Which Countries Have a Citizenship Test? A Country-by-Country Overview

Short answer: of the 178 countries covered on this site, 15 run an official citizenship knowledge test with a published, standardised format: the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Mexico. A further group (for example Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and South Korea) assesses knowledge at an interview or through locally set exams with no single public question format. Most of the world’s countries have no citizenship knowledge test at all and naturalise on residence, language and good character.

Rules change often, so treat this as a starting point and always check the official authority in your country before you apply. Every country below links to its own page, which explains the requirements, links to the official source and shows when it was last reviewed.

The 15 countries with an official, published citizenship test

These are the tests you can prepare for with a fixed format: a known number of questions, a time limit and a pass mark. See our side-by-side comparison of all 15.

Countries that test knowledge without a single published format

These countries require applicants to show knowledge of the country, but there is no standard public question list or fixed national format, so we publish requirement pages rather than official-format practice tests for them:

• Switzerland: integration and knowledge are assessed by the canton and commune, often with a locally written test or interview.
• Greece: a written examination on language, history, geography, culture and institutions, run periodically by the Ministry of the Interior.
• Hungary: a written paper and an oral exam in constitutional studies (alkotmányos alapismeretek), in Hungarian, with a fee set at half the monthly minimum wage.
• Latvia and Lithuania: language tests combined with questions on the Constitution, history and the national anthem.
• South Korea: completion of the Korea Immigration and Integration Program or a written naturalisation test, plus an interview.
• Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica and Panama: exams or interviews on history, geography and the Constitution, set by the national authority.

Three more countries run formal tests with a published structure: Taiwan (20 questions from a public bank, oral or written, pass mark 70, 60 or 50 depending on the route), Kazakhstan (a 100-point test of Kazakh, the Constitution and history, pass mark 50, since October 2024) and Luxembourg (a 40-question “Vivre ensemble” exam, or a 24-hour course instead, plus the Luxembourgish Sproochentest).

Sweden introduced a citizenship knowledge test on 6 June 2026 (the first sitting was on 15 August 2026, with the question bank unpublished), and New Zealand has announced one for 2027; the Sweden and New Zealand pages track the official status.

Countries that mainly test language

Some countries do not have a separate civics test but require proof of language skills:

• Italy: Italian at B1 level for citizenship by residence or marriage.
• Poland: Polish at B1 level with a state certificate.
• Belgium: Dutch, French or German at A2 level, plus proof of integration.
• Portugal: Portuguese at A2 level.
• Brazil: proof of Portuguese communication skills.
• Finland: Finnish or Swedish language skills.

Countries with an interview instead of a test

In countries such as Japan, Malaysia, Turkey and Romania, applicants are assessed at an interview, where an official checks language ability and sometimes knowledge of the country.

Countries with no citizenship test

Many countries naturalise residents based on residence, character and other conditions, without a knowledge test. Examples include Ireland, Singapore, India, South Africa and Argentina. New citizens in these countries often attend a ceremony or orientation programme instead.

Every country by region: official test or not

The list below is generated from our country pages, so it stays in step with each page’s last review.

Countries covered: 178 · With an official test: 14 · Without a published test: 164. Figures update automatically as country pages are reviewed.

Africa (0 with an official test, 51 without a published test)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Asia (0 with an official test, 28 without a published test)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam.

English-speaking (4 with an official test, 2 without a published test)

Official citizenship knowledge test:

• Australia (Australian Citizenship Test: 20 questions, pass 75% and all 5 values questions)
• Canada (Canadian Citizenship Test: 20 questions, pass 15 of 20 correct)
• United Kingdom (Life in the UK Test: 24 questions, pass 18 of 24 correct)
• United States (Naturalization Civics Test (2025 version): 20 questions, pass 12 of 20 correct)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Ireland, New Zealand.

Europe (9 with an official test, 38 without a published test)

Official citizenship knowledge test:

• Austria (Staatsbürgerschaftsprüfung: 18 questions, pass Half the points per area, or 2/3 overall)
• Czech Republic (Zkouška z českých reálií: 30 questions, pass 18 of 30 correct)
• Denmark (Indfødsretsprøven: 45 questions, pass 36 of 45, incl. 4 of 5 values questions)
• Estonia (Exam on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act: 24 questions, pass 18 of 24 correct)
• France (Examen civique: 40 questions, pass 32 of 40 correct)
• Germany (Einbürgerungstest (Leben in Deutschland): 33 questions, pass 17 of 33 correct)
• Netherlands (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij (KNM): 40 questions, pass 70%)
• Norway (Statsborgerprøven: 36 questions, pass 24 of 32 scored questions)
• Spain (Prueba CCSE (Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España): 25 questions, pass 15 of 25 correct)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

Latin America & Caribbean (1 with an official test, 29 without a published test)

Official citizenship knowledge test:

• Mexico (Examen de historia y cultura de México: 10 questions, pass 8 of 10 correct)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Middle East (0 with an official test, 12 without a published test)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Oceania (0 with an official test, 4 without a published test)

No published citizenship knowledge test (naturalisation usually relies on residence, language and good-character requirements; each page explains the rules and links to the official source): Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu.

Why do countries use citizenship tests?

Governments say tests encourage new citizens to learn about the country’s institutions, history and shared values, so they can take part fully in public life. Critics argue that tests can be a barrier for people with less formal education. Either way, if your country requires one, good preparation makes a real difference to your chances.

How to find your country’s rules

1. Find our page for your country on the countries list.
2. Follow the link to the official government source.
3. Check whether you need a civics test, a language test, or both. See citizenship test vs language test.