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Unofficial · Based on Kanton Zürich, Gemeindeamt — Einbürgerungsbroschüre und Fragenkatalog Grundkenntnistest
Last updated: 2026-10-01

About the exam

Switzerland has no single national citizenship test. Naturalisation is decided at three levels (municipality, canton and Confederation). Federal law only says that applicants must have basic knowledge of Swiss geography, history, politics and society. Each canton decides how to test this, often together with its municipalities, so the test, its questions and its pass mark differ from canton to canton.

This app covers the canton of Zurich. Zurich's Gemeindeamt (cantonal Office for Municipal Affairs) provides a standard test, the Grundkenntnistest (GKT, "basic knowledge test"). A cantonal study published in December 2025 found that all 146 municipalities that responded use it. The test checks knowledge at three levels: Switzerland as a whole, the canton of Zurich, and Zurich's municipal system. If you live in another canton, ask your municipality or cantonal naturalisation office which test applies to you. This app's questions are written for Zurich.

The practice questions in this app are original questions based on the canton's official learning material. They are not the official catalogue questions.

Eligibility

(As of 2026; federal Citizenship Act BüG and Ordinance BüV in force since 1 January 2018, Zurich Cantonal Citizenship Act KBüG in force since 1 July 2023)

Federal requirements for ordinary naturalisation:

  • A valid settlement permit C (Niederlassungsbewilligung) when you apply
  • At least 10 years of residence in Switzerland, 3 of them within the 5 years before you apply. Years with a B or C permit count in full, years with an F permit count half, and years with an N or L permit do not count. Years between your 8th and 18th birthdays count double, but you must have actually lived in Switzerland for at least 6 years.
  • Successful integration: you respect public safety and order (no relevant criminal record, no unpaid debts in the debt-collection register), respect the values of the Federal Constitution, work or study, and support your family's integration
  • German (in Zurich): B1 spoken and A2 written (CEFR). You do not need to speak Swiss German dialect.
  • Familiarity with Swiss life: basic knowledge of geography, history, politics and society, taking part in social and cultural life, and contact with Swiss people
  • You must not be a threat to Switzerland's internal or external security

Additional Zurich requirements:

  • You must be entered in the Swiss civil-status register. The register extract must not be older than 6 months when you apply.
  • At least 2 years in the same Zurich municipality immediately before you apply (if you are under 25: 2 years anywhere in the canton)
  • No social assistance in the last 3 years. Exceptions: you repaid it in full, you needed it during your first formal education, you were a child whose parents received it, or you work full time and still need it (working poor).
  • No unpaid entries in the debt-collection register in the last 5 years
  • Basic knowledge of Switzerland, the canton of Zurich and the Zurich municipal system, normally shown by passing the Grundkenntnistest

You do not have to take the test if you:

  • attended compulsory school in Switzerland for at least 5 years, including 3 years at lower-secondary level (Sekundarstufe I)
  • completed upper-secondary education in Switzerland (e.g. an apprenticeship or Gymnasium)
  • are attending compulsory school or upper-secondary education in Switzerland when you apply
  • are under 12

Shorter routes:

  • Registered partner of a Swiss citizen: ordinary naturalisation after 5 years in Switzerland (including the year immediately before you apply) and 3 years of registered partnership
  • Spouse of a Swiss citizen: simplified naturalisation (erleichterte Einbürgerung), decided by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). You need 5 years in Switzerland, including the last year, and 3 years of marriage. The cantonal Grundkenntnistest is part of ordinary naturalisation. In simplified naturalisation, basic knowledge is checked in another way. For example, the City of Zurich checks it in an interview.

Format

  • 50 multiple-choice questions chosen at random from the official catalogue of 350 questions
  • 4 answer options per question, only one of them correct
  • 35 questions about Switzerland, 10 about the canton of Zurich, and 5 about the Zurich municipal system
  • 30 or more correct answers (60%) = pass
  • Digital test, taken on site on a computer or tablet
  • German only. The questions are designed for written German at level A2.
  • Topics: democracy and federalism; welfare state and civil society; history; geography; culture and everyday life
  • Time limit: the canton does not publish one, and test providers schedule the test differently. This app uses 60 minutes for its practice exams. Ask your municipality or test provider how long the real test takes.

Official question catalogue:

  • The canton publishes all 350 questions with their answers (PDF, May 2025 edition).
  • Questions per topic: democracy and federalism 126, welfare state and civil society 82, history 48, geography 48, culture and everyday life 46
  • The municipal questions are about the Zurich municipal system in general, and some are about the City of Zurich. They are not about your own municipality.

