Eligibility quiz
Do you have a child, grandchild or great-grandchild who is a French citizen?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
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 local officeApplying at a local office
Find your local office
Find the French nationality office responsible for the address where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which office handles déclaration par ascendant for French nationality in your city, France?”
Download the application form
Download and print form Cerfa 15561*03, the declaration of French nationality as the parent or other direct ancestor of a French citizen.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in, date and sign two copies of the form. Attach a recent photo to each copy.
See how to fillSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the France déclaration par ascendant nationality form?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your local nationality office.
See required documentsBuy a tax stamp
Pay the €55 fee by buying an electronic tax stamp for your application.
Buy a tax stampSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I buy an electronic tax stamp for a déclaration par ascendant nationality application in France?”
Hand in your application
Send or bring your completed forms, documents and tax stamp to your local nationality office, following its instructions for your address. Ask the office how it takes applications if its instructions are unclear.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a déclaration par ascendant nationality application to the office for your city, France?”
Wait for your invitation
Wait for your local nationality office to invite you to an interview.
See interview informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How does the interview invitation for a déclaration par ascendant nationality application in France work?”
Go to your interview
Bring the original identity and civil-status documents requested by your local nationality office. After the interview, the office gives you a receipt when your application is complete.
Prepare for your interviewSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens at the interview for a déclaration par ascendant nationality application in France?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for your local nationality office to tell you the decision, and send any extra documents it asks for by its deadline. You can contact the office for an update.
Find decision informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I follow a déclaration par ascendant nationality application in France and receive the decision?”
Receive your citizenship confirmation
If your declaration is registered, you are French from the date of your declaration. You can then apply for a French passport.
Find passport instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I apply for a French passport after my déclaration par ascendant nationality application is approved in France?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Provide your original birth certificate, in the full version if it is available, and your French child's birth certificate showing your relationship. Also provide birth certificates for any of your minor children; a French birth certificate for a minor child must be less than three months old. If needed to show a minor child's relationship to you, add the relevant records or decisions.
Child's citizenship records
Provide proof that your child is French. This can be a birth certificate showing French citizenship, a birth certificate showing that your child and both parents were born in France, a court decision recognising your child as French, a French authority's document showing how your child became French, or a French citizenship certificate.
Marriage certificates *
Provide records of your marriage or civil partnership. Include records of any divorce or other changes to your civil status.
* Only if you have married or had a civil partnership.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationSpouse's death record *
Provide the record showing that your spouse has died.
* Only if your spouse has died.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationChild's residence evidence *
Provide evidence that your child usually lives with you. If you are separated or divorced and your child lives with each parent part of the time, provide evidence of that arrangement.
* Only if a foreign minor child may become French with you.
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
Adavia doesn't provide advice, but we're building a directory of professionals who do. If you'd like, we can notify you when help is available.
Updated