In a speech on Monday, France’s interior minister pledged to “toughen up” the requirements for foreigners wishing to become citizens of France. However, many of these regulations are already in place, and the speech could be more about political maneuvering than naturalization procedures. It is widely accepted that a French politician who aspires to be president must be looking for something to work hard at.
Additionally, if you are on the right side of the political spectrum, you will undoubtedly succeed if you take a tough stance on some component of the immigration system. If you end up implementing regulations that already exist and declaring that you’re going to Get Tough, does it really matter? Apparently not, based on Monday’s declaration by French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
In order to formally introduce a “circulaire”—basically, a letter that French ministers can distribute—about tightening the requirements for foreigners to get French citizenship, Retailleau traveled to the Créteil suburb of Paris. He stated: “I’ve decided to tighten up the criteria because no one can justify naturalization without assimilation… those wishing to become French must show their mastery of the French language.” This is a contrasting statement to his actual announcement.
Foreigners must demonstrate their ability to speak, read, and write French in order to get French citizenship through residence (typically achievable after five years of living in France, or two if they have finished higher education here) or marriage. Candidates for citizenship must submit a certificate attesting to their passing the reading, writing, speaking, and listening portions of the B1 (intermediate) level French tests.
A new legislation was established in 2024 that raised the necessary level from B1 to B2 (upper intermediate), which is anticipated to take effect by January 2026. This rule has been in existence for decades.
He addressed the group of préfecture employees, saying, “Perhaps some have forgotten the provision within the law that we cannot give citizenship to someone who cannot justify their assimilation into the national community.” The creation of “a civic examination to measure the applicant’s knowledge of civic culture and the history of France” is what he wanted to announce.
In contrast to some countries where a multiple-choice citizenship exam suffices, in France, you must sit down for an in-person interview with a préfecture official and persuade them of your knowledge of France and French culture as well as your desire to become French. Saying you’re only in it for a shorter passport queue usually backfires. Knowledge of and adherence to French values is already a significant part of the citizenship process.
The degree of difficulty of these interviews varies greatly; some claim an hour-long interrogation covering every facet of France and French society, while others enjoy a quick and cordial conversation with their interviewer. However, there doesn’t appear to be much of a pattern to the variances; individuals questioned in the same préfecture under identical conditions within a few weeks of one another might have quite different experiences. If there is a recurring theme, it is that respondents of color face greater challenges than those from wealthy, predominantly white nations. Does Retailleau want to alter that? Apparently not, based on his prior political posturing.
His remarks on working in France and his seeming insistence that obtaining a work contract would be required in order to become French were much discussed. By stating that applicants for citizenship must have “sufficient and stable” financial resources in France and stressing “professional integration”—such as a permanent or temporary employment contract—he actually qualified this a little. He stated that there will be exceptions, such as for those who are ill or disabled but used a CDI (permanent) job contract or have worked with CDD (temporary contracts) for 24 months as examples.
It is already necessary to have a “stable and regular income” in order to become French, and people are rejected for “insufficient economic integration”—which isn’t often related to a lack of money.
The prefecture’s case worker will determine the precise definition, but typical instances of people being rejected on the basis of economic integration include those who work remotely for businesses that operate wholly outside of France or those who have never worked in France but are not yet of retirement age.
Does Retailleau’s memo have any real chance of changing anything? Although a minister’s circulaire cannot alter the legislation pertaining to obtaining citizenship, it can affect how prefecture employees understand it, particularly when it comes to concepts like “economic integration,” which are not well defined.
Getting French citizenship is not easy, even if the requirements are rather lenient—the five-year qualifying term is one of the shortest in Europe, and the minimum €55 charge is quite affordable when compared to many of its neighbors.
