French Citizenship By Descent

According to French nationality laws, a child born to at least one French parent is French, whether born in France or abroad. Hence, persons born in France and its overseas territories to at least one French parent are eligible for French citizenship.

Those born abroad must meet the following criteria to be eligible for French citizenship.

• At least one of your parents must be a French citizen at the time of your birth.
• If your parents were unmarried, your French parent must recognize your birth and accept parentage. The parent-child relationship must have been established when you were a minor. You must provide supporting documentation to prove this during your application.
• Your parent(s) must have maintained connections to France through passport renewals, consular registrations, or voter registrations.
• If you were fully adopted as a minor by a French national and the adoption took place in France, you automatically take on the French nationality of your adopted parents.

The French citizenship by ancestry program requires that previous generations before you are registered as citizens before you can claim citizenship by descent. This implies that if your grandparents are French citizens, but your parent is not a registered citizen yet, your parent must obtain their citizenship before you can apply for yours.

Note that you’re ineligible for French citizenship by descent if you or your family have lived outside of France and have had no contact with France or consular authorities (“possession d’état de Français) for over 50 years.

The burden of proving your French descent is on you when applying for citizenship by descent. The French authorities will decide on your application based on the evidence you provide. Therefore, your supporting evidence must be genuine and substantial.

You must provide the following supporting documentation when applying for French citizenship by descent.

• Your passport as a proof of identity.
• Proof of residence.
• Your birth certificate (to prove the parent-child relationship).
• A copy of your French parent’s birth certificate.
• Proof of your parent’s French nationality. It could be their passport, national ID card, consular registration card, French nationality certificate, voter card, or military booklet.
• Your parents’ marriage certificate.
• Proof of recognition and parentage from the French parent if your parents did not marry.
• Complete adoption papers if you were adopted.

You must attach certified French translations of documents in a foreign language.

Other requirements include:

• You must have no serious past criminal convictions.
• You must have never been engaged in any activity harmful to France’s interests.
• Upon acquiring French citizenship, you must renounce any other citizenship (if required).

French Naturalization

Also known as citizenship by decree, naturalization allows foreign individuals who have lived in France for at least five years to become French citizens.

French citizenship by naturalization is considered an “honor” and not a right. Therefore, your application can be rejected. If you meet the requirements, pass the interview, and your application is approved, you’ll be issued an official “decree of French nationality.”

To be eligible for citizenship by naturalization in France, you must meet the following requirements.

• You must be 18 years or older.
• You must have a valid residence permit.
• You must have lived in France for at least five years.
• You must be resident in France at the time of your naturalization application.
• You must be proficient in speaking and writing French.
• You must prove that you’re able to support yourself financially in France.
• You must demonstrate sufficient integration and assimilation into French society and an understanding of French history and culture. Immigration authorities will test your integration and assimilation of French culture during your citizenship interview.
• You must have no past criminal convictions.

If you have minor children living with you in France, you can include their names in your naturalization request, and they’ll be naturalized with you.

France Citizenship By Marriage

You can acquire French citizenship by declaration if you’re married to a French spouse. Your eligibility depends on the length of your marriage and your living arrangement. To qualify for citizenship by marriage:

• Your spouse must have been a French national at the time of your marriage.
• You must have been married to your French spouse for at least four years.
• You must have been continuously living with your spouse since your marriage.
• Your marriage must have been documented in the civil records of the French embassy or consulate in your country of residence if you were married abroad.
• You must hold a valid “titre de séjour” (residence permit) at the time of your citizenship application.
• You must be proficient in speaking, reading, and writing French.
• You must not have a previous expulsion order or a current prohibition order from France.
• You must have no previous criminal conviction.

If you lived outside France for some time during your marriage and your spouse did not register with the French consulate, your qualifying duration of marriage will be five years instead of four.

When applying for citizenship in France, seemingly small mistakes can delay your application or cause the French authorities to reject your application, denying you citizenship. They include:

• Incorrect details on your application form: Ensure you correctly fill in your identity information, such as name, date of birth, and passport number on your application. You should write your name and date of birth in the exact spelling and order as in your official documents.
• Incomplete supporting documentation: Insufficient supporting evidence can cause French authorities to reject your claims to citizenship. It’s best to start gathering your documents months before submitting your application to ensure you don’t omit anything.
• Poor language proficiency: If your citizenship routes require a language test, ensure you prepare adequately to meet the required French language proficiency.
• Failure to disclose criminal history: if required, you must state your accurate criminal history in your application and prepare to defend any criminal record during your interview. Non-disclosure or inaccurate disclosure of criminal history will result in a rejection of your application.