September 16, 2026
A practical guide to becoming a French citizen by naturalization in 2026: the new B2 language requirement, the mandatory NAT civic exam, the raised fee, and the full application process. Brought to you by the immigration team at LegalMova.
If you’re planning your naturalization application based on information from before this year, some of the details you’re working from are already out of date. Two changes took effect on January 1, 2026, and a fee increase followed on May 1, 2026, together making this a meaningfully different process than it was in 2025.
First, the required French language level rose from B1 to B2, a genuine step up rather than a formality. Second, a brand new mandatory civic exam (the “NAT” exam) was introduced for naturalization by decree. Third, the administrative fee (a timbre fiscal, or stamp duty) more than quadrupled, from €55 to €255. All three changes are confirmed directly on the official Service-Public government portal and trace back to specific 2025 and 2026 legal texts, not just general guidance that may or may not still apply.
Naturalization by decree is the standard route: at least 5 years of continuous legal residence in France, and the most commonly used pathway. Unlike the other routes below, it’s discretionary. Even applicants who meet every formal condition can still be refused, since the administration retains judgment over the overall quality of someone’s integration, not just their paperwork.
The 5-year threshold drops to 2 years in two situations: holding a French Master’s-level diploma (Bac+5) or above, or having rendered notable services to France as assessed by the administration. Recognized refugees and certain stateless persons face no minimum residence period at all.
Naturalization by marriage (a declaration, not a decree) is available to non-EU spouses of French citizens after 4 years of marriage, provided the couple lived in France for at least 3 of those years, or 5 years if they mostly lived elsewhere. This route works differently in an important legal sense: if all conditions are met, the administration is legally required to accept the declaration rather than exercising the same discretion it has over the decree route. It also keeps the lighter B1 language requirement rather than B2, and does not require the NAT civic exam, since that exam applies specifically to naturalization and reintegration by decree.
Special declarations cover a handful of specific situations: children born in France to a parent who was legally resident for 5+ years before the birth, non-EU parents of a French citizen after 5 years of residence as an ascendant, and siblings of French minors in certain circumstances. These cases carry enough legal nuance that a legal assessment before applying is worth it.
You need 5 continuous years of legal residence in France, documented through residence permits covering the full period without gaps. A single absence of more than 6 consecutive months can be read as a break in that continuity, potentially resetting the clock, so it’s worth avoiding extended time abroad in the years leading up to your application. Student residence permits are also worth flagging: a standard étudiant permit generally counts toward the 5 years only at reduced weight, unlike the Talent Passport – Student track or a post-graduate work permit, which count more fully.
As of January 1, 2026, naturalization by decree requires a B2 level of French, oral and written, confirmed directly on Service-Public’s own language-requirement page. This replaced the previous B1 threshold. Accepted proof includes the DELF B2, DALF C1 or C2, TCF, TEF, or a qualifying French academic diploma, with a French university degree at Licence level or above serving as proof on its own, no separate certificate needed.
If you’re currently at B1, budgeting 3 to 6 months for B2 preparation before filing is realistic, and that timeline should factor directly into your overall application planning.
This is the genuinely new piece: a mandatory civic exam for naturalization and reintegration by decree, introduced January 1, 2026, and confirmed on Service-Public’s dedicated exam page. It’s computer-based, runs 45 minutes, covers 40 questions, and requires a score of at least 32/40 (80%) to pass. The exam fee is roughly €70, paid directly to the exam center (CCIP in Paris, or France Éducation International), separately from the stamp duty covered below.
The reference material for preparation is the official livret du citoyen, formally approved by an Arrêté dated July 3, 2026, so genuinely recent even by this guide’s standards. It’s worth building this into your timeline early rather than treating it as a late-stage formality, since it’s now a hard prerequisite alongside your language proof.
Your criminal record extract needs to be clean. An active OQTF (obligation to leave French territory) disqualifies an application outright, and serious offenses lead to near-automatic rejection. It’s also worth knowing that the administration can refuse an application without giving a specific reason, since naturalization remains a discretionary act of the state rather than an entitlement, even when every formal box is checked.
Since May 1, 2026, the stamp duty for naturalization jumped from €55 to €255 (€127.50 in French Guiana), under Article 128 of the 2026 Finance Law. This is confirmed directly on Service-Public’s own fee page, which is also where a detail worth flagging comes from: this fee doesn’t only apply to naturalization by decree. It also covers reintegration by decree and declarative nationality routes, including marriage to a French national, being an ascendant of a French national, or a sibling of a French national. So even the marriage route, despite its lighter language and exam requirements, isn’t exempt from the higher fee.
Per Service-Public’s own wording, this fee is generally payable when naturalization is granted, not at the time of filing. That said, some secondary guidance frames the transition rule between the old and new rate around the filing date rather than the decision date, so if the exact transition timing matters for your specific situation, it’s worth confirming directly rather than assuming either version applies.
On top of the stamp duty, budget separately for the NAT exam fee (~€70), sworn translations of foreign documents, and any B2 certification costs if you don’t already hold one, easily adding up to several hundred euros in total before a decree is even issued.
If approved, a naturalization decree is published in the Journal Officiel, followed by a citizenship welcome ceremony, after which you can apply for a French national ID card and passport.
Not every application results in immediate approval. Two outcomes short of approval exist, and they’re meaningfully different.
An adjournment (ajournement) isn’t a refusal. It means the administration identified specific weaknesses, commonly financial instability or thin integration evidence, and is inviting you to reapply after 2 years once those weaknesses are addressed. Use the adjournment letter as a direct roadmap for what to fix.
A rejection (rejet) is a formal denial. You have 2 months from notification to challenge it, either through a recours hiérarchique (an appeal to the Minister of the Interior) or a contentious-administrative appeal before an administrative court. Realistically, reversals on appeal are uncommon unless there’s a clear administrative error or factual inaccuracy in how the file was assessed, so a well-prepared reapplication after genuinely closing the identified gap is often the more effective path forward.
Do I have to give up my original nationality? No. France permits dual, and even multiple, nationality. You only need to renounce your original citizenship if your home country’s own laws require it.
Does the B2 requirement apply to the marriage route too? No. The marriage declaration route keeps the lighter B1 requirement and doesn’t require the NAT civic exam, which applies specifically to naturalization and reintegration by decree.
Can I apply while on a student residence permit? A standard student permit generally counts toward the 5-year residence requirement only at reduced weight. Your specific permit history determines your real eligibility timeline, so it’s worth a legal assessment before planning your application date.
What if I already had my file mostly ready before the 2026 changes? The B2 requirement and NAT exam apply based on when your file is processed under the current rules, not what standard applied when you started preparing. If you were targeting the old B1 threshold, budget extra time to close the gap to B2.
Is the €255 fee refundable if I’m refused? No. The stamp duty isn’t refunded regardless of whether the outcome is approval, adjournment, or refusal, which is exactly why submitting a complete, compliant file the first time matters so much.
Every residence history is different. Whether your student years count fully toward the 5-year threshold, how close you are to B2, and what your specific prefecture expects at the interview are exactly the kinds of complexities our team at LegalMova handles every day.
Book your free consultation with our team and let us assess your situation in full. No commitment, no jargon, just clear answers about your path to French nationality.
