Citizenship test Thurgau: the communal knowledge test, German B2/B1 and the Grosser Rat

Canton Thurgau has no cantonal citizenship test, but the act requires your knowledge of local, cantonal and Swiss conditions to be shown "by a test or in an interview" unless it is obvious. The communes take that literally: Kreuzlingen, Amriswil and Weinfelden run a written knowledge test, Frauenfeld and Arbon a basic knowledge test before the naturalisation commission, and everywhere a personal interview follows.

7 Lessons
49 Questions

This page sums up what the Citizenship Act of 2017, the ordinance of 2018, the Office for Commercial Register and Civil Status and the towns of Frauenfeld, Kreuzlingen, Amriswil, Arbon and Weinfelden officially require: ten years in Switzerland, five in the canton and the last three in the commune, German at B2 spoken and B1 written, no social assistance in the last five years, plus fees, duration and the steps up to the decision of the Grosser Rat. Every figure links to its source; we checked them on 5 September 2026.

The requirements in Canton Thurgau at a glance

Residence in Switzerland: 10 years in total, 3 of them in the 5 years before the application. Years between the ages of 8 and 18 count double, but at least 6 actual years are required. Stays with a B or C permit or an FDFA legitimation card count, provisional admission F counts half; L, G, N and S permits do not count.[1][2][12]
Permit: Settlement permit C when the application is filed.[1][3][12]
Residence in the canton and the commune: 5 years in Canton Thurgau in total and the last 3 years without interruption in the political commune. Registered partners of Swiss citizens need 5 years in Switzerland and in the canton, the last 3 of them in the commune. Spouses can apply independently.[1][2][3]
German language: B2 spoken (speaking module) and B1 written (writing, listening and reading), proven by a recognised test such as telc, Goethe, ÖSD, SDS, fide-Test edu, TestDaF or ECL unless the knowledge is obvious. It is obvious if German is your mother tongue, you attended at least 5 years of compulsory school in German or you completed upper-secondary or tertiary education in German. The canton checks the proof before it forwards the application to the commune.[1][2][3][4]
Integration and finances: Respect for public safety and order and for the legal system, secure participation in economic life or education, and support for the integration of spouse and children. No social assistance in the 5 years before the application or during the procedure unless fully repaid; no open debt collections or certificates of unpaid debts from the 5 years before the application until the end of the procedure; no tax, health insurance or fine arrears. Disability, illness and other weighty circumstances are taken into account for language and work.[3][4]
Knowledge test or interview: No cantonal test. Basic knowledge of the geographical, historical, political and social conditions in the commune, the canton and Switzerland is checked by the communal authority through a test or in an interview unless it is obvious. Kreuzlingen: written knowledge test in four areas from age 15, one repeat within six months. Amriswil: 30 questions in 15 minutes, 40 of 50 points, one repeat after three months. Weinfelden: written test, exempt with at least 6 years of primary and lower-secondary school in Switzerland. Frauenfeld and Arbon: basic knowledge test of the naturalisation commission.[1][3][6][7][8][9][10]
Interview and references: A personal interview is normally part of the commune's enquiries. Kreuzlingen questions all included persons from age 12 and spouses not included, asks for four adult Swiss references (two of them in Kreuzlingen), a photo and the reasons for the application, and may make a home visit; before the town council decides, the application is published for ten days, in Weinfelden an objection period of 20 days runs.[1][7][10]
Children and minors: Minor children living with you are normally included; from age 12 the requirements are assessed independently and in an age-appropriate way, from 16 they must declare their will in writing. A minor can apply alone from 16 through the legal representative and co-signs the application.[1][3]
Fees: Canton: CHF 800 per adult, 400 per minor with an application of their own, 300 on withdrawal or dismissal before the federal authorisation; children included with a parent are free. The invoice comes when the application is filed, and without payment the application is dismissed. Federal level: CHF 100 for adults, 150 for married couples, 50 for minors with an application of their own. Communes set their own tariffs: Frauenfeld 780 / 1,550 / 2,350 (youths, single person, couple), Kreuzlingen 600 / 1,300 / 1,800, Amriswil 600 / 1,200 / 1,800. Totals in Frauenfeld 1,230 / 2,450 / 4,100, in Kreuzlingen 1,050 / 2,200 / 3,550.[1][4][6][7][8][12]
Duration: The canton reckons in principle with two and a half years, its FAQ with 2 to 2.5 years, Frauenfeld with one to two years. Because of the high number of applications, the cantonal preliminary check currently takes three to five months.[1][5][6]
Decision and effect: The communal constitution determines whether the communal assembly, the communal parliament, the executive or a naturalisation commission decides on communal citizenship; a refusal must be reasoned and requires a reasoned motion. The Grosser Rat grants cantonal citizenship on the motion of the Department of Justice and Security; with that grant, communal and Swiss citizenship take effect. Decisions of the Grosser Rat can be appealed to the Administrative Court.[1][3][4]
Moving during the procedure: Once the commune has decided, competence stays with it even if you move to another commune or canton; the office makes further enquiries at your new address. Moving abroad voids the procedure.[1][3]

