FRANCE: CITIZENSHIP

FRANCE: CITIZENSHIP ADVANTAGES

Once you are granted French citizenship, you can enjoy the following advantages:

1. 1. 1. Obtain a French passport;
      2. Freedom of movement in all members of Schengen agreement, including possibility to live, work and study there;
      3. Visa-free or visa-on-arrival to 185 countries;
      4. Right to vote in France;
      5. Right to dual citizenship;
      6. Right to work at any type of company or in a governmental institution;
      7. As a French citizen who decides to live abroad, it may be possible to not be a French tax payer (some conditions may apply);
      8. Children born to French parents become French citizens;
      9. Not necessary to go through the renewal process of residency card.

FRANCE: CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS

A foreigner who has resided legally in France for at least five (5) years may be eligible to acquire French citizenship. Therefore, once French nationality is granted, you can apply for a French ID card (Carte Nationale d’Identité) and French passport. A French citizenship allows you to relocate to any European country with the right to work and study. A French passport also allows to visit various non-European countries without requiring a visa. Additionally, France accepts dual nationality.

Naturalization

An application for French citizenship through naturalization is possible after five (5) years of legal residence in the country, except for marriage as stated above. The length can be reduced to 2 years for those who have graduated from a higher educational institution, or have served France outstandingly. Any foreigner who has served in the French military are not subjected to the minimum residence period.

Additionally, one has to demonstrate his or her successful integration into French society, namely, a sufficient level of French language, as well as knowledge of the rights and obligations of a French citizen. However, for persons over the age of 65, such requirement is waived, as they simply need to attend an interview with an official in French to prove daily conversation capabilities.

Children under the age of 18 years old may be included in the application and obtain French citizenship (certain conditions may apply).

Right of Blood

A child with at least one French citizen parent may acquire French citizenship.

If a child is born in France

A child born in France during a short visit by its mother as a tourist is not entitled to French citizenship. Children born to foreign citizens on French soil can claim French citizenship by descent on their 16th birthday and be granted full citizenship at 18 years old provided France has been their main residence for five (5) consecutive years since the age of 11.

An amendment to French law in 2015 also makes it possible for children to acquire French citizenship at 18 years old if they have lived in France since the age of 6, attended a French school and have a sibling who obtained French citizenship.

If you are the foreign parent of a child aged at least 13 years old and resident in France since 8 years old, you may claim French citizenship on their behalf in front of a magistrate.

Marriage

A marriage with a French citizen does not automatically grant the spouse to French citizenship. However, it obtain it a foreigner who has married a French citizen must fulfill one of the following requirements:

1. 1. The couple has lived in France, legally married, for at least four (4) years. At the time of application, cohabitation should not be interrupted, and the French spouse must have retained his or her French citizenship;
   2. The couple has lived outside France, legally married, for at least five (5) years. At the time of application, cohabitation should not be interrupted, and the French spouse must have retained his or her French citizenship.

FRANCE: DOCUMENTS

The following is a list of documents required to apply for French citizenship by naturalization:

1. 1. Current passport (copies of all identification pages);
   2. French permanent resident card;
   3. Birth certificate;
   4. Marriage certificate (if applicable);
   5. Residence tenancy agreement (or purchase agreement) in France;
   6. Test results of the French language (initial diploma in French language);
   7. Proof of positive integration into French community;
   8. Tax declarations;
   9. Police certificate of good conduct.

The following is a list of application documents required to apply for citizenship by marriage:

1. 1. ID of both the applicant and spouse;
   2. Proof of accommodation;
   3. Birth certificates (with certified translation if not in French);
   4. Proof of regular and continuous residence in France for at least 3 years since the marriage (such as residence permits, temporary residence permits, employment contracts, electricity bills, payslip, etc.);
   5. Recent complete copy (issued less than 3 months) of the marriage certificate or a transcript of the French consular registration if the marriage was celebrated abroad;
   6. Certificate of French nationality, civil status record or other documents from the French authorities to establish that the spouse was French when the wedding took place, and also has preserved its French nationality;
   7. A document proving the absence of serious criminal record, issued by a competent judicial or administrative authority in the country or countries where you have lived over the last 10 years, or of the country of origin;
   8. Recent evidence of consistent married life (such a full copies of birth certificates of children born before or after marriage establishing parentage of the couple, joint tax declarations, act of house purchase/lease agreement/rental agreement in joint names, etc.);
   9. Diploma or certificate proving a sufficient level of knowledge of the French language. You are, however, exempted from the production of the diploma or certificate if you hold a diploma in French issued by a French speaking country, have a disability, have chronic poor health, or are at least 65 years old.

