Swiss citizenship test
Swiss citizenship test: questions and process by canton
Ordinary naturalisation in Switzerland requires at least 10 years' residence and a C permit. Each canton also sets its own residence requirement, language level and test. Choose your canton.
The main steps to naturalisation
- Check the requirements. At least 10 years' residence in Switzerland, including 3 of the 5 years before you apply. Years between your 8th and 18th birthdays count double, but you must have actually lived here for at least 6 years. Years on an N or L permit do not count; years on an F permit count half. You need a C permit.
- Submit your application. Depending on cantonal law, to your commune or to the canton. You must not receive social assistance in the 3 years before applying or during the procedure, unless you repay it in full. Some cantons set a longer period.
- Assessment by commune and canton. They assess your integration, often in an interview. If the outcome is positive, they forward the application to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
- Federal licence and decision. The SEM issues the federal naturalisation licence. The canton then decides on naturalisation within one year. Once the decision is legally binding, you acquire communal, cantonal and Swiss citizenship.
Canton
| Canton | Residence requirement | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Aargau | 3 years in the commune | Written on computer, 45 questions, 40 minutes |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 3 years in the commune | Civics test (canton) |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | 3 years | Interview |
| Basel-Landschaft | 3 years | Test and/or interview |
| Basel-Stadt | 2 years in the commune | Test |
| Bern | 2 years in the commune | Written, 48 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes |
| Fribourg | 3 years | Interview and/or test |
| Geneva | 2 years in the canton | Test and/or interview |
| Glarus | 2 years | Interview |
| Graubünden | 3 years | Interview |
| Jura | 3 years | Interview |
| Lucerne | 3 years in the commune | Oral interview |
| Neuchâtel | 3 years | Written test |
| Nidwalden | 3 years | Interview |
| Obwalden | 2 years | Interview |
| Schaffhausen | 2 years | Test and/or interview |
| Schwyz | 5 years in the commune | Interview and/or test |
| Solothurn | 2 years | Test and/or interview |
| St. Gallen | 5 years in the canton, 5 years in the commune | Interview and/or test |
| Thurgau | 3 years | Test and/or interview |
| Ticino | 3 years | Interview and/or test |
| Uri | 5 years in the canton, 5 years in the commune | Civics test |
| Valais | 2 years | Test and/or interview |
| Vaud | 3 years | Test and/or interview |
| Zug | 3 years | Written and/or oral |
| Zurich | 2 years in the commune | Written, on computer (basic knowledge test) |
Sources
Last updated: October 2026. No guarantee is given for this information; the canton and commune are the authoritative sources. Swiss Citizen is an independent learning platform and is not affiliated with any authority.