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Documents and translations for your naturalisation file

The document list for a naturalisation par décret application, and the rules on civil-status certificates, sworn translations, legalisation and apostille.

Checked against Ministère de l'Intérieur — Formation civique et examen civique · Oct 20263 min read

The core list

For an online application, service-public.gouv.fr lists:

the €255 timbre fiscal (€127.50 in French Guiana)
a copy (both sides) of your valid residence permit, unless you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national
an official identity document (passport or residence permit)
proof of your civil status and nationality
proof of address
proof of your income and taxes
the diploma or attestation proving your level of French
the attestation of success at the examen civique
documents on your couple, any previous marriage (divorce or widowhood) and your minor children
if you have lived in France for less than 10 years, an original foreign criminal record extract from each country where you lived (or, failing that, your country of nationality); refugees and stateless people protected by OFPRA do not provide one for their country of origin
if you are a non-EU national, your passport or Schengen visa for short trips into the Schengen area in the last 5 years

Paper applications also need the cerfa n°12753 in two copies and two 35 x 45 mm photos. The online service shows the exact list for your situation, and you can be asked for more.

Civil-status certificates

A civil-status certificate (birth, marriage, children's births) must be a full copy (copie intégrale), provided as an original in the language of the country of origin. French certificates must have been issued less than 3 months ago. If a foreign certificate was drawn up, corrected or modified following a court decision, add a copy of that decision.

Other documents can be provided as copies, but you must be able to show the originals. Prepare them even if you file online: you will need them at the interview.

Translations

Every document written in a foreign language must come with a French translation, and you provide the original of the translation. It must be made by a sworn translator (traducteur agréé, usually an expert registered with a French cour d'appel) or by a translator authorised to work for the judicial or administrative authorities of another European country. If you live abroad, the French embassy or consulate has a list of approved translators.

Two ways to save translation costs:

an adult does not need to translate a plurilingual extract of a birth or marriage certificate that includes French
for some documents issued in an EU country, a multilingual standard form can be attached instead (see the e-Justice portal)

Legalisation and apostille

Some documents issued abroad must be legalised or carry an apostille to be accepted in France. Which formality applies depends on the country that issued the document and on any agreement with France, and some countries are exempt from both.

Service-public.gouv.fr advises asking the French embassy or consulate in the country concerned about legalisation, and that country's embassy or consulate about the apostille. Check before you order translations, because the translation must cover the legalised or apostilled document.

Refugees and stateless people

If you are protected by OFPRA, do not contact the authorities of your country of origin. OFPRA issues civil-status documents for the people it protects, and you are not asked for a criminal record extract from your country of origin.

Practical tips

Start with the slowest items: foreign certificates, criminal record extracts, legalisation and translations
Check that names, dates and places are spelled the same way on every document; explain any difference in advance
Scan every page, in colour, legibly
If you want your name or first names made French (francisation), you can ask for it in your application
Keep copies of everything you file

This is general information, not legal advice: the list that applies to you is the one shown by the online service or your naturalisation platform.

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