FRANCE: CITIZENSHIP PROCESS

Your application will be assessed by the mayor’s office (Préfecture) and various other governmental departments and agencies. Once the application is submitted and all the documentation is complete you will be issued with a receipt.

Unless you are exempted from language competency, you may be interviewed to verify your proficiency in the French language. The applicant will then conduct an interview with an officer at the préfecture of your city of residence. The file is then forwarded to the ministry in charge of immigration, which has a period of approximately one year to communicate the decision.

If the application is successful, you will become a French citizen in a naturalization ceremony, be given a French national identity card and a French passport. Any unmarried dependents (under 18 years old) will become French citizen, if they live with you, attend school in France and are included in the naturalization decree.

FRANCE: REGULATIONS

1. 1. Loi n 93-933 du 22/07/1993 réformant le droit de la nationalité;
   2. Loi  98-170 du 16/03/1998 relative à la nationalité;
   3. Loi  2011-672 du 16/06/2011 relative à l’immigration et à l’integration et à la nationalité.
   4. articles 17 à 33-2 du code civil et par le décret n°93-1362 du 30 décembre 1993 (J.O. du 31-12-1993), modifié par l’article R.321-30-1 du code de l’organisation judiciaire (JO du 17 mars 1998 et JO du 27-11-2003), par la loi n°2006-911 du 24 juillet 2006 et la loi n°2009-526 du 12 mai 2009;
   5. La loi n°2011-672 du 16 juin 2011;
   6. Code civil : articles 21-14-1 à 21-25-1 Acquisition de la nationalité française par décision de l’autorité publique;
   7. Code civil : articles 21-26 à 21-27-1 Dispositions communes à certains modes d’acquisition de la nationalité française;
   8. Code civil : articles 22 à 22-3 Effets de l’acquisition de la nationalité française;
   9. Code civil : articles 27 à 27-3 Décisions administratives;
   10. Décret n°93-1362 du 30 décembre 1993 relatif aux déclarations de nationalité, aux décisions de naturalisation, de réintégration, de perte, de déchéance et de retrait de la nationalité française Articles 35 à 52;
   11. Décret n°2012-127 du 30 janvier 2012 approuvant la charte des droits et devoirs du citoyen français
   12. Arrêté du 19 mars 2015 relatif aux modalités d’instruction des demandes de naturalisation;
   13. Circulaire du 6 mai 2019 relative aux conséquences de propos ou d’actes à caractère raciste ou antisémite tenus ou commis par un étranger sur le droit au séjour et l’accès à la nationalité française;
   14. Circulaire du 30 novembre 2011 relative au niveau de connaissance de la langue française requis des postulants à la nationalité française;
   15. Circulaire du 27 juillet 2010 relative à la déconcentration de la procédure d’acquisition de la nationalité française par décision de l’autorité publique.

FRANCE: TESTIMONIAL

Originally from Hong Kong, my parents and I relocated to the United-States 20 years ago. I grew up in the United-States and obtained American citizenship. 7 years ago my wife, our son and I decided to move to France. We signed a full service agreement with Inimex to assist us on all the services from beginning : the French visa application, permanent residency application, French citizenship application, as well as with all administrative work such as obtaining our French driver’s license, prepare our tax declarations, purchase a property, register our son into a private school and open a bank account.

3 months ago, we finally received a positive answer regarding our French citizenship application. Since a few days, my family and I received our French national ID card and French passports.

I really appreciate our life in France. We all speak fluently Chinese, English and French. My son studies in a very prestigious French school. Thanks to Inimex, they accomplished the mission of the agreement and assisted us very well from the beginning and at every stage of our immigration process.