Facts checked on 5 September 2026.

How the knowledge test in Canton Thurgau works

Section 6 of the Thurgau Citizenship Act says it in one sentence: knowledge of local, cantonal and Swiss conditions must be shown by a test or in an interview unless it is obviously present. The ordinance spells out what is meant: basic knowledge of the geographical, historical, political and social conditions in the commune, the canton and Switzerland, participation in social and cultural life and contact with Swiss citizens. The canton itself runs no test; the enquiries are made by the communal authority, usually a naturalisation commission, and it may demand a written test. You are obliged to cooperate and to sit the test if it is demanded.

What the test looks like is up to each commune. Kreuzlingen describes it most precisely in its brochure of October 2025: all included persons from age 15 sit a written knowledge test in the four areas of history, geography, political system and general knowledge, each on Switzerland, Thurgau and the town of Kreuzlingen; each of the three parts must be passed, otherwise the whole test counts as failed, and it can be repeated once within six months (CHF 100). Minors get an age-appropriate test. After the application is filed, the town clerk's office hands out civics material but expressly recommends preparing with books, the internet and newspapers as well. Amriswil requires a written exam on basic knowledge of Switzerland with 30 questions in 15 minutes; it is passed with 40 of 50 points, one repeat is possible after three months, and after a second failure the town council does not support the application. It is based on the HEKS brochure Echo. Informationen zur Schweiz, supplemented by questions on the canton and the town. Weinfelden exempts from the written test anyone who attended at least six years of primary and lower-secondary school in Switzerland; Frauenfeld and Arbon speak of a basic knowledge test of the naturalisation commission with a personal presentation and questioning.

After the test comes the interview everywhere. Kreuzlingen examines the integration of the applicants and their families, invites children from 12 and spouses not included, obtains information from four Swiss references and may make a home visit; Weinfelden asks about supporting the family's integration and about participation in social and cultural life. For preparation, Amriswil points to the course Die Schweiz kennen und verstehen at the vocational training centre in Weinfelden: 13 Thursday evenings or Saturday mornings in standard German for CHF 980 including material, covering the geography of Switzerland and Thurgau, history, civics and politics, the education system, social insurance and taxes. The language certificate, by contrast, you need beforehand: the Office for Commercial Register and Civil Status only forwards your application to the commune once German at B2 spoken and B1 written is proven or obvious.

Our 49 questions on Canton Thurgau follow exactly the areas of the communal tests: the conquest of 1460 and the 343 years as a common lordship, the Act of Mediation of 1803, the Reformation and the mixed-confession parishes, Lake Constance, the Thur and the 80 communes, Frauenfeld and Kreuzlingen, the Grosser Rat with 130 and the cantonal government with 5 members, Mostindien and the Seenachtfest. Four examples are shown below; the federal lessons on federalism, direct democracy, rights and duties and history cover the Switzerland part, and the commune part you learn from the material of your town clerk's office.

Ordinary naturalisation in Canton Thurgau in seven steps

The procedure has three levels: the Office for Commercial Register and Civil Status runs the preliminary check, the commune tests, interviews and grants communal citizenship, the federal government grants the naturalisation authorisation, and the Grosser Rat grants cantonal citizenship. The competent office is the Amt für Handelsregister und Zivilstandswesen, Bahnhofplatz 65, 8510 Frauenfeld, phone +41 58 345 70 77, sekretariat.hz@tg.ch. The office writes to you during the procedure if documents are missing or out of date; the cantonal preliminary check currently takes three to five months.

