What are the requirements for French citizenship by naturalisation?

Checked on 2026-10-25

The ministry's guidance says you must be 18 (you can apply at 17), live in France with a valid residence permit, usually for five years, pass the civic exam and a prefecture interview, prove French at B2 level, have stable and sufficient income, and have no serious convictions. The application costs a 255 € tax stamp.

Key facts

What	The ministry’s guidance says	Source
Age	18; you can file from 17	Service-public.fr F2213, step 1 “Âge”
Residence	Live in France (centre of material interests and family ties) when the decree is signed; 5 years minimum as a rule	Service-public.fr F2213, step 1
Legal stay	Valid residence permit when you file (not for EEA or Swiss nationals); no expulsion order or ban still in force	Service-public.fr F2213, step 1 “Régularité du séjour”
Assimilation	Pass the civic exam and an interview at the prefecture	Service-public.fr F2213, step 1 “Assimilation”
French	At least B2 (CEFR), spoken and written	Service-public.fr F11926
Work and income	Stable and sufficient income for you and your tax household	Service-public.fr F2213, step 1 “Insertion professionnelle”
Record	Good character; no French unsuspended prison sentence of 6 months or more; no conviction for an attack on the fundamental interests of the Nation or terrorism	Service-public.fr F2213, step 1 “Moralité”
Fee	255 € tax stamp (127.50 € in French Guiana)	Service-public.fr F2213, step 2

The conditions one by one

Age. You must be 18 to be naturalised, but you can file from 17.

Residence. You must live in France when the decree is signed, with your material (especially professional) interests and family ties there. The usual minimum is five years of residence; it is two years or none in some cases. If your spouse or children live abroad, the guidance says nationality can be refused.

Legal stay. You need a valid residence permit when you file, unless you are an EEA or Swiss national, and no expulsion order or ban from French territory still in force.

Assimilation. You must show you are assimilated into the French community. The guidance says this is checked through the civic exam and an interview at the prefecture. At the end of the interview you sign the charter of rights and duties of the French citizen.

French language. Service-public.fr says you must prove French at least at level B2 of the CEFR, spoken and written, with a French diploma or a TCF or TEF certificate.

Professional integration. The guidance calls it an essential condition: stable and sufficient income to support yourself and your tax household.

Good character and no serious convictions. You must not have acted against public order. You must not have been sentenced in France to six months or more of unsuspended prison, nor convicted of a crime or offence against the fundamental interests of the Nation or of terrorism, unless you were rehabilitated or the conviction was removed from bulletin no. 2 of your criminal record.

Cost

The application costs 255 € (127.50 € in French Guiana), paid with a tax stamp; abroad you pay at the consulate. The guidance warns that private websites charge for help, but apart from the tax stamp the procedure is free.

How many years: 5 as a rule, 2 or none in listed cases.
Accepted proofs of B2 French: see “French citizenship: what level of French you need”.

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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