French citizenship is the legal relationship between you and the country. This status endows you with a certain list of privileges, which include official work in an economically developed state, free education in prestigious universities, business development in the European market. The French Republic is a member of the European Union, so its citizens are also EU citizens. This allows them to move freely within the association and also to work, study, conduct commercial activities in any of the countries of the association.

The French passport is a citizen's identity card, which ranks 3rd in the world power ranking. With it you have the right to travel around the world without a visa, from the United States and Canada to China, Japan and Australia. Once you receive your passport, you can apply for the same document for your family members as well.

Obtaining citizenship is available by regular or accelerated naturalization. There are investment programs in the state, thanks to which it is possible to open a residence permit and subsequently - to obtain a local passport. Within the framework of Directive 2004/38/EC all rights of a French citizen are also available to passport holders of other EU countries. In a number of EU states, it is possible to obtain citizenship under a simplified program within a period of up to a year. To find out more, make an appointment for a free legal consultation with Immigrantinlaw specialists.

What rights and obligations do the French citizens have?

The French Civil Code regulates all the nuances associated with citizenship. According to it, everyone has the right to respect for their privacy, the presumption of innocence, a fair judicial system, protection from attacks on honor and dignity. With a local passport, regardless of how it is issued, you receive all the general civil privileges, including:

• official employment in the republic, where the average monthly salary of the population in 2024 is about 3300 EUR before taxes;
• simplified company registration and international representation;
• visa-free travel to most of the developed countries of the world, as well as high chances of obtaining multi-visas;
• reunification with close relatives (spouse, children up to 18 years old) and processing of local documents for them;
• education in the best European universities at the expense of the state or scholarship funds;
• social support of the country, such as unemployment, pregnancy or retirement benefits;
• participation in tenders, investment programs for businessmen, obtaining private and national grants;
• being able to count on the assistance and protection of the Republic within its borders and abroad.

The duties of a French citizen include, first and foremost, respecting national and European laws and constitutional norms. You must respect the privacy of others, pay taxes on time (if applicable), not become a threat to national security and public order.

Ways of obtaining a French passport

Most often, foreigners who do not have an ethnic connection with France, apply for citizenship through the naturalization procedure, that is, after a long residence in the country with a residence permit and meeting integration requirements. Step-by-step, it looks like this:

1. Obtaining an entry visa.
   You choose the reason for moving, such as employment, starting a company, investing or enrolling in a university. You collect documents, visit the embassy, wait for the decision and collect your passport with a visa sticker.
2. Moving and obtaining residence permit.
   After arriving in France, you apply to the police or prefecture in the place of registration to obtain a temporary resident card. The primary residence permit is usually granted for 12 months (a special type of “talent passport” - up to 4 years) and is renewable if you still have a reason to live in the country.
3. Apply for a permanent resident card.
   You can request permanent resident status in France 5 years after you move. You will need to pass a language exam (level A2 and above), get medical insurance, confirm the presence of a permanent legal income and place of residence in the Republic.
4. Obtaining a passport.
   Citizenship is also issued after permanent residence in France for five years. For naturalization it will be necessary to fulfill a number of additional conditions for integration (learning the state language and cultural peculiarities of the country).

In addition to naturalization, there are other, less common ways of obtaining a French passport. The document is issued through marriage or military service, for special services to the country, as well as for refugees and French-speaking immigrants. Those who have French relatives receive citizenship by birth or descent.

Naturalization

As a standard procedure, you can naturalize after five years of continuous residence in France. During the entire period you must be in the country legally, that is, with a temporary and/or permanent residence permit. You can open a primary residence permit, for example, for official work, running a business, investing, studying at a local university or reuniting with your family. It is possible to leave the country for a maximum of 6 consecutive months or up to 10 months in total, so that the period of residence is considered continuous. The waiting period is reduced to two years if you:

• have obtained a diploma from a French higher education institution after two years of study;
• can provide (or have provided) important services to the Republic, using your skills and talents;
• have demonstrated significant progress in integration, as measured by your performance in different areas.

