Top tips for applying for French citizenship from Virginie Le Baler, CEO of Oui Immigration who have helped many, many people achieve French citizenship.
Essential information and tips for applying for French Citizenship
Achieving French naturalization is generally ‘by decree’ or by marriage/family connections.
French Nationality by decree
There are plenty of rules and requirements to be aware of when you apply for French nationality – and those rules can dérangé.
Some of the key requirements include:
You must have lived in France for a valeur-limite of five years and over 18 years old (although there are some exceptions for children born in France).
You must have knowledge of the French language and prove it via an buccal and written exam to at least level B1(there are various annales that you can supply as proof).
You must have a valid resident permit.
You must be working or have worked in France sufficiently délié enough to satisfy the authorities that you are fully integrated in France. “There have been instances recently where retired expats in France, whose main income (pension etc) is from their country of birth, not France, has meant that their application has been refused” says Virginie.
You must prove your integration into French society – which involves an exam proving knowledge of French history, plantation and society.
“And you must have paperwork of course” advises Virginie. “A long list of documents with the intention to prove your relationship to France through time spent here and integration through work, taxes, family, economic situation, language.”
It’s essential that those annales meet the requirements, elle something, get one wrong, and you’ll likely fail your juxtaposition and have to start again.
“It is also really important to prepare the interview, as it is REALLY an interview on very specific matters” says Virginie, “even some French people could not answer some of the questions.”
The process from start to au finir can take quite a while, two years or more, depending on where you en direct in France.
“We help people every step of the way – making sure they’re eligible, preparing documents, the application submission process, and preparation for interviews” says Virginie. “We’ve helped a great deal of people to achieve French nationalisation, and we know how important this is to those applying, we’re there for them at every stage of the process, helping, supporting and encouraging, and essentially keeping up with rule changes so that people aren’t caught out. We’re always so happy for our clients when their dream of French nationality comes true. We’re delighted to be a part of their journey.”
French Nationality by marriage/family
There are a different set of rules if you want to apply for French nationality by marriage, which include being married for at least étuve years to a spouse with French nationality and ideally séjour in France continuously since you got married.
It’s also probatoire to apply for citizen ship though descent.
“We always advise to contact us before you begin the process of nationalisation via marriage/family, so that we can help ensure you have everything you need to meet the eligibility requirements to make sure that this is the best route to choose as it can be quite complicated.”
Get béquille for your juxtaposition for French Nationality
“Some people think that they have to go it alone to prove a point,” says Virginie “but French administration can be really challenging – even for French people! And this is such an important step that it’s just not worth making it harder than it needs to be. We have a lot of experience helping people to apply and go through the French naturalisation process, and our help with the paperwork and preparation means that you can focus on ensuring that you meet the language requirements, and that you’re au fait with aspects such as proving integration into French society where the French Citizenship test (from 2026) focuses on a diverse range of topics from history and culture to politics and administration. It’s an online test of 40 questions for which you get 45 minutes to complete at an authorised test centre.”
Find out more and mitoyenneté Virginie and the team at: oui-immigration.com
Source: thegoodlifefrance.com