1
Check the requirements and obtain the language certificate
Check the ten years in Switzerland, the five years in the canton, the last three years in the commune, the C permit, social assistance in the last five years and the debt collection register extract. If German is not your mother tongue and you have neither five years of compulsory school nor upper-secondary or tertiary education in German, take a recognised test (telc, Goethe, ÖSD, SDS, fide-Test edu, TestDaF or ECL) with B2 in speaking and B1 in writing, listening and reading. Frauenfeld, Arbon and other towns offer an advisory meeting beforehand; Kreuzlingen has an anonymous online pre-check.
2
File the application with the Office for Commercial Register and Civil Status
The application form is available from the office or from your commune. You send it with all documents by post to the office in Frauenfeld: the application for the federal naturalisation authorisation, a civil status certificate from Infostar (not older than six months, for each person), copies of the foreigner's permit and passport, residence confirmations from other cantons, a CV, an employment confirmation or school report or apprenticeship contract, proof of self-employment, the language certificate, the signed declaration on respecting public safety and order from age 16, a debt collection register extract from age 16, a tax certificate and a certificate from the social services on the last five years.
3
Cantonal fee and preliminary check
Once the complete application arrives, the office invoices the cantonal fee (CHF 800 per adult, 400 per minor with an application of their own); if it is not paid despite a reminder, the application is dismissed. After payment the office checks the settlement permit, the residence periods, pending criminal proceedings, public safety and order and the language certificate, and forwards the application to the commune. If requirements are obviously not met, you can withdraw or adjust the application; if you insist, it goes to the commune with a statement.
4
Knowledge test and interview in the commune
The communal authority, usually the naturalisation commission, makes the enquiries: documents, references, in Kreuzlingen a possible home visit, the written knowledge test or basic knowledge test and the personal interview of all included persons. The communal fee is due at the latest before the interview, in Frauenfeld CHF 1,550 for a single person, in Kreuzlingen 1,300, in Amriswil 1,200.
5
Public notice and communal decision
In Kreuzlingen the application is published for ten days before the town council deals with it, in Weinfelden an objection period of 20 days runs. Then the body designated by the communal constitution decides, in Kreuzlingen the town council on the motion of the naturalisation commission, in Weinfelden the commission itself. A refusal must be reasoned. The decision goes with the documents to the Office for Commercial Register and Civil Status.
6
Cantonal recommendation and federal authorisation
The office carries out the cantonal review and forwards the communal decision with the canton's recommendation to the State Secretariat for Migration, which grants the federal naturalisation authorisation (CHF 100 for adults, 150 for married couples, 50 for minors with an application of their own). If you withdraw the application before that, the canton charges CHF 300 per person.
7
Grant by the Grosser Rat
Once communal citizenship and the federal authorisation are in, the office makes further enquiries where needed and the Department of Justice and Security tables the motion in the Grosser Rat. If it cannot, it tells you why and you can withdraw the application. With the grant of cantonal citizenship by the Grosser Rat, communal and Swiss citizenship take effect; the office notifies you of the admission, a refusal is notified by the Grosser Rat's bureau and can be appealed to the Administrative Court.

Four sample questions from our Thurgau lessons

This is what the practice questions in our lessons look like. The correct answer is marked and the explanation gives the background.

What was the primary significance of Napoleon's Act of Mediation in 1803 for Thurgau?

It merged Thurgau with neighboring canton St. Gallen
It allowed Thurgau to maintain its subject territory status with minor reforms
It established French as the official language of Thurgau
It created Thurgau as a full and equal Swiss canton for the first timeCorrect answer

Napoleon's Act of Mediation of 1803 made Thurgau a full and equal canton of the Swiss Confederation for the first time. Its 338 years as a subject territory had already ended in 1798, when Thurgau won its freedom and Frauenfeld - the governor's seat since 1499 - became its capital; the Mediation gave the new canton its own constitution and a permanent place among the cantons. Thurgau was one of six cantons the Act created in 1803.

Which body of water forms most of Thurgau's northern border?

Lake Geneva
Lake Lucerne
Lake Constance (Bodensee)Correct answer
Lake Zürich

Lake Constance (Bodensee) forms most of Thurgau's northern border with Germany. The rest is the Rhine at Diessenhofen and a short land border at Kreuzlingen, which adjoins the German city of Konstanz directly — streets there run straight across the border. The lake is shared by three countries: Switzerland (Thurgau, St. Gallen and Schaffhausen), Germany and Austria.

Which statement best describes how Thurgau's towns and villages are organised?

