Eligibility quiz
Was one of your parents a French citizen when you were born?
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 from inside FranceApplying from inside France
Find your court
Find the court that handles French nationality certificate requests for the place where you live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which court handles certificat de nationalité française requests for your city, France?”
Download the application form
Download form Cerfa 16237*02, Demande de certificat de nationalité française.
Download the formFill in the form
Complete, date and sign the form. Include your email address or say on the form that you cannot access email.
Get help with the formSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the French certificat de nationalité française application form?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the documents required for the court.
See required documentsMail your application package
Mail your signed form and documents to the court for the place where you live; the application is free. You can also hand them in at the court, where you must show the originals of documents for which copies were accepted.
Get the mailing addressWait for the decision
Send the court any extra documents it asks for within the time it gives you. Show original documents if the court asks to see them.
See how to follow upSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I follow up on a French certificat de nationalité française application with the court?”
Receive your certificate
Receive your French nationality certificate as the court directs. You can use it to prove your French nationality when applying for a French passport.
Find out about receiving itSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I receive my French certificat de nationalité française after the court approves it?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Provide full copies of your birth certificate and your French parent's birth certificate, in their original languages. If needed to establish your French parent's citizenship, include the birth records linking your parent to earlier generations. If your family relationship was established by recognition or adoption, include that record or decision; for a decision, provide an official certified copy and, if needed, a certificate that no appeal or other challenge is pending.
Parent's citizenship records
Provide the record that shows how your French parent was French, such as their French citizenship certificate, a registered citizenship declaration or attestation, or a naturalisation or reinstatement decree or attestation. A French birth record mentioning the relevant declaration or decree can also be used; for a declaration, you can provide the registered original held by its owner. If needed to establish your parent's citizenship, include the relevant records for earlier generations.
Marriage certificates *
Provide the marriage certificates needed to connect you to your French parent or to establish your parent's citizenship. Include name-change records if they are needed to connect the records.
* Only if marriage records are needed to establish your family ties.
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 française par filiation,CNF,Décret,Récognitive, article 47,30-3
French Facebook group for people interested in French citizenship
Request to joinNationalité 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 FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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