Citizenship test Bavaria: the state questions

White and blue lozenges, Munich, voting age 18: the ten Bavaria questions with answers and translation, plus a mock exam with questions about the Free State.

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Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · BAMF question catalogue of 7 May 2025 · laws checked on 22 October 2026

In Bavaria, the citizenship test includes three questions about the Free State, drawn from ten. The coat of arms is the one with white and blue lozenges, the state flag is white and blue, and the capital is Munich, not Nuremberg, Regensburg or Ingolstadt. In municipal elections, Bavarians can only vote from 18; many other states lowered that age to 16, which makes this question tricky. The state parliament is elected for five years. The head of government is the Minister-President, and there is no foreign ministry. Political information comes from the state agency for civic education. Altötting is the correct district, and on the map Bavaria is the largest area, in the far south-east. If you live in Bavaria, make sure you know the voting age and the capital, because that is where most mistakes happen.

The ten Bavaria questions

The correct answer is marked, with our translation; picture questions are described in words.

  1. Bayern 1 Welches Wappen gehört zum Freistaat Bayern?Which coat of arms belongs to the Free State of Bavaria?

    Shown as a picture in the test; described in words here.

    1. drei schwarze Löwen übereinander auf Gold (three black lions one above the other on gold)
    2. weiß-blaue Rauten (white and blue lozenges) (correct answer)
    3. schwarz-gold gestreift mit Rautenkranz, oben ein schwarzer Adler, unten ein schwarzer Bär auf einer Mauer (black and gold stripes with a crancelin, a black eagle above and a black bear on a wall below)
    4. Stierkopf und roter Greif auf Gold und Weiß (bull’s head and red griffin on gold and white)

  2. Bayern 2 Welches ist ein Landkreis in Bayern?Which is a district (Landkreis) in Bavaria?

    1. Prignitz (Prignitz)
    2. Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (Rhein-Sieg-Kreis)
    3. Nordfriesland (Nordfriesland)
    4. Altötting (Altötting) (correct answer)

  3. Bayern 3 Für wie viele Jahre wird der Landtag in Bayern gewählt?For how many years is the state parliament of Bavaria elected?

    1. 3 (3)
    2. 4 (4)
    3. 5 (5) (correct answer)
    4. 6 (6)

  4. Bayern 4 Ab welchem Alter darf man in Bayern bei Kommunalwahlen wählen?From what age may you vote in municipal elections in Bavaria?

    1. 14 (14)
    2. 16 (16)
    3. 18 (18) (correct answer)
    4. 20 (20)

  5. Bayern 5 Welche Farben hat die Landesflagge von Bayern?What colours does the state flag of Bavaria have?

    1. blau-weiß-rot (blue, white and red)
    2. weiß-blau (white and blue) (correct answer)
    3. grün-weiß-rot (green, white and red)
    4. schwarz-gelb (black and yellow)

  6. Bayern 6 Wo können Sie sich in Bayern über politische Themen informieren?Where can you find information on political topics in Bavaria?

    1. beim Ordnungsamt der Gemeinde (at the municipal public order office)
    2. bei der Landeszentrale für politische Bildung (at the state agency for civic education (Landeszentrale für politische Bildung)) (correct answer)
    3. bei der Verbraucherzentrale (at the consumer advice centre)
    4. bei den Kirchen (at the churches)

  7. Bayern 7 Die Landeshauptstadt von Bayern heißt …The state capital of Bavaria is …

    1. Ingolstadt. (Ingolstadt.)
    2. Regensburg. (Regensburg.)
    3. Nürnberg. (Nürnberg.)
    4. München. (Munich.) (correct answer)

  8. Bayern 8 Welches Bundesland ist Bayern?Which federal state is Bavaria?

    Shown as a picture in the test; described in words here.

    1. Fläche in der Landesmitte, eher westlich (area in the centre of the country, towards the west)
    2. Fläche ganz im Südwesten, an Frankreich und der Schweiz (area in the far south-west, bordering France and Switzerland)
    3. Fläche in der Landesmitte, eher östlich (area in the centre of the country, towards the east)
    4. größte Fläche, ganz im Südosten (largest area, in the far south-east) (correct answer)

  9. Bayern 9 Wie nennt man die Regierungschefin/den Regierungschef in Bayern?What is the head of government of Bavaria called?

    1. Erste Ministerin/Erster Minister (First Minister)
    2. Premierministerin/Premierminister (Prime Minister)
    3. Bürgermeisterin/Bürgermeister (mayor)
    4. Ministerpräsidentin/Ministerpräsident (Minister-President (Ministerpräsident)) (correct answer)

  10. Bayern 10 Welche Ministerin/welchen Minister hat Bayern nicht?Which minister does Bavaria not have?

    1. Justizministerin/Justizminister (justice minister)
    2. Außenministerin/Außenminister (foreign minister) (correct answer)
    3. Finanzministerin/Finanzminister (finance minister)
    4. Innenministerin/Innenminister (interior minister)

Behind the answers

The lozenges in the Bavarian arms come from the Wittelsbach dynasty, which ruled the land for centuries. In the exam the arms appear next to three others, including Saxony-Anhalt’s, whose description also mentions a crancelin. Bavaria’s lozenges, though, are a pattern rather than a wreath, and they are white and blue.

Bavaria calls itself a Free State, an older word for republic; constitutionally it is a federal state like any other. The minister question shows it: the Free State has no foreign ministry. On the map, size helps, since Bavaria is the largest state by area and lies in the south-east, bordering Austria and the Czech Republic.

In the district question, names from other states are the decoys: Prignitz is in Brandenburg, the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia and Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein. Altötting lies in eastern Upper Bavaria, near the Austrian border.

After the test

The test is one of several conditions for applying in Bavaria. The tool works out when the others are met:

Earliest application

Earliest application

January 2027

Deadline (s. 10 StAG: 5 years’ residence)January 2027
Length of residencefrom January 2027
Residence titlemet
Livelihoodmet
Check every requirement →

The 300 general questions are in the question catalogue; to book, see booking the citizenship test.

Common questions

From what age can you vote in local elections in Bavaria?

From 18. Bavaria is one of the states that has not lowered the voting age for municipal and district elections to 16. Because many learners have 16 in mind from other states, this is a common mistake. In the catalogue, the correct answer for Bavaria is 18.

What colours is the Bavarian state flag in the test?

White and blue. The other options are blue, white and red; green, white and red; and black and yellow. Bavaria also has a flag with the lozenge pattern, and both versions are white and blue. Remember the order as the catalogue gives it: white first.

Which district belongs to Bavaria in the citizenship test?

Altötting. The other options are Prignitz in Brandenburg, the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia and Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein. Altötting lies in Upper Bavaria on the Austrian border and is known as a pilgrimage town. If you can place the other three, you find the answer without any geography.

Keep going

All questions with answers

The 300 general questions, by topic, with answers

Booking the test

Test centres, the 25 € fee, what happens on the day

Brandenburg

Capital Potsdam: the 10 state questions with answers

North Rhine-Westphalia

Capital Düsseldorf: the 10 state questions with answers

Official sources for this page

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