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Carte de résident vs naturalisation: which civic exam level?

The three mentions of the examen civique, which one your application needs, and how the language and exemption rules differ.

Checked against Ministère de l'Intérieur — Formation civique et examen civique · Oct 20262 min read

One format, three mentions

The arrêté of 10 October 2025 created three versions (mentions) of the examen civique: carte de séjour pluriannuelle (CSP), carte de résident (CR) and naturalisation. All three use the same format:

40 multiple-choice questions in French, one correct answer out of four
28 knowledge questions and 12 mises en situation
45 minutes maximum, on screen
80% to pass (32/40)

What differs is the difficulty: the ministry and the exam providers state that the level of the questions is adapted to the residence permit or procedure concerned, with naturalisation the most demanding.

Which mention do you need?

First carte de séjour pluriannuelle (2 to 4 years) for a signatory of the contrat d'intégration républicaine: mention CSP
First carte de résident (10 years): mention CR
Naturalisation par décret or réintégration dans la nationalité française: mention naturalisation

No examen civique is required for a first one-year temporary card, for renewals of a card you already hold, or for nationality by declaration (marriage, ascendant or sibling of a French citizen).

Can one attestation be reused?

The ministry states that an attestation of success at the CR mention is accepted as a CSP attestation when you apply for a carte de séjour pluriannuelle on the ANEF portal. The naturalisation file asks specifically for an attestation of success at the examen civique mention naturalisation.

Do not assume any other equivalence: if you plan to apply for a carte de résident now and for naturalisation later, expect to sit the naturalisation mention separately, and confirm with your préfecture.

Same themes, different question lists

Every mention covers the same five themes, with the same number of questions per theme in each sitting:

Principes et valeurs de la République: 11 (3 on the motto and symbols, 2 on laïcité, 6 scenarios)
Système institutionnel et politique: 6 (3 on democracy and voting, 2 on how the Republic is organised, 1 on European institutions)
Droits et devoirs: 11 (2 on fundamental rights, 3 on obligations of residents, 6 scenarios)
Histoire, géographie et culture: 8 (3 on history, 3 on geography, 2 on heritage)
Vivre dans la société française: 4 (settling in France, healthcare, work, parental authority and schooling)

The knowledge questions are published separately for each mention: the CSP and CR lists on formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr, and the naturalisation list (dated 12 December 2025) on immigration.interieur.gouv.fr. Many questions appear in both the CR and naturalisation lists, but the naturalisation list goes further, especially in history, culture, geography and European institutions. Scenario questions are never published.

Language level and exemptions also differ

Since 1 January 2026 the French level required is A2 for a first CSP, B1 for a first carte de résident and B2 (oral and written) for naturalisation. These are separate requirements from the civic exam.

Exemptions are not the same either. For residence permits, beneficiaries of international protection, nationals covered by certain bilateral agreements and people over 65 are not required to pass the exam. For naturalisation, service-public.gouv.fr mentions only a dispensation when a disability or health condition makes the assessment impossible, proved by a medical certificate (adjustments are possible otherwise). Check your own situation with the préfecture.

Not legal advice. This guide is general information compiled from official sources. Rules change — confirm your own situation with Ministère de l'Intérieur — Formation civique et examen civique.

Sources