Eligibility quiz
Were you adopted through a simple adoption under French law?
Benefits
Benefits for your childBenefits for your child
French passport and ID
French citizens can have a French passport and identity card to prove their nationality and travel abroad.
Entry rules for the destination still apply.
Live in France for life
French citizens can enter, live in and return to France without a visa or residence permit.
They do not need a job, health insurance or a set amount of money to live there.
Study in France
French citizens can study in France under the same rules as other French nationals.
Citizenship alone does not guarantee a place or a grant.
Work in France
French citizens can work in France, including in jobs reserved for French nationals.
Citizenship alone does not guarantee a job.
Get help abroad
French embassies and consulates can help with lost documents, arrest, illness, serious accidents, crime and other emergencies.
If France has no usable representation outside the EU, you can seek help from another EU country's embassy or consulate.
French help may be limited in the country of your other citizenship.
Vote and run for office
French citizens can vote from age 18 in French elections and referendums and stand for public office if they meet the conditions.
Registration to vote may be needed.
Citizens living abroad can vote in presidential, legislative, European and consular elections and referendums.
Use public healthcare
French citizens can use the French healthcare system when they live or work in France or are otherwise covered.
Citizenship alone does not guarantee healthcare payments or French health cover while living abroad.
Use social support
French citizens can use public services and social support in France under the same rules as other French nationals.
Each payment or service has its own conditions.
How to apply
Applying at a consulateApplying at a consulate
Find your consulate
Find the French consulate responsible for the place where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which French consulate serves your city for a declaration of French nationality after simple adoption?”
Prepare your written request
You or your legal representative should write a request on plain paper with your surname, given names, date and place of birth, and address. Include your legal representative’s address if needed.
See how to writeSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I write a request for a declaration of French nationality after simple adoption for a minor?”
Gather your documents
You or your legal representative should prepare the documents required by the consulate.
See required documentsHand in your application
You or your legal representative should submit your written request and documents to the consulate. Ask the consulate how to hand in or mail the package and whether an appointment is needed.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a minor’s declaration of French nationality after simple adoption at the French consulate serving your city?”
Attend your consular appointment
Go to the consulate when you are called to sign the declaration. If you are 16 or 17, you sign it yourself; your legal representative signs for you if you are under 16, under guardianship or unable to express your wishes because of a disability.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How does a minor sign a declaration of French nationality after simple adoption at the French consulate serving your city?”
Wait for the decision
You or your legal representative should answer any requests from the consulate while you wait. A decision must be made within six months after the receipt is issued; if no decision is made in that time, your declaration is registered automatically.
See how long registration takesSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a declaration of French nationality after simple adoption take to be registered?”
Keep your registered copy
You or your legal representative should keep the copy marked “enregistrée” when it is returned. You can use it as proof of your French nationality.
See how to use itSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I use a registered declaration of French nationality after simple adoption as proof of nationality?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Provide your complete birth certificate. Ask the office that registered your birth for a full copy.
Adoption decision
Provide the decision or judgment that granted your simple adoption. Get a copy from the court or office that issued it.
Parent's citizenship records
Provide your French adoptive parent's official identity document and records showing they were French on the date of your adoption. Depending on how they became French, these may include a French nationality certificate, nationality declaration or decree.
Parent's residence record *
Provide documents showing that your French adoptive parent usually lives outside France. These should show where they live.
* Only if your French adoptive parent usually lives outside France.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
National service registration
French citizens living in France must register for national service at 16.
Those who become French citizens between 16 and 25 must register within one month.
Registration leads to a defence and citizenship day, with exemptions or adjustments in some cases.
Citizenship can be lost
An adult who normally lives abroad and voluntarily gains another citizenship can declare the loss of French citizenship within the prescribed period.
Citizenship can also be lost if a challenge to the original entitlement succeeds.
Some people who gained French citizenship and have another citizenship can be stripped of it for exceptionally serious acts, depending on their circumstances and when the acts occurred.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Nationalité Naturalisation française
French Facebook group for people interested in French citizenship
Join on FacebookTOUT TYPE DE DOSSIER 🇲🇬🇫🇷: Nationalité,visa court ou long séjour…
French Facebook group for people interested in French citizenship and visas
Join on FacebookApplying for French Nationality, Titre de Séjour and Carte de Résident
Facebook group for people interested in French citizenship and visas (English & French)
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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