Naturalisation par décret, step by step

Naturalisation par décret is the main route for foreign residents. It is a favour granted by the State, not a right: even if you meet every condition, the administration can refuse or postpone (ajourner) your application.

Other people acquire French nationality by declaration, for example after 4 years of marriage to a French citizen. Declaration routes do not require the examen civique, but marriage declarations now also require B2 French.

Then collect your civil-status documents (birth certificate, marriage or divorce papers, children's birth certificates), with sworn translations and legalisation or apostille where needed, plus proof of residence, income, employment and tax returns.

Most applicants in France file online on the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr). You pay a €255 timbre fiscal (€127.50 in French Guiana). The procedure itself is free; beware of private websites charging fees to "help" you file.

When your file is complete, you receive a récépissé. This starts the legal time limit: 18 months, or 12 months if you have lived in France for at least 10 years, extendable once by 3 months.

The préfecture invites you to an entretien d'assimilation. Bring the original documents listed on your invitation. The agent checks your integration, your adherence to the values of the Republic and your spoken French, and you sign the charte des droits et devoirs du citoyen français at the end. See the separate guide on preparing for this interview.

A favourable decision takes the form of a decree published in the Journal officiel; you are notified after publication. If your application is declared inadmissible, refused or postponed, you can file a recours administratif with the minister within 2 months (online applicants use the form in "Mes notifications"), and then go to the Tribunal administratif de Nantes.

A few months after the decree, the prefect invites you to the cérémonie d'accueil dans la citoyenneté française. Employees are entitled to at least half a day of leave to attend.