Applying for French Citizenship? Keep reading to learn about what your French Citizenship Test and Interview will consist of and to get some helpful, practical tips to ace them!
Table of Contents
- How to get French Citizenship
- French Proficiency Test and Citizenship Interview
- How can Progress with Lawless French help me prepare for my French proficiency test and citizenship interview?
How to get French Citizenship
Obtaining French citizenship is a long and involved process that requires everything from official translations of personal documents like birth and marriage certificates to a set of precisely sized photographs.
You will also need to pass a French proficiency test as well as demonstrate your knowledge of French history and culture.
For an overview of the requirements and procedures involved in applying for French citizenship, take a look at this official video tutorial created by the French government.
Comment demander la nationalité française, 1re partie
Comment demander la nationalité française, 2e partie
We have turned this video into a two-part listening and reading comprehension exercise to help you get the facts AND practise your French at the same time!
For additional information about the conditions and requirements of obtaining French citizenship, see the official site of the Ministère de l'Intérieur.
French Proficiency Test and Citizenship Interview
In order to obtain French citizenship, you need to prove your French proficiency by either passing a test or meeting certain criteria (e.g., having a degree from a French university).
The most daunting part of the citizenship process, however, may be the interview, during which you need to demonstrate your knowledge of French history and culture. The official source of this information, the Livret du citoyen, is available as a PDF download or can be consulted at any Préfecture.
Our very own Shui Ng went through this process a few years ago and shared her experiences and thoughts for our new bilingual Reader: L'Entretien de Naturalisation française de Shui.
French citizenship: Language proficiency test
The French language level test includes both listening and speaking sections, but there’s a chance you might be eligible to be exempted from it.
"There are many ways to be exempted from the language test, such as having studied in a French-speaking country for example. I have two degrees from a French university, so I didn't have to take this test," said Shui when talking to us about her experience.
Another way to prove your French proficiency level and be exempted from the language test is by getting an official diploma or certificate to prove you have reached at least B1 level in all four competencies: listening, reading, writing and speaking. It must have been issued within the last two years.
There are several official tests and diplomas accepted by the French Government that will be considered valid proof of your French level. Some of them are:
If you didn’t study in a French university and cannot get an official diploma or certificate, you’ll need to prove your French level with the language proficiency test, which should take place at your local préfecture.
This part of the French citizenship process focuses on measuring your ability to handle normal communication challenges while living in France and dealing with everyday situations. It won't focus much on your grammar or accent, but rather show that you are able to communicate well enough to navigate French society.
French citizenship: History and Culture test
This is the time to demonstrate your knowledge of French history and culture. As mentioned above, you can take a look at the PDF download of the Livret du citoyen to see the official source of the information you'll need.
In our chat, Shui mentioned some examples of the questions she got asked in her interview.
"Among the questions I was asked, there was: 'What year was the loi de laïcité (law on secularity) passed?' and 'Who elects the Senate?' There were also questions about the European Union, such as: 'How many countries are in the EU?' My interviewer asked me specific questions about where I live: 'Who is your mayor?,' 'What will be the next big event in Paris?' (the Olympics), 'In what year?' (2024)," Shui told us.
You are expected to know about things like key dates in French history, French values, important symbols and governmental organisation, among other topics.
The citizenship interview should feel like a normal conversation to you. The French government's website states the purpose of the interview is to verify that you have sufficient knowledge of French history, culture and society.
In general, there are 5 main topics that will get covered in your interview:
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Laws / History
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Regional
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Arts / Literature
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Travel / France / Culture
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Volunteering / Community
You might get questions about your holiday travels in and out of France. It's a good idea to mention where you have travelled in France (for any reason) to demonstrate your knowledge of and interest in the country.
There will be other questions to assess whether you are integrated into the French community, like about your hobbies and volunteering activities. You'll also want to mention if you like to read in French, watch French TV shows or go to the cinema or theatre. This will indicate that you enjoy a variety of French cultural activities.
How can Progress with Lawless French help me prepare for my French proficiency test and citizenship interview?
The French resources offered throughout Progress with Lawless French will help you steadily improve your language skills. We also have a series of French kwizzes based specifically on the content from the Livret du citoyen so that you can put your French to the test while simultaneously learning this essential information.
In addition to the facts and figures from the Livret du citoyen, you'll also need to demonstrate knowledge of and an appreciation for French culture. Kwiziq has a huge body of content related to everything from art to sports that you can use to learn more about the richness of French history and culture.
