Citizenship test Rhineland-Palatinate: the state questions

Cross, wheel and lion, Mainz, voting age 18: the ten Rhineland-Palatinate questions with answers and English translation, plus a mock exam.

Question 1 of 33 · Nr. 105

Was ist eine Aufgabe von Wahlhelferinnen/Wahlhelfern in Deutschland?

What is one task of election helpers in Germany?

Your score

0 / 33

0 answered

Pass mark: 17 of 33 correct, 60 minutes.

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

If you sit the citizenship test in Rhineland-Palatinate, three questions will be about your state. The coat of arms unites three historical territories: a red cross for Trier, a white wheel for Mainz and a golden lion for the Palatinate, on black. The state flag is black, red and gold with the state arms. The capital is Mainz, not Koblenz, Kaiserslautern or Ludwigshafen. According to the catalogue, you can only vote in municipal elections from 18. The state parliament is elected for five years. The Westerwaldkreis is the correct district. On the map Rhineland-Palatinate lies in the west, bordering Luxembourg and France. The head of government is the Minister-President, and there is no foreign ministry. Information comes from the state agency for civic education. Voting age and coat of arms are the questions where learning pays off most.

The ten Rhineland-Palatinate questions

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

  1. Rheinland-Pfalz 1 Welches Wappen gehört zum Bundesland Rheinland-Pfalz?Which coat of arms belongs to the state of Rhineland-Palatinate?

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

    1. rotes Kreuz, weißes Rad und goldener Löwe auf Schwarz (red cross, white wheel and golden lion on black) (correct answer)
    2. weiße Burg mit drei Türmen auf Rot (white castle with three towers on red)
    3. rot-weiß gestreifter Löwe mit acht weißen Sternen auf Blau (red and white striped lion with eight white stars on blue)
    4. zwei blaue Löwen auf Gold und ein weißes Nesselblatt auf Rot (two blue lions on gold and a white nettle leaf on red)

  2. Rheinland-Pfalz 2 Welches ist ein Landkreis in Rheinland-Pfalz?Which is a district (Landkreis) in Rhineland-Palatinate?

    1. Westerwaldkreis (Westerwaldkreis) (correct answer)
    2. Altötting (Altötting)
    3. Emsland (Emsland)
    4. Prignitz (Prignitz)

  3. Rheinland-Pfalz 3 Für wie viele Jahre wird der Landtag in Rheinland-Pfalz gewählt?For how many years is the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate elected?

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

  4. Rheinland-Pfalz 4 Ab welchem Alter darf man in Rheinland-Pfalz bei Kommunalwahlen wählen?From what age may you vote in municipal elections in Rhineland-Palatinate?

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

  5. Rheinland-Pfalz 5 Welche Farben hat die Landesflagge von Rheinland-Pfalz?What colours does the state flag of Rhineland-Palatinate have?

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

  6. Rheinland-Pfalz 6 Wo können Sie sich in Rheinland-Pfalz über politische Themen informieren?Where can you find information on political topics in Rhineland-Palatinate?

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

  7. Rheinland-Pfalz 7 Die Landeshauptstadt von Rheinland-Pfalz heißt …The state capital of Rhineland-Palatinate is …

    1. Mainz. (Mainz.) (correct answer)
    2. Kaiserslautern. (Kaiserslautern.)
    3. Ludwigshafen. (Ludwigshafen.)
    4. Koblenz. (Koblenz.)

  8. Rheinland-Pfalz 8 Welches Bundesland ist Rheinland-Pfalz?Which federal state is Rhineland-Palatinate?

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

    1. Fläche im Westen an Luxemburg und Frankreich (area in the west bordering Luxembourg and France) (correct answer)
    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 westlich (area in the centre of the country, towards the west)
    4. größte Fläche, ganz im Südosten (largest area, in the far south-east)

  9. Rheinland-Pfalz 9 Wie nennt man die Regierungschefin/den Regierungschef in Rheinland-Pfalz?What is the head of government of Rhineland-Palatinate 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. Rheinland-Pfalz 10 Welche Ministerin/welchen Minister hat Rheinland-Pfalz nicht?Which minister does Rhineland-Palatinate 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

Rhineland-Palatinate was created in 1946 from territories that had never belonged together, and the arms show it clearly. The cross comes from the Electorate of Trier, the wheel from the Electorate of Mainz and the lion from the Electoral Palatinate. Above them sits a crown of vine leaves, a nod to the state’s wine regions. In the test it is the only arms with these three emblems.

The flag shows the federal colours with the arms in the upper corner. Because Lower Saxony and Saarland follow the same pattern, black, red and gold is correct for all three.

For the voting age, the catalogue gives 18 for Rhineland-Palatinate. Even if you have read about plans to lower it, tick the catalogue’s answer in the test. The Westerwaldkreis lies in the north of the state; Emsland, Altötting and Prignitz belong to Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Brandenburg.

After the test

The test is one of several conditions for applying in Rhineland-Palatinate. 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 the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate?

Mainz. The test also offers Kaiserslautern, Ludwigshafen and Koblenz. Ludwigshafen is the big industrial city and Koblenz sits where the Moselle meets the Rhine, but the state parliament and government are in Mainz on the Rhine, opposite Wiesbaden. Tick Mainz.

What do the cross, wheel and lion in the Rhineland-Palatinate arms mean?

They stand for the three old electorates whose lands formed the state: the red cross for Trier, the white wheel for Mainz and the golden lion for the Palatinate. In the exam the arms appear as a picture; on this site they are described in words instead.

From what age can you vote in local elections in Rhineland-Palatinate?

From 18, according to the question catalogue. Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the states where sixteen-year-olds do not vote in municipal and district elections. Tick 18 in the test. If the law changes, BAMF will update the catalogue and we will follow the new version.

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

Saxony

Capital Dresden: the 10 state questions with answers

Berlin

Capital Berlin: the 10 state questions with answers

Official sources for this page

Prepared by

Publisher of an independent practice tool for the German citizenship test and naturalisation timeline

Updated on · Editorial policy · Contact

As of 2026, laws and question catalogue checked on