France (FR)
France is a unitary semi-presidential republic and the EU's most visited country, renowned for its world-class cuisine and wine, the iconic City of Light that is Paris, the French Riviera, iconic Alpine ski resorts, and a generous social state offering universal healthcare, extensive family benefits, and strong worker protections.
Capital: Paris
Region: Europe
Language: French
Currency: EUR (€)
Cost of living: Expensive (index 74)
Emergency: 112
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Citizenship & Permanent Residency
Long-term settlement options in France.
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Permanent Residency
Name
Carte de résident (10-year residence card)
Eligibility
Non-EU citizens who have lived legally in France for 5 years (3 years for Passeport Talent holders married to a French national; immediate for spouses of French nationals after 3 years of marriage with stable residence). EU/EEA/Swiss citizens acquire an automatic droit au séjour permanent after 5 continuous years of residence.
Duration
10 years, renewable (can be renewed automatically if conditions remain satisfied)
Requirements
- ✓5 years of uninterrupted legal residence (3 years in some categories)
- ✓Stable and sufficient resources (≥ SMIC) for the past 3 years
- ✓B1 French language level (DELF or TCF equivalent)
- ✓Respect of the values of the Republic (republican integration: secularism, equality, civic engagement); from 1 January 2026, must also pass the Examen Civique (40Q, 32/40 pass mark, digital) for all new multi-year residence permit applications
- ✓Accommodation considered decent
- ✓No serious criminal convictions
Apply at the préfecture or via ANEF online 2–4 months before your current titre de séjour expires. "Carte de résident permanent" (indefinite) is available after one further 10-year card renewal. EU citizens can request a free "Attestation de droit au séjour permanent" after 5 years.
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Citizenship
Name
Nationalité française (French citizenship by naturalisation — décret)
Eligibility
Foreigners legally resident for 5 years (stage de 5 ans). Reduced to 2 years if you completed a higher education cycle in France. Immediate for foreign legionnaires wounded in service and for those rendering exceptional services to France (article 21-19 Code civil).
Duration
Permanent
Requirements
- ✓5 years of regular and uninterrupted residence (2 years for those educated in France)
- ✓Main "centre of material interests" (professional, family, economic) in France
- ✓Stable and sufficient resources for 3+ years
- ✓B1 French since 2012; raised to B2 level as of 1 January 2026 (law of 26 January 2024 tightened integration requirements)
- ✓Assimilation to the French community: pass the Entretien d'assimilation; since 1 January 2026 all decree-based naturalisations also require the new Examen Civique (digital, 40 questions — 28 general knowledge + 12 simulation; pass mark 32/40 = 80%)
- ✓No serious criminal record (extrait du casier judiciaire B2 clear)
- ✓Signed Charte des droits et devoirs du citoyen français
Application via the préfecture of your residence using CERFA 12753*05 with 20+ supporting documents. Processing: 12–24 months. Decree published in the Journal Officiel; you are then invited to the cérémonie d'accueil dans la citoyenneté française at the préfecture. Since 2026, the B2 language requirement applies — you must hold a DELF B2, TCF B2, or equivalent recent certificate.
Other Routes to Residency & Citizenship
Nationality by marriage (article 21-2 Code civil)
Eligibility
Foreign spouse of a French citizen married for 4 years with continuous marital community; extended to 5 years if residence outside France was over 3 years.
Duration / Outcome
Permanent
Requirements
- ✓4 years of marriage (5 if not resident in France for 3 consecutive years)
- ✓Continuous conjugal and material community of life
- ✓B2 French as of 1 January 2026 — the marriage declaration route now also requires B2, matching the decree route (previously B1; confirmed by July 2025 government announcement)
- ✓French spouse retains their nationality at the date of declaration
- ✓No conviction for a crime or délit ≥ 6 months imprisonment
- ✓Integration assessed through entretien
Declaration (not naturalisation) at the préfecture — processed as a déclaration rather than a décret. The Ministry of the Interior has 2 years to oppose (opposition pour indignité ou défaut d'assimilation) — after which the declaration is final. The marriage declaration route is exempt from the new 2026 digital Civic Exam (Examen Civique) that applies to decree-based naturalisations. B2 language certificate required. No need to renounce original nationality. Dual citizenship is permitted.
Nationality by filiation / birth (article 18, 19-3 CC)
Eligibility
Children with at least one French parent are French by birth (droit du sang). Children born in France to foreign parents acquire French nationality at age 18 automatically if they have resided in France for 5 years since age 11 (droit du sol simple), or earlier on request.
Duration / Outcome
Permanent from birth (or age 13/16/18 depending on procedure)
Requirements
- ✓At least one French parent at time of birth (jus sanguinis), OR
- ✓Born in France + resided 5 years continuously since age 11 (jus soli attribution at majority)
- ✓Optional: anticipated declaration from age 13 (with parents' consent) or age 16 (alone)
Register birth at the nearest French consulate if born abroad — "transcription d'acte de naissance" into the French civil register. Essential for issuing a French passport and CNI.
Réintégration dans la nationalité française
Eligibility
Former French nationals, or descendants of French citizens who lost their nationality (particularly after decolonisation or before reforms on women's rights to nationality).
Duration / Outcome
Permanent
Requirements
- ✓Proof of former French nationality (passport, CNI, acte de naissance)
- ✓Evidence of continuing bond with France
- ✓B1 French and integration conditions often waived on discretionary basis
Processed by Decree at the Ministry of Justice. Particularly used by descendants of pieds-noirs, former colonial civil servants, and children of French mothers born before 1973 reform.
EU citizen permanent residence (droit au séjour permanent)
Eligibility
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens continuously resident for 5 years.
Duration / Outcome
Permanent
Requirements
- ✓5 years of uninterrupted residence as a worker, self-employed, student (with sufficient resources), or family member
- ✓Resources + comprehensive health cover during inactive periods
No application needed — right acquired automatically. You can request a free attestation from the préfecture as proof. This does NOT confer French nationality; for that, go through the 5-year naturalisation route.
🌍 Dual Citizenship
✓
Dual citizenship is allowed — France has allowed dual and multiple nationality since 1973. Neither naturalisation in France nor acquisition of another nationality causes loss of French nationality (except in very narrow cases of fraud, or voluntary renunciation). No declaration is required when acquiring a second nationality. Note: some countries (e.g. China, India, some Gulf states) do not recognise dual nationality — check your country of origin's rules.
Citizenship & Permanent Residency
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