US EditionFrance is quietly tightening its citizenship rules
- The French government, led by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, is introducing stricter citizenship rules starting January 2026 across France.
- These changes respond to longstanding concerns that French nationality has been granted too easily, including to people with weak language skills or illegal entry histories.
- Applicants must now prove at least seven years residence, stable employment, reliable income without social support, pass a higher B2-level language test, and have no criminal convictions over six months.
- Retailleau described nationality as "not a right, but a sovereign decision" requiring "a real sense of belonging" and urged officials to be "very, very demanding."
- These rules narrow naturalisation access, provoke political debate, and may reduce citizenship numbers after a 2024 rise to over 66,000, but outcomes under the new regime remain uncertain.
15 Articles
15 Articles
France tighten rules for gaining citizenship
France is set to make it tougher for foreigners to become citizens. New instructions sent to local authorities demand stricter screening — and even the country’s most popular paths to residency are under pressure. In a move stirring both political and public debate, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has issued a new circular aimed at tightening access to French nationality. Source
Latest: New French citizenship language rules DO apply to applications by marriage
In a memo sent out to public officials, the French interior minister specified that new, stricter language rules for French citizenship will also apply to applications based on marriage, clearing up previous confusion on the subject.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau issued a circular ordering prefects to tighten the conditions for access to naturalization.
A five-page circular signed by the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau is sent to the Prefect. The aim, clearly set out, is to reduce the number of naturalised people each year in France. Up to now, no minimum duration of activity was required. According to the circular, the candidate for nationality will now have to justify five years of financial autonomy. The required level of French will be more demanding and a new so-called Civic exam…
The Minister of the Interior presented a new text, Monday 5 May in the morning, to the Val-de-Marne prefecture in Créteil. Under the guise of firmness, he praised measures to promote "assimilation", but these are in fact nothing new.
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