Country guide · France

French citizenship by naturalisation: living in France

Citizenship-by-Descent.com·Last reviewed November 2026

Educational information only — not legal advice. Always verify with the relevant authority, consulate or registry office.

If you live in France, you can apply to become French after 5 years of residence, or 2 years if you studied at a French university. France lets you keep your current citizenship. Naturalisation is granted by decree and is a favour, not a right: the government can say no even when you meet every condition. The bar went up for applications filed from 1 January 2026, with French at B2 and a new civic exam, and since May 2025 prefectures have been told to look hard at your work record and income.

If you have French ancestry, check that first. You may already be French through a parent or grandparent; see our French citizenship by descent guide. And if the 50-year rule has ended your family’s claim, a declaration under Article 21-14 may be a better route than naturalisation (see below).

The rules at a glance

  • Residence: 5 years of habitual residence in France before you apply, or 2 years in some cases. You must still live in France when the decree is signed.
  • Status: a valid residence permit when you apply (EU, EEA and Swiss citizens excepted).
  • Language: French at B2, spoken and written.
  • Civic exam: 40 questions, 32 needed to pass, before you file.
  • Work and money: stable and sufficient resources, from a proven professional integration.
  • Fee: EUR 255.
  • Decision time in law: 18 months, or 12 after 10 years in France, plus one possible 3-month extension.
  • Dual citizenship: allowed.

Who qualifies

Under Articles 21-15 to 21-27 of the Code civil, you can apply if you:

  • are at least 18 (service-public.fr says you can file from 17);
  • have had your habitual residence in France for the 5 years before you apply, and still live there when the decree is signed;
  • have the centre of your interests in France: service-public.fr says your work and your family ties must be there, and living in France while your spouse or children stay abroad can lead to refusal;
  • hold a valid residence permit when you apply, if you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen;
  • are of good character and have not been sentenced to 6 months or more in prison without suspension, or convicted of terrorism or an offence against the nation’s fundamental interests, unless the conviction has been cleared;
  • are not under an expulsion order or a ban from French territory, and are not in France illegally;
  • show your assimilation: French at B2, knowledge of French history, culture and society, of the rights and duties of a French citizen, and adherence to the Republic’s essential principles and values; and
  • have stable and sufficient income for yourself and your tax household.

When 2 years is enough, or none

Article 21-18 cuts the 5 years to 2 years if you:

  • have successfully completed 2 years of higher education in France toward a degree from a French university or other French higher-education institution;
  • have given, or can give, important services to France through your abilities and talents; or
  • have an exceptional record of integration in civic, scientific, economic, cultural or sports life.

For most applicants the first one is the realistic shortcut: a French master’s degree, for example, can bring you to the application stage much sooner. The others are decided case by case.

No minimum residence applies (Articles 21-19 and 21-20) if you served in a French army unit or volunteered in wartime, have given exceptional services to France, are a recognised refugee, or come from a French-speaking country and have French as your mother tongue or 5 years of schooling in French. Article 21-26 also counts some time abroad as residence in France, for example working for the French state.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

A decree of 15 July 2025 (no. 2025-648) rewrote parts of the naturalisation procedure. Some changes applied straight away, from 18 July 2025, to every file not yet decided: the prefect can refuse without an interview, the ministry can order extra enquiries, and appeals must go through the same online service. Two changes apply only to applications filed from 1 January 2026:

  • French at B2 instead of B1, spoken and written; and
  • a civic exam, whose pass certificate must be part of your file.

Article 21-24 of the Code civil, in the version in force since 1 January 2026, also spells out that assimilation includes adherence to the Republic’s essential principles and values, and that you sign the charte des droits et devoirs du citoyen français after the assimilation check. In practice you sign it at the end of your interview.

Separately, a circular from the Interior Minister dated 2 May 2025, applied from 5 May 2025, told prefects that naturalisation is a favour granted by the state and asked them to check for a proven professional integration giving stable and sufficient resources, exemplary conduct (including respect for immigration law) and a good command of French. The circular is not a law, but it guides how files are judged. We could read only its official summary; press reports of exact contract lengths aren’t confirmed here.

This matters for people who retire to France from abroad. In January 2026 a French senator told the Senate that retirees whose pensions are paid from their home country were being refused under the circular. The Interior Minister replied that he would look at those cases but would not revise it, and that prefectures should not go beyond its letter. If you live on a pension from abroad (US Social Security, for example), get advice before applying.

The B2 French requirement

Service-public.fr lists these proofs: the French brevet, a French state diploma or registered professional certification at level 3 or higher, any diploma showing at least B2, or a TCF (France Éducation International) or TEF (Paris chamber of commerce) result less than 2 years old. You are exempt only if a disability or chronic health condition makes testing impossible (with a medical certificate), or if you are a refugee or stateless person over 70 who has lived in France for 15 years. There is no general age exemption. Our language requirements guide compares France with other countries.

The civic exam

Service-public.fr describes it this way:

  • a multiple-choice test in French, taken on screen at a centre approved by France Éducation International or the Paris chamber of commerce;
  • 40 questions, some on knowledge and some on practical situations, in 45 minutes;
  • 32 correct answers to pass;
  • four topics: key moments of French history; the Republic’s principles, symbols and institutions; the rights and duties of citizens; and France’s place in Europe and the world.

The Interior Ministry publishes the list of knowledge questions, and the livret du citoyen is the official study guide. Cheating gets you banned from the exam for 2 years. Adjustments, or an exemption, are available for a disability or health condition with a medical certificate. Pass the exam before you file.