Art & Design
- Chasseurs de fripes (C1)
Paul tells Mathilde about awesome bargains at the second-hand store. - La Bohème - Charles Aznavour
Travel to the old Montmartre with this classic song by Charles Aznavour, "La Bohème", while practising your French listening comprehension. - Henri Matisse au Centre Pompidou
Enjoy a fascinating retrospective on French painter Henri Matisse at the Pompidou Center in Paris, while practising your French listening comprehension.
Employment
- Chez l'agent immobilier (B2)
Adrien is looking to rent an apartment in Angers. - Les métiers de ma famille (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Jobs / Les métiers (v) vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
- Au départ de l'hôtel (B1)
Laëtitia is leaving her hotel.
Famous People
- Peindre comme Cézanne (Vocabulaire)
Practise your Painting vocabulary in French with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
- La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf (Le Présent + Vocabulary)
Practise Le Présent and French A1 vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- Bruxelles je t'aime - Angèle
Celebrate the Belgian capital with Angèle's upbeat love song to Brussels, while practising your French listening comprehension.
Film & TV
- À la télévision (Conjonctions de coordination)
Practise your French List of coordinating conjunctions in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
- Actress Anne Dorval
Claire tells us about her favourite actress, French-Canadian Anne Dorval. - A History of French TV
Learn some interesting facts about the beginnings of French TV.
Food & Drink
- Les enfants au restaurant (Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives)
Practise French possessive pronouns and adjectives with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- Faire les courses (Partitive Articles)
Practise French partitive articles (du, de la, de l', des, de, d') with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise
- À la boulangerie (A1)
Mrs Poiret goes to Mr Dulac's bakery this morning.
Monuments, Tourism & Vacations
- À la gare
Henri needs to buy some train tickets. - Chez Victor Hugo à Guernesey
Discover Victor Hugo's amazing mansion Hauteville House on the island of Guernsey, while practising your French reading and listening comprehension. - Une visite manquée (Adverbes)
Practise your French List of simple adverbs in French with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
Politics & History
- 6 juin 1944 : voyage à travers le temps
Witness the commemoration of the Allied landing in Normandy, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - Assomption
August 15 is the Catholic holiday of Assomption (Assumption Day) and is férié (a public holiday) in France. - 8 mai 1945 : la capitulation de l'Allemagne à Reims
Learn about Germany surrendered to Allied forces on the 8th of May 1945, while practising your listening and reading comprehension.
Celebrations & Important Dates
- 6 juin 1944 : voyage à travers le temps
Witness the commemoration of the Allied landing in Normandy, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - Mon jour férié (Passé Composé vs Imparfait)
Practise when to use Le Passé Composé or L'Imparfait with this fill-in-the-blank kwiz exercise
- Hanoucca dans ma famille (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Hanukkah vocabulary in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
Immigration & Citizenship
- La Ve République
Learn more about the current French political regime. - Le 14 juillet (A2)
Do you actually know why France's National Day is July 14th? - Les symboles de la République française (Level A1)
Practise your French A1 level with this Fill-in-the-blanks exercise.
Language & Education
- Ma semaine dans les Alpes françaises (A2)
Practise your A2 Level French with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- Alsatian accent
Get an (exaggerated) idea about French as it's spoken in Alsace in this humorous sketch by Les Inconnus (a famous French trio of humorists from the 90's). - Bretagne news - sketch by Les Inconnus
Get an (exaggerated) idea about French as it's spoken in Bretagne in this humorous sketch by Les Inconnus (a famous French trio of humorists from the 90's).
Literature, Poetry, Theatre
- Conte de fées (Passé Composé vs Imparfait)
Practise when to use Le Passé Composé vs L'Imparfait with this fill-in-the-blank kwiz exercise
- Blindness
A0 French interactive reading article - Jean de La Fontaine (Portraits français)
Learn about French poet Jean de La Fontaine, while practising your French reading and listening skills.
Music
- Une famille de musiciens (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Music instruments / Les instruments de musique (v) vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
- Claude Nougaro et Toulouse (C1)
Learn about the Toulouse-born singer and his deep connection to the Pink City. - La Vie En Rose - Edith Piaf (Le Présent + Vocabulary)
Practise Le Présent and French A1 vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
Sports & Leisure
- À la mercerie (B1)
Sophie goes to the haberdashery [US: sewing store] to get some advice. - À bord du TGV (B2)
Olivier and Sophie are on the train to their holiday [US: vacation] destination. - Le weekend de Paul (Le Passé Composé)
Practise your Passé Composé conjugations with this Fill-in-the-blanks kwiz exercise
Create your free Progress with Lawless French account here to get your French level and start practising your reading and listening skills while learning about all the topics you’ll need for your French citizenship test and interview.