Oral
Written by us from the cantonal constitution, the Grosser Rat's brochure and public sources — Basel-Stadt assesses orally
Written from the official content; the real exam is an oral interview. The federal part uses official questions. Other questions are possible at the exam.
The real exam is oral. These values are for practice only and do not reproduce the official exam.
Real exam — How the test works
Basel-Stadt has no written test. Knowledge is assessed orally in the naturalisation commission's recorded interview — with no question catalogue, no official sample questions and no pass mark in points: the commission decides by majority vote. The scope follows the BüRG (geography, history, politics and society, at federal, cantonal and municipal level). The cantonal questions here were written by US, from the cantonal constitution, the citizenship act and the Grosser Rat's civics brochure; for history, geography, culture and society, where those texts are silent, from public sources (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA) — almost half the cantonal questions; the federal part comes from Zürich's official Grundkenntnistest. These are not the real interview questions. Anyone who did all of lower-secondary school in Basel-Stadt is not tested on civics.
Who is exempt
| Topic | cantonal | same topic, any level | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democracy & Federalism | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| Social welfare & Civil society | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| History | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Geography | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Culture & Everyday life | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Total | 20 | 25 | 45 |
| Topic | cantonal | same topic, any level | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democracy & Federalism | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| Social welfare & Civil society | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| History | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Geography | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Culture & Everyday life | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Total | 20 | 25 | 45 |
Sample questions
Welche Behörde ist in Basel-Stadt die gesetzgebende Behörde?
Democracy and Federalism · cantonal question
Nach welchem System wird der Basler Grosse Rat gewählt?
Democracy and Federalism · cantonal question
Nach welchem System wird der Basler Regierungsrat gewählt?
Democracy and Federalism · cantonal question
Aus wie vielen Mitgliedern besteht die Basler Regierung?
Democracy and Federalism · cantonal question
Für wie lange werden Grosser Rat und Regierungsrat in Basel-Stadt gewählt?
Democracy and Federalism · cantonal question
Questions and correct answers come from the canton's official questionnaire. Where the original is an open question, the three wrong answers are ours.
Simulated written exam
Simulated oral exam Oral · true to the interview
15 questions · self-assessment, no pass mark
3 communes in the canton
No commune matches.
Oral. Written from the official content; the real exam is an oral interview. The federal part uses official questions. Other questions are possible at the exam.
20 questions (practice) · 60 min (practice) · 14 correct answers out of 20 to pass (practice).
The official source is bgbasel.ch, published by Bürgergemeinde der Stadt Basel. The app prepares you for it free of charge — Written from official sources. ↗
Yes. The app is free, with no ads and no sign-up required, on iOS and Android.
Each canton sets its own exam. These pages say what each one asks, from the canton's own published material.
Swiss Naturalization Test
Aargau
Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Appenzell Innerrhoden
Basel-Landschaft
Bern
Fribourg
Geneva
Glarus
Grisons
Jura
Lucerne
Neuchâtel
Nidwalden
Obwalden
Schaffhausen
Schwyz
Solothurn
St. Gallen
Thurgau
Ticino
Uri
Valais
Vaud
Zug
Zurich