French citizenship test: the civic exam, B2 French and the interview

Who must take it?

The civic exam applies to the two procedures by decree: naturalisation and reinstatement in French nationality (naturalisation and réintégration par décret).

Procedures by declaration do not require it: marriage to a French citizen, or being the ascendant, brother or sister of a French citizen (see below).

How does the exam work?

• A multiple-choice test of 40 questions, in French: knowledge questions and real-life situations (mises en situation).
• 32 correct answers to pass.
• 45 minutes at most, on a digital device. The time is only extended when an adjustment has been granted for a justified medical reason.
• The centre tells you the rules before the exam. Breaking them can make the exam void.
• In case of fraud or attempted fraud, you cannot retake the exam for 2 years.

Practise in the same conditions: the free diagnostic above, then the free mock exam, in French, with explanations in English.

The syllabus

According to Service Public, the naturalisation exam covers four areas:

• The main landmarks of French history: the main events and figures that social life refers to.
• The principles, symbols and institutions of the Republic: the rules of life in society (respect for the law, fundamental freedoms, equality, in particular between women and men, secularism, laïcité) and the political and administrative organisation of France, at national and local level.
• Exercising citizenship: the main rights and duties of the charter of rights and duties of the French citizen.
• France's place in Europe and in the world, and the fundamental principles of the European Union.

The Ministry of the Interior's leaflet for naturalisation (December 2025) sorts the questions into five themes, the same as for residence permits: principles and values of the Republic, institutional and political system, rights and duties, history, geography and culture, living in French society.

To prepare, Service Public points to the Citizen's Handbook (Livret du citoyen), the exam framework and the list of knowledge questions.

The knowledge questions

The list published by the Ministry of the Interior for naturalisation has 244 knowledge questions (243 distinct questions: one appears twice), without the choices or the answers. It is longer than the lists for residence permits.

• The 244 naturalisation questions, word for word (in French), with the answers explained
• Questions explained in English

Registering

You register with a centre approved by the CCI Paris Île-de-France or by France Éducation International. The pass certificate (attestation de réussite) is part of your naturalisation application.

If you live abroad, ask a French institute, an Alliance française or the consular authorities of your country of residence.

See also registration, fee, pass mark and exemptions.

Disability or health condition

• The exam can be adjusted if your disability or health condition requires it, with a medical certificate that specifies the adjustments.
• You can be exempted from the certificate if your disability or health condition makes it impossible to assess your knowledge, again with a medical certificate.
• The authority handling your application can ask for a new medical assessment.

The B2 level in French

Level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is required, spoken and written, for naturalisation by decree, reinstatement by decree and the declaration of nationality by marriage. Accepted proofs:

• a pass certificate for the TCF (France Éducation International) or the TEF (CCI Paris Île-de-France), less than two years old. Their versions for these procedures are commonly called TCF IRN and TEF IRN;
• the national diploma of the brevet;
• a French state diploma, or a professional certification registered with the RNCP, at level 3 or above;
• a diploma certifying at least level B2.

The Service Public page does not list the language diplomas recognised at level B2, nor say whether a foreign diploma is accepted: check with the naturalisation office that handles your application.

Exemptions from the language requirement: a disability or health condition that makes the assessment impossible (with a medical certificate; the tests can also be adjusted); and, for naturalisation by decree only, refugees and stateless persons over 70 who have lived in France for at least 15 years with a residence permit (all three conditions together).

The rest of the application

• As a general rule, 5 years of residence in France, with exceptions (2 years, or no minimum period, depending on your situation).
• An interview at the prefecture, if the application is admissible: it checks that you adhere to the principles and values of the Republic. You sign the charter of rights and duties of the French citizen there.
• The application costs €255 in tax stamps (timbre fiscal; €127.50 in French Guiana); from abroad, €255 paid at the consulate. The civic exam is paid separately: €60 to €80 depending on the centre, according to the Ministry of the Interior (answer to a written parliamentary question, published on 11 August 2026).

Married to a French citizen?

The declaration of nationality by marriage does not require the civic exam. Its other conditions remain, according to Service Public, in particular:

• being married for at least 4 years to a French citizen, who was French on the day of the marriage and still is; 5 years if you have lived less than 3 years in a row in France since the marriage and your spouse was not registered with a French consulate;
• an emotional and material life together that has not stopped since the marriage;
• the B2 level in French, with a diploma or a certificate;
• an interview, with your spouse: it checks that you really live together and your assimilation into French society, which means agreeing with the essential principles and values of the Republic;
• €255 in tax stamps (€127.50 in French Guiana).

However, a first multi-year residence card or a first resident card as the spouse of a French citizen does require the civic exam (with A2 or B1 French, unless you are over 65): see the civic exam for a residence permit.

If you apply for naturalisation by decree rather than the declaration by marriage, the civic exam is required, as for any naturalisation.

Independent course, not affiliated with the French Ministry of the Interior.The exam itself is only in French. This page is an AI translation of our French guides, checked against the French text by a separate AI review; no human translator has reviewed it yet. For your own case, ask your prefecture or the naturalisation office handling your application.

Page updated on 29 octobre 2026 (date in French format). All questions explained in English