge for the civics test.