What can you do if your French naturalisation application is refused?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Service-public.fr says you have two months from notification of a refusal or postponement to file an administrative appeal with the minister in charge of naturalisation; this step is compulsory. If rejected, or unanswered after four months, you have two months to go to the Nantes administrative court. A new application within five years of a rejection may be shelved.

Key facts

What	The ministry’s guidance says	Source
Kinds of unfavourable decision	Inadmissible (legal conditions not met) or inappropriate: rejected or postponed (ajournée)	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10
Reasons	The decision must give reasons	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10
First step	Administrative (hierarchical) appeal to the minister in charge of naturalisation, within 2 months of notification; compulsory before court	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10
Online files	The appeal must be filed with the form in your personal space (“Mes notifications”)	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10
Court	Nantes administrative court, within 2 months of the negative answer, or of 4 months without an answer	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10
Re-applying after a rejection	A new application within 5 years of notification may be closed without examination	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10
Re-applying after a postponement	Wait until the period set has passed	Service-public.fr F2213, step 10

Why an application is turned down

Service-public.fr describes two kinds of unfavourable decision, both of which must give reasons:

Inadmissible: the legal conditions are not met. Once the reason disappears, you can apply again.
Inappropriate: naturalisation is not, or not yet, considered appropriate. The application is either rejected or postponed. A postponement comes with a waiting period, for example to let you improve your professional integration; after it, you can apply again.

The two-step appeal

Appeal to the minister. Within two months of being notified, you file an administrative appeal (recours hiérarchique) with the minister in charge of naturalisation. This step is compulsory before going to court. If you applied online, the decision is notified in your personal space and you must use the appeal form there; otherwise, except for a justified technical impossibility, the appeal can be declared inadmissible. Paper applicants write to the Ministry of the Interior’s nationality sub-directorate in Rezé.
Court. If the minister rejects your appeal, or doesn’t answer within four months of receiving it, you have two months to go to the administrative court of Nantes.

Applying again

After a rejection on grounds of appropriateness, a new application filed less than five years after notification can be closed without examination, after any new circumstances you mention are considered. After a postponement, a new application filed before the end of the period set can be closed the same way. For a closure without examination, the appeal to the minister is optional: you can go straight to court.

Processing deadline: 18 months from the receipt, or 12 months after 10 years in France.

Sources

Naturalisation française par décret (Service-public.fr, DILA, checked by the source 16 July 2026) checked 2026-10-25

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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