Zurich citizenship test

How the basic knowledge test works

Zurich is one of the cantons with a standardised written test. You answer 50 multiple-choice questions, usually on a computer at a test provider chosen by your municipality. The questions come from a pool of around 350 questions that the canton publishes. It contains questions about Switzerland, the canton of Zurich and your municipality. According to the test providers, the split is roughly 70 percent federal, 20 percent cantonal and 10 percent municipal.

The actual test time is about 50 to 60 minutes. Some providers book slots of up to 90 minutes because an introduction is included. According to the test providers, you pass with 30 correct answers. The test is in German. The fee is set by the municipality or the test provider and is often around 200 francs.

Your municipality decides when and where you take the test. In the naturalisation interview later on, it may also ask you questions about where you live.

Who does not have to take the test

The following are exempt from the basic knowledge test: children under 12, people attending compulsory school or upper secondary education in Switzerland, people with at least five years of compulsory schooling (three of them at lower secondary level), and people with an upper secondary qualification. Your municipality will confirm whether this applies to you.

What the Zurich part asks

The questions about the canton deal with things you actually come across in daily life in Zurich. It pays to know these areas well:

• Authorities: The government is called the Regierungsrat and has seven members; the parliament is the Kantonsrat with 180 seats. Both are elected by the people every four years, most recently in 2023 and next in 2027. The canton is divided into 12 districts and has 160 political municipalities (as of 2026).
• People’s rights: A cantonal popular initiative needs 6000 signatures within six months, and a referendum against a decision of the Kantonsrat needs 3000 signatures within 60 days. Twelve municipalities together can also call a referendum. Anyone without the right to vote can submit a petition.
• Municipality: Smaller municipalities decide at the municipal assembly, for example on the budget. Cities have a parliament. Watch out for a common mix-up: in the city of Zurich the parliament is called the Gemeinderat (125 members) and the government the Stadtrat. In many smaller municipalities, by contrast, the Gemeinderat is the government.
• History: The Romans called the settlement on the Limmat Turicum. Pile dwellings stood on Lake Zurich and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Huldrych Zwingli brought the Reformation in the 16th century, Zurich joined the Confederation in 1351, and the canton has existed in its current form since 1803.
• Geography: Zurich lies on the Central Plateau, borders six cantons and Germany to the north. After Lake Zurich, Lake Greifensee is the largest lake. The Sihl flows into the Limmat in the city of Zurich, and the Töss runs through Winterthur. The highest mountain is the Schnebelhorn.
• Culture: At the Sechseläuten the guilds burn the Böögg, the Street Parade stands for love, peace, freedom, generosity and tolerance, and with the University and ETH, Zurich is home to the largest universities in Switzerland.

The naturalisation process in the canton of Zurich

You submit your application to your municipality of residence. The municipality checks your documents and your integration, organises the basic knowledge test and usually holds an interview with you. If it grants you municipal citizenship, the file goes to the Gemeindeamt of the canton of Zurich. The canton forwards the application to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), which issues the federal naturalisation permit. The canton then grants cantonal citizenship, and with this decision you become Swiss.

Besides the test you need proof of German at least at level B1 spoken and A2 written, unless you are exempt. As for residence: in the canton of Zurich you must have lived for two years in the municipality where you apply.

How to prepare

The big advantage in Zurich: the canton publishes all questions with their answers. Download the question catalogue and use the digital practice test on zh.ch. For a deeper understanding, the canton’s study booklet and the City of Zurich’s study booklet help. Both explain the background behind the questions.

Do not just memorise answers. If you understand why the Regierungsrat is elected directly by the people but the Federal Council is not, you will also answer differently worded questions correctly. Set aside extra time for the municipal questions: who is the mayor (Gemeindepräsidentin or Gemeindepräsident), does your municipality have a municipal assembly or a parliament, and where do you report a move? You will find these answers on your municipality’s website.

With the practice questions and the mock test on this page you can see where you stand. The Zurich mock test has the same format as the real test: 50 questions in 60 minutes, passed with 30 correct.