Citizenship test Hamburg: the state questions

White castle on red, First Mayor, Altona: the ten Hamburg questions with answers and English translation, plus a mock exam for the city-state.

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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

Hamburg is a city-state whose full name is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and the citizenship test asks three questions about it. The coat of arms shows a white castle with three towers on red, and the state flag is white and red. The state parliament is called the Bürgerschaft and is elected for five years. The head of government is the First Mayor; the government itself is the Senate, and there is no senator for foreign relations. In municipal elections, meaning the elections to the district assemblies, you can vote from 16. Altona is a Hamburg district, while Hemelingen belongs to Bremen and Pankow to Berlin. On the map Hamburg is the small spot in the north on the Elbe. Information comes from the state agency for civic education. If asked which state is a city-state, answer Hamburg.

The ten Hamburg questions

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

  1. Hamburg 1 Welches Wappen gehört zur Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg?Which coat of arms belongs to the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg?

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

    1. weißes springendes Pferd auf Rot (white leaping horse on red)
    2. weiße Burg mit drei Türmen auf Rot (white castle with three towers on red) (correct answer)
    3. weiße Wellenlinie auf Grün, weißes Pferd auf Rot und eine Rose (white wavy line on green, white horse on red and a rose)
    4. 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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

  5. Hamburg 5 Welche Farben hat die Landesflagge von Hamburg?What colours does the state flag of Hamburg 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-gelb (black and yellow)

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

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

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

    1. Hamburg (Hamburg) (correct answer)
    2. Sachsen (Saxony)
    3. Bayern (Bavaria)
    4. Thüringen (Thuringia)

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

    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) (correct answer)
    4. kleiner Fleck im Osten, mitten in einer größeren Fläche (small spot in the east, in the middle of a larger area)

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

    1. Ministerpräsidentin/Ministerpräsident (Minister-President (Ministerpräsident))
    2. Erste Bürgermeisterin/Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor (Erster Bürgermeister)) (correct answer)
    3. Regierende Senatorin/Regierender Senator (Governing Senator)
    4. Oberbürgermeisterin/Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor (Oberbürgermeister))

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

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

Behind the answers

Hamburg’s questions resemble Berlin’s and Bremen’s, and that is exactly the difficulty. All three city-states have a Senate instead of a government of ministers, but each gives its head of government a different title. In Hamburg it is the First Mayor, and the word “First” is the one to remember.

The castle in the arms stands for the city itself, with a wall and three towers. Bremen’s arms are also red but show a key. Both city-states use red and white flags; the catalogue gives white and red for Hamburg.

The district question tests whether you can tell Hamburg from the other city-states. Altona, in the west of the city, is one of Hamburg’s seven districts. The Mecklenburgische Seenplatte is not a city district at all but a rural district in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

After the test

The test is one of several conditions for applying in Hamburg. 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 Hamburg’s head of government called in the citizenship test?

First Mayor (Erste Bürgermeisterin or Erster Bürgermeister). Governing Mayor is the Berlin title, President of the Senate the Bremen one, and Minister-President the title in the territorial states. In Hamburg the First Mayor leads the Senate, the city-state’s government, and only that answer counts.

What do you elect in Hamburg’s local elections?

The district assemblies of the seven districts, such as Altona. Because Hamburg is both a state and a municipality, there are no town councils as in the territorial states. The voting age for the district assemblies is 16, which is also the correct answer in the catalogue.

Which coat of arms belongs to Hamburg in the test?

A white castle with three towers on a red background. The other arms in the test include the Bremen key, the Berlin bear and arms of territorial states. On this site the picture is described in words. Remember: Hamburg a castle, Bremen a key, both on red.

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

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Capital Schwerin: the 10 state questions with answers

Saxony-Anhalt

Capital Magdeburg: the 10 state questions with answers

Official sources for this page

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As of 2026, laws and question catalogue checked on