Between 2003 and 2008, Germany and the Netherlands have replaced informal interviews with local officials by formalised language and knowledge of society tests (‘citizenship tests’) to determine whether long-term resident immigrants have sufficiently integrated to become citizens. In this contribution, the questions of why the citizenship tests were introduced and of which effects these tests have produced in Germany and the Netherlands will be answered. By doing so, the author aims to contribute to answering the question of whether language and cultural requirements can be considered liberal, which, as has been claimed, remains an unresolved issue relating to civic integration policies. Scholars disagree on whether citizenship tests can be justified in the liberal model for citizenship. Liberal minimalists oppose the introduction of requirements barring permanent residents from full-fledged citizenship. Liberal nationalists think citizenship tests can be justified in case they encourage the acquisition of competences that play an important role in creating or sustaining a reasonably just society. The author concludes that proponents of introducing citizenship tests have indeed asserted that these tests are required for prospective citizens to be able to develop the competences that play an important role in creating or sustaining a reasonably just society. Far more important explanations for the introduction of citizenship tests can however be sought in the linking of naturalisation policy to integration policy, and in the desire to promote uniformity in the application of the language and integration requirement as a condition for naturalisation. As regards the effects produced by the tests, the author shows that the tests permanently exclude certain categories of immigrants from becoming full-fledged members of society. The conclusion can therefore be drawn that the citizenship tests applied by Germany and the Netherlands cannot be justified in the liberal model for citizenship.

在2003年至2008年之间，德国和荷兰用正式的语言和社会测验知识（“公民测验”）代替了对当地官员的非正式采访，以确定长期居住的移民是否已充分融入社会以成为公民。在此文稿中，提出了为什么要进行公民身份测试以及其影响的问题这些在德国和荷兰生产的测试将得到答复。通过这样做，作者旨在帮助回答是否可以认为语言和文化要求是自由的问题，正如所声称的那样，这仍然是与公民融合政策有关的未解决问题。学者们在自由主义的公民身份模型中是否可以证明公民身份测验存在分歧。自由派极简主义者反对引入要求禁止永久居民正式公民身份的规定。自由主义民族主义者认为，如果公民身份测验鼓励他们获得能在建立或维持一个合理的公正社会中发挥重要作用的能力，那么就可以进行公民身份测验。作者的结论是，引入公民身份测验的支持者确实断言，这些测验是准公民能够发展在创建或维持合理公正的社会中发挥重要作用的能力的必要条件。但是，可以在将入籍政策与融合政策联系起来，并希望提高语言应用的统一性和融合要求作为入籍的条件时，寻求关于引入公民身份测验的更为重要的解释。关于测试产生的影响，作者表明测试永久排除了某些类别的移民成为正式的社会成员。