Eligibility quiz
Were you born in France?
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 in courtApplying in court
Find your court
Find the court responsible for the place in France where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which court handles déclaration de nationalité in France for someone living in your city?”
Get court instructions
Ask your court how to start your application. If you are 13 to 15, your legal representative applies for you with a request written on plain paper.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get instructions for a déclaration de nationalité for a child born in France at the court in your city?”
Prepare your request
If you are 13 to 15, your legal representative writes the request, including your name, date and place of birth and their own details. If you are 16 or 17, prepare your own request following the court’s instructions.
Find request guidanceSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I prepare a déclaration de nationalité request for a child born in France?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the documents your court asks for.
See required documentsSend your request
If you are 13 to 15, your legal representative sends the request and documents to your court; if you are 16 or 17, you send them yourself. Ask the court how it accepts them.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I send a déclaration de nationalité request for a child born in France to the court in your city?”
Attend your appointment
If the court asks you to attend, go to the appointment and bring the original documents, even if copies were sent. If you are 13 to 15, your legal representative signs and dates the declarations prepared by the court, and you give your consent unless an approved specialist has established that you cannot express it.
Find appointment guidanceSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens at a court appointment for a déclaration de nationalité for a child born in France?”
Wait for the decision
You or your legal representative should send any extra documents the court asks for by its deadline. The court sends a receipt when your application is complete.
See what happensSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit a déclaration de nationalité for a child born in France?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get a full copy of your birth certificate; a French birth certificate must be less than three months old. If you have foreign children who live with you habitually or take turns living with you after a separation or divorce, include their birth certificates and, if needed, records or a court decision showing you are their parent.
Parents' identity documents
Provide your foreign parents' residence permits or official foreign identity documents. Copies may generally be supplied, but have the originals ready if the court asks to see them.
Children's residence records *
Provide proof that your children live with you. Copies may generally be supplied, but have the originals ready if the court asks to see them.
* Only if you have foreign children who live with you habitually or take turns living with you after a separation or divorce.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
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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