Thurgau's cities are all similar in size and importance, requiring constant rotation of the capital
Thurgau's 80 municipalities form a network of villages and small to medium-sized towns with no single dominant urban centreCorrect answer
Thurgau has three equal urban centers that share governmental responsibilities
Thurgau has a single primate city that governs all other municipalities

Unlike cantons like Zurich (dominated by Zürich city) or Geneva (dominated by Geneva), Thurgau has no single primate city. Instead, it consists of 80 municipalities ranging from small villages to medium-sized towns like Frauenfeld (~26,900), Kreuzlingen (~23,400), Arbon (~16,300) and Amriswil (~15,100). This decentralized urban structure reflects Thurgau's agricultural heritage and historical development as a patchwork of territories rather than a single city-state that grew to dominate surrounding areas.

How many members serve in Thurgau's cantonal parliament (Grosser Rat)?

50 members
200 members
80 members
130 membersCorrect answer

Thurgau's Grosser Rat (Grand Council) consists of 130 representatives elected every four years through proportional representation. This mid-sized parliament reflects the canton's population of about 300,000 residents while ensuring that multiple parties can gain seats based on their actual vote share.

Lessons

Frequently asked questions about the citizenship test in Canton Thurgau

Is there a written citizenship test in Canton Thurgau?

Not a cantonal one, but a communal one in many communes. The act requires basic knowledge of living conditions to be shown by a test or in an interview, and the communal authority decides the form: Kreuzlingen tests in writing in four areas on Switzerland, Thurgau and the town, Amriswil with 30 questions in 15 minutes, Weinfelden in writing with an exemption after six years of school in Switzerland, Frauenfeld and Arbon with a basic knowledge test of the naturalisation commission. A personal interview follows everywhere.

How many points do I need, and can I repeat the test?

The commune decides. In Amriswil you need 40 of 50 points and can repeat the exam once after three months; after a second failure the town council does not support the application. In Kreuzlingen the parts on Switzerland, Thurgau and Kreuzlingen must each be passed, one repeat is possible within six months and costs CHF 100. Other communes publish no scores; ask the town clerk's office.

What level of German does Thurgau require?

B2 spoken and B1 written, one of the highest levels in Switzerland. The proof counts as obvious if German is your mother tongue, you attended at least five years of compulsory school in German or you completed upper-secondary or tertiary education in German. Otherwise you need a recognised test such as telc, Goethe, ÖSD, SDS, fide-Test edu, TestDaF or ECL; the office checks it before forwarding your application to the commune.

How long do I have to live in Thurgau?

Ten years in Switzerland, three of them in the last five, with years between 8 and 18 counting double and at least six actual years. In addition five years in Canton Thurgau in total and the last three years without interruption in your political commune. Registered partners of Swiss citizens need five years in Switzerland and in the canton, the last three of them in the commune.

How much does naturalisation cost in Thurgau?

The canton charges CHF 800 per adult and 400 per minor with an application of their own, payable on filing; children included with a parent are free, and a withdrawal before the federal authorisation costs 300. The federal government charges 100 for adults, 150 for married couples and 50 for minors. The communes set their own fees: Frauenfeld 780, 1,550 or 2,350, Kreuzlingen 600, 1,300 or 1,800, Amriswil 600, 1,200 or 1,800 for youths, single persons and couples. In total a single person pays CHF 2,450 in Frauenfeld and 2,200 in Kreuzlingen; a couple 4,100 or 3,550.

How long does naturalisation take in Thurgau?

The canton reckons in principle with two and a half years, its FAQ with two to two and a half, Frauenfeld with one to two years. The cantonal preliminary check alone currently takes three to five months because of the high number of applications, and at the end the Grosser Rat has to decide on the grant.

Who decides, and what happens after a refusal?

Communal citizenship is decided by the body designated in the communal constitution, that is the communal assembly, communal parliament, executive or naturalisation commission; in Kreuzlingen the town council on the motion of the commission. A refusal must be reasoned and requires a reasoned motion. The federal government grants the naturalisation authorisation and the Grosser Rat grants cantonal citizenship; you can appeal its decision to the Administrative Court.

What applies to children, minors and moving?

Minor children in the same household are normally included, assessed independently and in an age-appropriate way from 12, and from 16 they must declare their will in writing; an application of their own is possible from 16 through the legal representative. Kreuzlingen tests included children in writing from 15 and interviews them from 12. If you move to another commune or canton after the communal decision, competence stays put; moving abroad ends the procedure.

Sources

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