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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 that serves the place where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which French nationality office handles nationalité par mariage applications for your city?”
Download the application form
Download the Cerfa 15277 form for French nationality by marriage.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in and date two copies of the form, and attach a recent photo to each copy. You and your French spouse must both sign them.
Get form helpSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the French nationalité par mariage application form?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your local office.
See required documentsHand in your application
Send or bring the signed forms and documents to your local nationality office, using the method it gives you. Ask the office whether a fee is due and how to pay it, and pay any required fee as directed.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a French nationalité par mariage application to the nationality office serving your city?”
Wait for your invitation
Wait for the office to invite you and your spouse to an interview. If it asks for more documents, send them by the deadline it gives you.
Find interview informationSearches DuckDuckGo for “How am I invited to an interview for French nationalité par mariage?”
Attend your interview
Go to the interview with your spouse, your identity documents and the original documents from your application. You will both confirm that you have continued your life together and answer the interviewer’s questions.
Prepare for interviewSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens at the interview for French nationalité par mariage?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the decision and answer any further requests from the office by its deadline. If your application is approved, keep your citizenship confirmation; you can then apply for a French passport.
See how decisions workSearches DuckDuckGo for “How long does a French nationalité par mariage decision take and how am I notified?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get the original full copy of your birth certificate from the office that holds the birth register; it must name your parents and not be based on a family record book or identity document. If you have children, include a birth certificate for each child, whether an adult or a minor; French birth certificates must be recent.
Marriage certificates
Get a recent, original full copy of your marriage certificate. If you married outside France, include a recent copy of the marriage record entered in the French register. If you had a previous marriage or registered partnership, include its record and proof that it ended, such as a divorce judgment or death certificate.
Spouse's citizenship records
Provide proof that your spouse was French when you married and has remained French. Depending on how your spouse is French, this can be a French birth certificate with the relevant note, a French citizenship certificate, a court decision or an official document showing they acquired French citizenship.
Spouse's residence record *
Get a certificate showing your French spouse was listed in the register of French citizens living outside France. It should cover the required period.
* Only if you lived outside France and need to show your French spouse was registered there.
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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