Test fee and naturalisation fee

(As of 2026; subject to change)

  • Test fee: each municipality and test provider sets its own fee, so ask your municipality. For example, the City of Zurich runs the test free of charge at the Stadthaus.
  • Naturalisation fees for ordinary naturalisation in Zurich, for an adult aged 25 or over:
    • Confederation (SEM): CHF 100 (CHF 150 for a married couple applying together)
    • Canton of Zurich: CHF 500
    • Municipality: each municipality sets its own fee, which may only cover its costs. A cantonal study (December 2025) found that most municipalities charge CHF 400–600. Fees range from about CHF 200 to CHF 2,400.
  • Under 25 when you apply: half the cantonal fee (CHF 250) and half the municipal fee
  • Under 20 when you apply (applications since July 2023): no cantonal or municipal fee. The federal fee is CHF 100 (CHF 50 if you are under 18).
  • Children included in a parent's application: free
  • If the application is rejected: canton CHF 200, Confederation CHF 300, plus the municipality's own fee
  • Other costs: the civil-status register extract and, if you need one, a German language certificate

How to register

  1. Ask your municipality (Gemeinde). It tells you when and where you take the test and who runs it (the municipality itself or an external test provider).
  2. Depending on your municipality, you take the test before or after you submit your application. The City of Zurich only tests after you apply. The canton's online self-check shows which rule applies in your municipality.
  3. Submit your naturalisation application online to the cantonal Gemeindeamt (naturalization.services.zh.ch, with a Zürikonto login). Include your civil-status register extract and the other required documents.

Retake policy

  • There is no legal limit on the number of attempts, and no waiting period may be imposed.
  • Failing before you apply does not stop you from applying. You can retake the test during the procedure.
  • If you take the test during the procedure and fail several times, the municipality may provisionally reject your application. It must let you retake the test at least once first.
  • The fee for each attempt depends on your municipality or test provider.

After passing

  1. Your municipality receives the result. It also checks your other integration criteria (German, participation in society and so on), sometimes in a naturalisation interview.
  2. The procedure: the canton checks your application first → the municipality grants municipal citizenship → the canton grants cantonal citizenship → the SEM issues the federal naturalisation permit → the canton makes the final check and decision → you become a Swiss citizen.
  3. The canton must decide within one year after the federal permit is issued.
  4. The whole procedure takes about 2 years. If you move to another municipality before your municipality has finished its review, the procedure currently ends. If you were under 25 when you applied, you may move within the canton.
  5. As a Swiss citizen you can vote and stand for election. You also take on duties such as military service (for men). Switzerland has allowed dual citizenship without restriction since 1992, but your other country may take away its nationality. Check with its authorities.

Official resources

  • Canton of Zurich, Grundkenntnistest page (catalogue, brochure, practice test): zh.ch
  • Official catalogue with all 350 questions (PDF): grundkenntnistest_kanton_zuerich.pdf
  • Naturalisation brochure "Einbürgerung: Informationen über die Schweiz und den Kanton Zürich" (PDF): broschuere_einbuergerung_grundkenntnistest.pdf
  • The canton's official practice test (50 questions): onlineexambuilder.com
  • Ordinary naturalisation in Zurich (requirements, fees, online application): zh.ch
  • Zurich naturalisation handbook (Handbuch Einbürgerungen, as of 24 September 2026, PDF): zh.ch
  • SEM, ordinary naturalisation (federal rules and fees): sem.admin.ch
  • Federal law: BüG (SR 141.0) and BüV (SR 141.01)
  • City of Zurich, basic knowledge and learning brochure: stadt-zuerich.ch

Things to watch out for

  • The test is different in each canton. These questions are for Zurich. If you move to another canton before you apply, check that canton's rules.
  • The real test only uses questions from the official catalogue of 350 questions, so study it as well. Some catalogue questions ask for figures "as of" a past year (e.g. population in 2020). Learn the answer the catalogue gives.
  • The catalogue is written in Swiss Standard German, which uses "ss" instead of "ß".
  • The municipal questions also cover the City of Zurich (for example, who elects the city parliament), even if you live elsewhere in the canton.
  • The test is only one requirement. You prove your German separately, e.g. with a fide, telc, Goethe or ÖSD certificate or the cantonal German test (KDE).

Frequently asked questions

Is there one Swiss citizenship test? No. Federal law requires basic knowledge but leaves the test to the cantons. This app prepares you for the canton of Zurich's Grundkenntnistest.

Can I take the test in English? No. It is held in German only. You can use this app in your own language to study, but the real test is in German.

How many questions must I answer correctly? At least 30 of the 50 questions (60%).

What if I fail? You can retake the test. There is no limit on attempts and no waiting period. If you fail during the procedure, your municipality must let you retake it at least once.

Do I have to take the test if I went to school in Switzerland? Not if you attended compulsory school in Switzerland for at least 5 years (including 3 years at lower-secondary level), or if you completed upper-secondary education in Switzerland.