Question 1

Is there one Swiss citizenship test?

Accepted Answer

No. Federal law requires a basic knowledge of Swiss geography, history, politics and society, but leaves it to the cantons, and often the communes, to check it. Some cantons use a written test, others an interview, so the number of questions, the time and the pass mark differ from canton to canton. Here you practise the formats of Vaud and Geneva, both French-speaking cantons.

Question 2

Can I take the test in English?

Accepted Answer

No. In Vaud and Geneva the test is in French. That is why every question here shows the French wording as well: the English translation helps you understand it, but in the test you will need to recognise it in French. For naturalisation you also need a national language at oral level B1 and written level A2.

Question 3

Who has to take the test?

Accepted Answer

People applying for ordinary naturalisation: as a rule after at least ten years in Switzerland and with a settlement permit (C permit). In Vaud, those exempt include children under 12 when the application is filed, people born in Switzerland who have always lived there, people who completed five years of compulsory school in Switzerland and holders of a CFC (federal VET certificate) or a maturité. In Geneva, children under 12 are exempt; between 12 and 25, enough schooling in Geneva can exempt you, otherwise you sit a simplified written test at your hearing. If a disability or illness makes the test difficult, adjustments are possible: tell your commune or the cantonal office.

Question 4

How does the citizenship test work in Vaud?

Accepted Answer

The basic knowledge test (test de connaissances élémentaires) is a written multiple-choice paper run by your commune of residence. Its questions cover geography, history, politics and society in equal shares, at three levels: Switzerland, the canton and the commune. Under the canton’s directive NAT-1801 it has 48 questions, and you have 60 minutes; the canton’s A-Vaud-Test app lets you practise under the same conditions. To pass, you need 70% of the answers right, which is 34. Our practice test uses that format: 16 questions on Switzerland, 16 on the canton and 16 on the commune. For Lausanne, Renens, Yverdon-les-Bains, Montreux, Nyon and Vevey (pick yours when you set up the practice test; it is optional) the commune questions are about the commune you chose; for any other commune, or if you choose none, they are about how a Vaud commune works in general: Municipalité, communal council, syndic, referendum, taxes. They are our own questions, not your commune’s official list.

Question 5

What are the Geneva citizenship test questions like?

Accepted Answer

Geneva’s written test is held in sessions run by the naturalisation service of the Cantonal Population and Migration Office (OCPM). Its content and pass conditions are set by internal directives that are not published. A report by the audit committee of the Grand Council, the cantonal parliament (RD 1394, 17 May 2021), does say that the test has 45 questions and that at most 5 mistakes are allowed, so you need 40 right answers to pass. Our Geneva practice test uses those figures. The split – 34 questions on Switzerland and 11 on the canton – is ours, and the 60 minutes are an estimate: no official time is published. We will update it if the canton publishes its format.

Question 6

How do I register, and how much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

In Vaud you do not register yourself: after you file your application, the commune must test you within six months and, the first time, invite you at least three months in advance. In Geneva you take the test before filing, because the pass certificate is a required part of the application: you book a session by phone on +41 22 546 46 20 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 12:00) or through the canton’s contact form. Neither Vaud’s nor Geneva’s regulations provide for a fee for the test itself; the naturalisation application, however, carries federal, cantonal and communal fees.

Question 7

Can I retake the test if I fail?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In Vaud you can sit the written test at most three times, and your best result counts; after three failed attempts the cantonal office can require an oral test at your hearing in the commune. In Geneva you can try again at a later session, and the pass certificate does not expire. For the simplified test for 12- to 25-year-olds, a new hearing is held one month later at the earliest.

Question 8

Is there an interview too, and can I practise it?

Accepted Answer

In Vaud the procedure includes an investigation interview (entretien d’enquête), and a hearing only if the municipality decides to hold one. In Geneva the interview is held by the OCPM, on a published list of topics: recent votes, members of the executives, parties, recent news and local life. In our interview rehearsal an AI plays the officer in French and asks one question at a time; you answer aloud or by typing, and at the end you get a report in your language on how an officer would probably see it and what to work on. It needs an account, and it is a rehearsal, not a prediction.

Question 9

How should I prepare?

Accepted Answer

In Vaud, the canton and your commune give you their official question lists free of charge, and the test is drawn from them; the canton also offers the A-Vaud-Test app and an online tutorial. Questions about your commune are only in its own list, so ask your commune’s administration for it. Our questions on Lausanne, Renens, Yverdon-les-Bains, Montreux, Nyon and Vevey help you practise, but they do not replace that list. In Geneva, the canton offers the online module “Connaître la Suisse et Genève”. Our questions let you revise Switzerland and your canton in English and French, each with an explanation, and the practice test gets you used to the pace of the real one.

Question 10

Are these the real test questions?

Accepted Answer

No. The cantonal and communal lists are not free to reuse, so we wrote our own questions, in French, on the facts of the Federal Constitution and official information from the Confederation and the cantons. Each question was answered blind in a separate round and checked against public sources. The English translation and the explanations are ours, made with AI help.

Swiss citizenship test in English: Switzerland and your canton, every answer explained.

A few questions with their answers.

By canton

Questions people ask.

Try it under exam conditions.