Citizenship test Berlin: the state questions

Black bear, Governing Mayor, Pankow district: the ten Berlin questions with answers and English translation, plus a mock exam for the city-state.

Question 1 of 33 · Nr. 105

Was ist eine Aufgabe von Wahlhelferinnen/Wahlhelfern in Deutschland?

What is one task of election helpers in Germany?

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

Berlin is a city-state, and that is exactly what the citizenship test asks: which federal state is a city-state? The answer is Berlin, not Brandenburg, Hesse or Saarland. The coat of arms shows a black bear on white, and the state flag is white and red. Instead of a Landtag there is the House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus), elected for five years; instead of a Minister-President, the Governing Mayor leads the government, and instead of ministries there are Senate departments headed by senators. Berlin has no senator for foreign relations. You can vote for the district assemblies, the local parliaments of the twelve boroughs, from 16. Pankow is a Berlin borough, whereas Altona belongs to Hamburg. On the map Berlin is the small spot in the east, surrounded by Brandenburg. Information comes from the state agency for civic education.

The ten Berlin questions

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

  1. Berlin 1 Welches Wappen gehört zum Bundesland Berlin?Which coat of arms belongs to the state of Berlin?

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

    1. weiße Burg mit drei Türmen auf Rot (white castle with three towers on red)
    2. silberner Schlüssel auf Rot (silver key on red)
    3. rot-weiß gestreifter Löwe auf Blau (red and white striped lion on blue)
    4. schwarzer Bär auf Weiß (black bear on white) (correct answer)

  2. Berlin 2 Welches ist ein Bezirk von Berlin?Which is a borough (Bezirk) of Berlin?

    1. Altona (Altona)
    2. Prignitz (Prignitz)
    3. Pankow (Pankow) (correct answer)
    4. Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (Mecklenburgische Seenplatte)

  3. Berlin 3 Für wie viele Jahre wird das Landesparlament in Berlin gewählt?For how many years is the state parliament of Berlin elected?

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

  4. Berlin 4 Ab welchem Alter darf man in Berlin bei Kommunalwahlen (Wahl der Bezirksverordnetenversammlung) wählen?From what age may you vote in municipal elections in Berlin (election of the borough assemblies)?

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

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

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

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

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

  7. Berlin 7 Welches Bundesland ist ein Stadtstaat?Which German state is a city state?

    1. Berlin (Berlin) (correct answer)
    2. Saarland (Saarland)
    3. Brandenburg (Brandenburg)
    4. Hessen (Hesse)

  8. Berlin 8 Welches Bundesland ist Berlin?Which federal state is Berlin?

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

    1. kleiner Fleck im Nordwesten an der Weser (small spot in the north-west on the Weser)
    2. kleine Fläche ganz im Südwesten an Frankreich (small area in the far south-west bordering France)
    3. kleiner Fleck im Norden an der Elbe (small spot in the north on the Elbe)
    4. kleiner Fleck im Osten, mitten in einer größeren Fläche (small spot in the east, in the middle of a larger area) (correct answer)

  9. Berlin 9 Wie nennt man die Regierungschefin/den Regierungschef des Stadtstaates Berlin?What is the head of government of the city state of Berlin called?

    1. Ministerpräsidentin/Ministerpräsident (Minister-President (Ministerpräsident))
    2. Oberbürgermeisterin/Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor (Oberbürgermeister))
    3. Präsidentin/Präsident des Senates (President of the Senate (Präsident des Senats))
    4. Regierende Bürgermeisterin/Regierender Bürgermeister (Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister)) (correct answer)

  10. Berlin 10 Welche Senatorin/welchen Senator hat Berlin nicht?Which senator does Berlin not have?

    1. Finanzsenatorin/Finanzsenator (finance senator)
    2. Innensenatorin/Innensenator (interior senator)
    3. Senatorin/Senator für Außenbeziehungen (senator for foreign relations) (correct answer)
    4. Justizsenatorin/Justizsenator (justice senator)

Behind the answers

Berlin’s questions differ from those of the territorial states mainly in their terms. Where other states have a Landtag, a Minister-President and ministers, Berlin has the Abgeordnetenhaus, a Governing Mayor and senators. The exam mixes these terms deliberately with those of Hamburg and Bremen. Keep them apart: in Hamburg the head of government is the First Mayor, in Bremen the President of the Senate.

The bear has been the city’s emblem since the Middle Ages. The picture shows it upright, black, with a red tongue, on a white shield. The wrong options show other animals or other colours.

For the borough question it helps to know the neighbours: Altona is in Hamburg, Prignitz in Brandenburg, the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Pankow, in the north of Berlin, is the only correct choice.

After the test

The test is one of several conditions for applying in Berlin. 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

What is Berlin’s head of government called in the citizenship test?

Governing Mayor (Regierende Bürgermeisterin or Regierender Bürgermeister). The options First Mayor and President of the Senate belong to Hamburg and Bremen, and Minister-President to the territorial states. Berlin is both a state and a city, so its head of government is a mayor with the added title “governing”.

How long is the Berlin House of Representatives elected for?

Five years. The Abgeordnetenhaus is Berlin’s state parliament, the equivalent of a Landtag elsewhere. The test asks about the term of the state parliament, and the answer is five. Only Bremen has a shorter term, four years, so do not mix the two city-states up.

What do you elect in Berlin’s local elections from age 16?

The district assemblies (Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen). Each of Berlin’s twelve boroughs has its own local parliament, and the voting age for it is 16. That is exactly how the catalogue phrases the question, so 16 is the answer to tick for Berlin.

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

Bremen

Capital Bremen: the 10 state questions with answers

Rhineland-Palatinate

Capital Mainz: the 10 state questions with answers

Official sources for this page

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As of 2026, laws and question catalogue checked on