Naturalization is possible only for law-abiding people who have no criminal record (including those abroad), who speak the national language at level B1 or higher, who have passed the integration test and who have not accumulated tax debts. It is also important to prove that you have a place to live in France (e.g., a bought or rented apartment) and that you are financially secure.

Marriage

If you have been married to a French citizen for more than 4 years, you are entitled to a local passport. It is important that you have at least 36 months of uninterrupted residence with your spouse on the territory of the Republic. If your family is abroad, you can only request citizenship 5 years after marriage. You must have no criminal record and no cases of deportation from the country. Your knowledge of the national language is also checked. You do not need to take an integration test, nor do you need to prove that you have a regular income.

Special merits

Citizenship by naturalization without observing the period of sedentary residence is granted to those who render exceptional services to France. The procedure is initiated by the Council of State on the basis of your actions of interest to the Republic. The other naturalization rules may remain in force or be waived in whole or in part by decision of the competent authorities.

Military service

French nationality without prior residence in the country is granted on the proposal of the Minister of Defense to those who have performed military service in the national army, including joining it during hostilities. It is necessary to comply with the norms of naturalization, except in situations where you have been wounded in the line of duty. In the event of the death of a foreign warrior, the right to formalize citizenship passes to his minor children.

Refugee status

Recognized refugees in France can obtain a passport as soon as they have managed to meet all the requirements for naturalization, except the length of residence. This rule also applies to foreigners who have requested subsidiary protection and stateless persons who are legally residing in the Republic.

Moving from French-speaking countries

Those who immigrated from francophone countries are eligible to obtain a passport without having to reside in the republic. Examples of such jurisdictions are Canada, Belgium, a number of African states (former French colonies). It is important for you to have French as your native language or to have studied in a French-speaking educational institution for at least 5 years. Other naturalization rules remain in force.

Origin

The Republic grants citizenship to those who have French roots, regardless of the degree of ancestry. It is important that you have lived in the country for at least 25 years and have reached the age of 65 without breaking the law. Example: your adult children or grandchildren have obtained a passport by naturalization. You live with them in the country under a family reunification program and can also apply for citizenship by meeting the residency requirement.

French siblings can also apply for a passport by descent. This is possible if you have lived in the Republic from the age of 6 to adulthood and graduated from school here.

Birthright

If at least one of your parents was or is French, you have the right to acquire local nationality without additional requirements. This rule also applies to children who are stateless or whose origins cannot be established. A child born in the Republic to a foreign family may be entitled to a passport if the nationality of his parents is not transferred to him under the laws of another country.

France has a “double right of soil”. A child who was born here can automatically obtain citizenship regardless of the current status of his parents, provided that at least one of them was also born on the territory of the Republic.

Foreigners from other EU states also have the right to obtain a French passport or to live in the country without it, enjoying all the privileges of local citizens. You can obtain citizenship in an EU country without passing a language exam, demonstrating income level and prior residence in the country with residence permit/permanent residence. Immigrantinlaw migration specialists will help you to analyze the chances of participation in the simplified program.

List of documents for French citizenship

To naturalize in France, you will need to put together a dossier that should include the following:

• an application for citizenship made in person in French in two samples;
• receipts for the payment of administrative fees;
• a double-sided photocopy of a valid residence permit;
• birth, marriage or divorce certificate;
• diploma or certificate proving your level of knowledge of French;
• criminal record certificates issued by countries where you have resided for at least 6 months in the last 10 years;
• two recent 3.5 x 4 cm color photographs;
• a rental or purchase contract for real estate in France or proof of accommodation with relatives;
• proof of your income, such as employment references for the last 3 years (if applicable) or a company financial statement;
• information about your tax situation, such as a certificate from the public finance department.

The full list of documents depends on your individual situation. The authorities recommend using a special simulator on the French administration's website to understand what kind of file you will need.

Fees and charges

The general costs of applying for French citizenship include the payment of state fees, as well as spending on notary services and legal assistance. The table below shows the rates for administrative fees that will apply in 2025.

Stages of the French citizen status registration

To obtain a French passport, you need to go through several steps. The main ones are passing a language exam, registering and visiting the authorities, and obtaining a certificate granting the new status.