Documents

The online service gives you a personal list. Expect, among other things:

  • your long-form birth certificate, apostilled, and proof of your marital status and of any children;
  • your passport and residence permit;
  • proof of habitual residence in France for the last 5 years;
  • your French tax notices for the last 3 years and a tax situation statement (form P. 237) less than 3 months old, plus proof of income: employment contract, recent payslips and work certificates if you are employed, or pension statements if you are retired;
  • your B2 proof and civic exam certificate; and
  • a criminal record from each foreign country you lived in if you have been in France for less than 10 years. For the US, that means an FBI background check.

Foreign documents must be translated by an approved translator (a traducteur agréé), and some need an apostille. See our apostille guide and translation guide. Bring the originals to the interview.

Applying, step by step

  1. Pass the civic exam and a B2 test, or gather your diploma.
  2. File online on the Interior Ministry’s platform for foreigners (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr), logging in with FranceConnect or your residence permit number. You upload scans or phone photos. A paper form (cerfa 12753) is allowed only if you can show you can’t file online.
  3. Pay the EUR 255 tax stamp.
  4. Get your receipt. The récépissé is issued once your file is complete, and the legal clock starts then.
  5. Attend the interview at the prefecture, with your originals. An official checks your assimilation and writes a report, and you sign the charter of rights and duties. Missing it without good reason can close your file.
  6. Wait for the decision. The authorities check your tax and social record and criminal records. The decision is due within 18 months of the receipt, or 12 months if you have lived in France for at least 10 years, extendable once by 3 months. Track it and report any change in your personal space.
  7. Find your decree in the Journal officiel. You are French from the date the decree is signed, and minor children living with you who are named in it become French too.
  8. Attend the welcome ceremony, which the prefect must organise within 6 months, where you receive the charter.

Neither the Code civil nor service-public.fr says what happens if the deadline passes with no answer, so ask a lawyer if your file runs over.

If the answer is no

The prefect can declare your application inadmissible (you can reapply once you qualify), postpone it for a set period, or reject it. A rejected application refiled within 5 years can be turned down without a new review unless your situation has changed. You have 2 months to appeal to the minister, through the online service if you filed online. If the minister says no, or doesn’t answer within 4 months, you have 2 more months to go to the administrative court in Nantes. A decree can also be withdrawn within 2 years if you didn’t meet the conditions, or within 2 years of the discovery of fraud.

French ancestry? Look at Article 21-14 first

Many people abroad with a French grandparent or great-grandparent find that the 50-year rule (Article 30-3) stops them proving French nationality by descent. For them, Article 21-14 offers a separate route: people who lost French nationality under Article 23-6, or who are barred by Article 30-3, can claim it by declaration if they have kept or acquired manifest cultural, professional, economic or family ties with France, or served in the French army or fought in French or allied forces in wartime.

Unlike naturalisation, Article 21-14 doesn’t require you to live in France, and from abroad you file it with the French consulate for where you live. Service-public.fr has no page for it, so ask the consulate for its document list. Like naturalisation, it makes you French from the declaration, not from birth. Our 50-year rule page explains how to tell which situation you are in.

Can you keep your current citizenship?

France allows dual nationality. When you apply you state the nationalities you hold and any you intend to give up, but renouncing is your choice. Whether you keep your other citizenship also depends on your other country’s law; some countries end citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours. The US, for example, presumes that US citizens who naturalise abroad intend to keep US citizenship. Our dual citizenship guide covers the details. Married to a French citizen? The marriage declaration needs no residence in France, and our citizenship by marriage comparison sets France beside other countries.

Frequently asked questions

How many years do I have to live in France to apply?

Five years of habitual residence in France just before you apply. It drops to 2 years if you have successfully completed 2 years of higher education in France toward a French degree, or if you have given important services to France or have an exceptional record of integration. Refugees and people who served in the French army need no minimum.

Can I apply from abroad?

Generally no. Article 21-16 says nobody can be naturalised unless they live in France when the decree is signed. The few exceptions are for people whose time abroad counts as residence in France, such as those working for the French state. If you have French ancestry and live outside France, look at the descent and Article 21-14 routes instead.

What French level do I need?

B2, spoken and written, for applications filed since 1 January 2026. Before that it was B1. You prove it with a qualifying French diploma or a TCF or TEF result less than 2 years old. The only exemptions are a health condition or disability that makes testing impossible, and refugees or stateless people over 70 with 15 years in France.

What is the civic exam?

A 40-question multiple-choice test in French, taken on a screen at an approved centre, in 45 minutes. You need 32 correct answers. It covers French history, the Republic's principles, symbols and institutions, citizens' rights and duties, and France's place in Europe and the world. Since 1 January 2026 the pass certificate must be in your file.

How much does it cost?

EUR 255, paid with a tax stamp (timbre fiscal). Budget separately for the language test, the civic exam, police records from abroad (for the US, an FBI background check), apostilles and translations by an approved translator.

How long does it take?

The law gives the authorities 18 months from the receipt for a complete file, or 12 months if you have lived in France for at least 10 years. They can extend that once, by 3 months, with reasons. Official pages give no figure for real waiting times.

Do retirees living on a pension from abroad qualify?

It's uncertain. The government's May 2025 instructions ask for a proven professional integration and stable, sufficient resources. In January 2026 a senator said retirees whose pensions come from abroad were being refused; the Interior Minister declined to change the instructions. Get advice before you apply.

Do I have to give up my current citizenship?

Not for France. France allows dual nationality and only asks you to state which nationalities you hold and any you intend to give up. Whether you keep your other citizenship also depends on your other country's law; some countries end citizenship when you voluntarily take another, so check yours. The US, for example, presumes that someone who naturalises abroad intends to keep US citizenship.

Official sources

Checked against these sources on 11 November 2026. The May 2025 circular can be applied more strictly or loosely from one prefecture to the next; check with your local naturalisation platform before you file.