Citizenship test North Rhine-Westphalia: the state questions

Rhine, horse and rose, Düsseldorf not Cologne, green-white-red: the ten NRW questions with answers and English translation, plus a mock exam.

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

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state, and many candidates sit the citizenship test there. Three of its ten questions come up. The coat of arms has three parts: a white wavy line on green for the Rhine, a white horse on red for Westphalia and a rose for Lippe. The state flag is green, white and red. The capital is Düsseldorf, not Cologne, Bonn or Dortmund. The state parliament is elected for five years, and you can vote in municipal elections from 16. The Rhein-Sieg-Kreis is the correct district. On the map NRW lies in the west, bordering the Netherlands and Belgium. The head of government is the Minister-President, and there is no foreign ministry. Information comes from the state agency for civic education. The capital is the most common source of mistakes, because Cologne is larger and Bonn was the former federal capital.

The ten North Rhine-Westphalia questions

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

  1. Nordrhein-Westfalen 1 Welches Wappen gehört zum Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen?Which coat of arms belongs to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia?

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

    1. silberner Schlüssel auf Rot (silver key on red)
    2. weiße Wellenlinie auf Grün, weißes Pferd auf Rot und eine Rose (white wavy line on green, white horse on red and a rose) (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. drei schwarze Löwen übereinander auf Gold (three black lions one above the other on gold)

  2. Nordrhein-Westfalen 2 Welches ist ein Landkreis in Nordrhein-Westfalen?Which is a district (Landkreis) in North Rhine-Westphalia?

    1. Ammerland (Ammerland)
    2. Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (Rhein-Sieg-Kreis) (correct answer)
    3. Nordfriesland (Nordfriesland)
    4. Vogtlandkreis (Vogtlandkreis)

  3. Nordrhein-Westfalen 3 Für wie viele Jahre wird der Landtag in Nordrhein-Westfalen gewählt?For how many years is the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia elected?

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

  4. Nordrhein-Westfalen 4 Ab welchem Alter darf man in Nordrhein-Westfalen bei Kommunalwahlen wählen?From what age may you vote in municipal elections in North Rhine-Westphalia?

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

  5. Nordrhein-Westfalen 5 Welche Farben hat die Landesflagge von Nordrhein-Westfalen?What colours does the state flag of North Rhine-Westphalia have?

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

  6. Nordrhein-Westfalen 6 Wo können Sie sich in Nordrhein-Westfalen über politische Themen informieren?Where can you find information on political topics in North Rhine-Westphalia?

    1. bei den Kirchen (at the churches)
    2. beim Ordnungsamt der Gemeinde (at the municipal public order office)
    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. Nordrhein-Westfalen 7 Die Landeshauptstadt von Nordrhein-Westfalen heißt …The state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia is …

    1. Köln. (Cologne.)
    2. Bonn. (Bonn.)
    3. Düsseldorf. (Düsseldorf.) (correct answer)
    4. Dortmund. (Dortmund.)

  8. Nordrhein-Westfalen 8 Welches Bundesland ist Nordrhein-Westfalen?Which federal state is North Rhine-Westphalia?

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

    1. große Fläche im Nordwesten (large area in the north-west)
    2. Fläche im Westen an Luxemburg und Frankreich (area in the west bordering Luxembourg and France)
    3. Fläche im Westen an den Niederlanden und Belgien (area in the west bordering the Netherlands and Belgium) (correct answer)
    4. Fläche in der Landesmitte, eher westlich (area in the centre of the country, towards the west)

  9. Nordrhein-Westfalen 9 Wie nennt man die Regierungschefin/den Regierungschef in Nordrhein-Westfalen?What is the head of government of North Rhine-Westphalia 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. Nordrhein-Westfalen 10 Welche Ministerin/welchen Minister hat Nordrhein-Westfalen nicht?Which minister does North Rhine-Westphalia 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 coat of arms tells how the state came about. After the war, the northern part of the Prussian Rhine Province and Westphalia were joined into one state, and Lippe followed later. Each part has its own field in the arms. If you know the three emblems, you will not mix up the horse with Lower Saxony’s Saxon steed, which stands alone.

The green, white and red flag takes up the colours of the regions. It appears as an option for other states too, but it is only correct here.

For the capital you have to rule out three well-known names. Cologne is the largest city, Bonn was West Germany’s capital until 1990 and still hosts several federal ministries, and Dortmund is the largest city in Westphalia. Parliament and the state chancellery are in Düsseldorf. The Rhein-Sieg-Kreis surrounds Bonn where the Sieg flows into the Rhine.

After the test

The test is one of several conditions for applying in North Rhine-Westphalia. 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

Is Cologne the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia?

No, the capital is Düsseldorf. Cologne is the state’s largest city and Bonn the former federal capital; both appear as options in the test, as does Dortmund. The state parliament and government, however, sit in Düsseldorf. This question causes the most mistakes in NRW.

What are the three emblems in the North Rhine-Westphalia coat of arms?

A white wavy line on green for the Rhine, a white horse on red for Westphalia and a red rose for Lippe. In the exam the arms appear as a picture. If you see only a horse, you are looking at Lower Saxony’s arms. On this site the pictures are described in words.

What colours is the NRW state flag?

Green, white and red. The other options are red and white, black and gold, and blue, white and red. The three colours go back to the regions from which North Rhine-Westphalia was formed. Remember the order as the catalogue gives it, with green first.

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

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