Passing the language exam and forming a file

You will need to take a French language test before you can apply for citizenship. The exams are administered by France Éducation International, whose website allows you to book an appointment by selecting a suitable date. In addition to the language certificate, you will also need to prepare all the necessary documents in advance, which often takes a lot of time. Certificates and statements issued abroad must be translated into French and duly certified.

Registering your application for citizenship

Since February 6, 2023, you can only apply for French citizenship by naturalization online on the website of the Directorate General for Foreigners. You must register with your residence permit number or FranceConnect ID. The electronic application should be sent together with scanned copies of the required documents. Once your request has been processed, you will be called to the local office for an interview.

Personal visit to the government authorities

During the interview, the representative of the authority verifies your assimilation into the French community and also accepts the original documents. After the interview, you sign a charter of rights and obligations of French citizens. Then it remains to wait for the decision of the authorized body, which will be sent to you by email.

Admission to citizenship

If the answer to your request is positive, you will be summoned to the prefecture for a citizenship ceremony. You will then receive a certificate of naturalization with which you can apply for a French passport.

Reasons for refusal and how to avoid them

Requests for French citizenship are not always approved. You may be rejected if you do not meet even one of the requirements, for example, if you have incorrectly calculated the period of residence in the country or if you do not have sufficient income. A common reason for rejection of applications is errors in the dossier, for example, incomplete documents or improper execution of documents. Applications that do not correspond to the interests of the Republic are also rejected, for example, if you are a member of the state authorities of hostile countries or if you are found to have links with banned organizations.

To ensure that you get the requested status and do not make mistakes, it is worth getting the support of specialized specialists. Lawyers accompany you at every stage of the procedure and perform most of the tasks themselves, which minimizes the risk of rejection of your application. Immigrantinlaw's migration specialists can help you find the best path to citizenship according to your personal situation. Find out the details during a free consultation today.

Important nuances of obtaining French citizenship

Obtaining citizenship of France has its own peculiarities in comparison with other European states. For example, here there is a right of soil, but with restrictions, there is no ban on multiple citizenship, there are no privileges for large investors.

Is it possible to give birth and get citizenship of France?

A child born in France from foreign parents acquires French citizenship without additional conditions only after reaching adulthood. It is important that he was in the country legally and from the age of 11 years lived in it continuously for at least 5 consecutive years. At the same time, there are no privileges for parents in such cases on accelerated passport issuance. For these reasons, children of foreigners often acquire citizenship together with their mother and/or father through the standard naturalization procedure.

Whether civil marriage is taken into account when obtaining a passport?

Citizenship through marriage is only possible in the case of an official union. In addition, it must be registered in France or recognized in France. In the case of actual cohabitation, which lasts at least 12 months, you can move to the country on a “visitor” visa and subsequently apply for a passport on naturalization. Authorities closely monitor the reality of family and civil unions to ensure that you are not migrating through a fictitious relationship.

Are there any legal ways to buy a French passport?

Official purchase of the document is not provided by law. Key investors are not privileged with the right to accelerated citizenship either. You are allowed to invest in certain areas of economy from 300 000 EUR and on this basis get a multi-year residence permit - “talent passport” for up to 4 years. However, the conditions of naturalization for you will remain standard.

Does France provide for dual citizenship?

Treaties “On dual citizenship” in France are concluded with Spain. This means that the countries mutually recognize each other's passports and you can, for example, perform military service only in one of these countries. If you come from another country, you have the right to obtain a second French citizenship, which is not prohibited by local law, if the Constitution of your homeland allows it. However, in this case, each state will consider you only as its own citizen.

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About the author

Diana Weber

Lawyer of international law

Diane Weber is an international law specialist with 10 years of legal practice experience. Her portfolio includes successful stories of citizenship in different European Union countries under simplified procedures. Diana provides detailed advice and helps many people to achieve their immigration goals in a short period of time, including resolving visa issues, assisting in obtaining residence permits and citizenship in the EU countries. In her blog, Diana Weber enjoys providing readers with detailed information about the features of most popular programs for obtaining a second passport.