What is the civic exam for French naturalisation, and who has to take it?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Service-public.fr says applicants for French naturalisation or reintegration by decree must pass a civic exam: 40 multiple-choice questions in French, knowledge and real-life situations, taken on screen in at most 45 minutes. You need 32 correct answers. Declarations of nationality, including by marriage to a French citizen, don't require it.

Key facts

What	The ministry’s guidance says	Source
Who	Applicants for naturalisation or reintegration by decree	Service-public.fr F39426, “À savoir”
Not concerned	Declarations of nationality: marriage to a French national, ascendant, brother or sister of a French national	Service-public.fr F39426, “À savoir”
Format	40 multiple-choice questions in French, knowledge and real-life situations	Service-public.fr F39426, “en quoi consiste”
Pass mark	32 correct answers	Service-public.fr F39426
Time	At most 45 minutes, on a digital device	Service-public.fr F39426, “comment se déroule”
Where	Centre approved by the CCIP or France Éducation International; abroad: Institut français, Alliance française or consulate	Service-public.fr F39426, “comment s’inscrire”
In your file	Certificate of success in the civic exam	Service-public.fr F2213, step 3
Fraud	2-year ban from the exam	Service-public.fr F39426

Who has to take it

Service-public.fr says the civic exam concerns only acquisition of French nationality by decree: naturalisation and reintegration. Declarations of nationality are not concerned, including the declaration by marriage to a French citizen and those by an ascendant, brother or sister of a French national. The naturalisation file must include the certificate of success, and you are also interviewed at the prefecture.

What it covers

The exam tests four areas:

key points of French history;
principles, symbols and institutions of the Republic;
exercising French citizenship (the rights and duties in the charter of rights and duties of the French citizen);
France’s place in Europe and the world, including basic principles of the European Union.

To prepare, the guidance points to the citizen’s booklet (livret du citoyen), the exam framework and the official list of knowledge questions.

How it works

It is a multiple-choice questionnaire in French with 40 questions, mixing knowledge questions and situational ones. You need 32 correct answers to pass. The test is on a digital device and lasts at most 45 minutes, longer only with a medical adjustment.

You register with a centre approved by the Paris Île-de-France chamber of commerce (CCIP) or by France Éducation International. If you live abroad, ask an Institut français, an Alliance française or the consular authorities.

Health and fraud

You can get adjusted conditions, or an exemption from the certificate if your health or disability makes the evaluation impossible, with a medical certificate. Breaking the exam rules can void your result; an attempted or detected fraud bans you from the exam for the next two years.

Centres register you for the exam “mention naturalisation”; residence cards use their own version: see “French civic exam for a residence permit”.
French at B2 is a separate condition for naturalisation.

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.