In the Canton of Aargau the civic test is the entry ticket to the procedure: without a passed test you cannot file the naturalisation application. The test is the same across the canton, your commune runs it on a computer, and it consists of 45 multiple-choice questions drawn at random from about 330. You have 40 minutes and need 34 correct answers, three quarters. Each sitting costs CHF 50, and you may repeat it as often as you like, but only after two months.
This page sums up what the Canton of Aargau officially requires in its fact sheet, its handbook for communes and its citizenship act: residence periods, proof of German, the test format, the interview with the communal council, the procedure and the fees. Every figure is tied to its source and was checked on 4 September 2026. Further down you will find our Aargau lessons with practice questions on the canton's history, politics and geography.
Facts checked on 4 September 2026.
The test is a multiple-choice test with four options per question, exactly one of them correct. Since 2022 the test software assembles 45 questions out of about 330 at random for each sitting, following a fixed key: 11 questions on democracy and federalism, 5 on the welfare state, 10 on the rule of law, 13 on history and 6 on civil society. The questions cover the federation and the canton; questions about your commune belong to the naturalisation interview.
You take the test at your commune, for example in an office of the administration or in a school computer room, on a computer with a mouse and internet access under supervision. Communes may neither run tests of their own nor commission private institutions. The 40 minutes start once you confirm the second page and cannot be extended. After passing, the commune prints a certificate with the result, signed by the supervisor; it is your application attachment and may not be older than six months when you file.
Failed? The test may be repeated as often as you like, but only two months after the last sitting, and every sitting costs CHF 50. An exemption exists only for an impairment; the commune then assesses civic knowledge in the interview using the public test questions. Anyone under 16 at the time of filing takes no test and is questioned in the naturalisation interview in a way suited to their age.
To prepare, the canton provides an official practice test at einbuergerungstest-aargau.ch, and people with little computer experience can have the procedure shown to them at the communal administration. Our Aargau lessons explain the background to the canton's history, politics and geography, so that you understand the answers instead of memorising them.
Your commune of residence is the first point of contact. It runs the test, examines the application, holds the interview and promises communal citizenship; the canton obtains the federal permit, and the naturalisation committee of the cantonal parliament decides finally.
The commune advises you, hands you the application form with the list of attachments and tells you the test dates. Obtain the civil status document from the civil registry office early, it can take time and may not be older than six months when you file. Then you take the civic test.
All applicants and included children sign the application; the attachments may not be older than three months. The commune may ask for an advance on costs, examines the application and publishes it in its official gazette.
The communal council clarifies the requirements, checks social assistance, debt enforcement and the criminal record and holds a naturalisation interview with you. It is about your life in the commune, its authorities, festivals and neighbouring communes; according to the handbook it is a conversation, not a question-and-answer test. Children under 16 are questioned in a way suited to their age.
Depending on the commune, the communal assembly, the Einwohnerrat or the communal council decides on the promise of communal citizenship. The communal council then forwards the file to the canton.
The Department of Economy and Interior examines the application, collects its advance on costs and obtains the federal naturalisation permit from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The naturalisation committee of the Grosser Rat grants cantonal citizenship finally, unless the Grosser Rat decides itself. This part normally takes about twelve months.
This is what the practice questions in our lessons look like. The correct answer is marked and the explanation gives the background.
Aarau was confirmed as the capital of Canton Aargau after the Act of Mediation in 1803. Its central location made it strategically ideal, and it had already briefly served as the Helvetic capital in 1798.
The 'Wasserschloss' (Water Castle) is the remarkable confluence near Brugg where three major Swiss rivers – the Aare (from Bern), the Reuss (from Lucerne), and the Limmat (from Zürich) – all meet in one spot.
The Aargau Grosser Rat has 140 members elected every 4 years by proportional representation across 11 electoral districts. It is the cantonal legislature, passing laws and approving the budget.
The Aargau Regierungsrat has 5 members elected directly by voters for 4-year terms. It is a collegial executive where all members are equal; one member serves as rotating president (Landammann) for one year.
The full federal course plus Aargau in depth — lessons, canton-specific questions and key procedural facts. PDF + EPUB, CHF 19.90.
Procedure, topics and preparation for Aargau: our full guide goes beyond this overview.