Reintegration into French nationality by decree
Verified 06 June 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Can a foreigner who has been French in the past reinstate french nationality ? We'll show you the conditions to be fulfilled and steps to apply.
Caution : if you have lost French nationality as a result of marriage, the exercise of certain public mandates, or voluntarily by declaration, another procedure applies.
Step-by-step approach
You must meet all the following conditions to be reintegrated into French nationality.
Prior French nationality
You must establish that you have previously possessed the French nationality.
Age
You can be reinstated in French nationality at any age.
If you have under 16 years, you must be represented by your legal representative to make the request of reintegration into French nationality.
From age 16, you can make the request yourself, without permission.
Residence in France
You must reside in France at the time of signing of the reintegration decree.
This means that you must equity in France the center of your material interests (including professionals) and your family ties.
If you reside in France but your spouse and/or children reside abroad, you may be denied French nationality.
However, you can be reinstated as a French citizen if you live abroad subject to compliance one of the following conditions:
- You carry out a public or private professional activity on behalf of the French State or an organization whose activity is of particular interest to the French economy or culture
- You live in Monaco
- You are doing your national service or are engaged in regular training of the French army
- You're a national service volunteer
If you meet any of these conditions, your spouse and your minor children who live with you must also meet them.
Regularity of stay
You must have a valid residence permit at the time of filing your application.
However, you don't need it if you are European (EEA) or Swiss.
You must not have been expulsion order or a prohibition of French territory still in force.
Assimilation to the French community
You must prove your assimilation to the French community, in particular as follows:
- You have to agree with the principles and core values of the Republic
- You must have knowledge about the story, the cultivation and the French business
The citizen's book indicates the knowledge required.
You can download this booklet or consult it at the reception of the prefectures.
Knowledge of French
You must show proof of a sufficient knowledge of the French language.
Professional Insertion
Employability is an essential condition for assimilation and integration in France.
Employability means that you must have stable and sufficient incomes to support yourself and your tax shelter.
Morality and lack of criminal convictions
You must be good people.
This means in particular that you must not have been the author of facts contrary to public order.
General case
The process costs €55.
This tax is paid with a tax stamp.
However, if you file abroad, the payment is made to the consulate.
Warning
Private websites offer a paid service for the acquisition of French nationality. For example, to get an appointment in the prefecture. However, except for the tax stamp, know that the acquisition of the French nationality is a free process.
Documents to be provided
Prepare the following documents to build your case:
- Form cerfa no. 12753 in 2 copies, completed, dated and signed (except when sending your request online)
- Tax stamp of €55 (except in the case of an application made abroad)
- Duplex copy of your residence permit valid, unless you are a Swiss national or a national of European State (EU/EEA)
- Official identity document (passport or residence permit)
- 2 photos identity format 35 x 45 mm, bare head. Enter your name, first name and date of birth on the back (except when sending your request online)
- Proof of your civil status and nationality
- Proof of your domicile
Proof of your resources and taxes - Diploma or certificate justifying your level of knowledge of French
- Supporting documents if you live as a couple
- Supporting documents if you have already been married (divorce or widowhood)
- Supporting documents if you have dependent children
- If you are veteran or legionnaire, status of services, decorations and quotations obtained
- If you have lived in France for less than 10 years, original extract of foreigner criminal record or equivalent document. It must be issued by a competent authority of the country or countries in which you have lived, or failing that, of the country of your nationality.
This document is not required, concerning your country of origin, if you are a refugee or stateless protected by the EUOfpra: titleContent. - If you are a national of a non-EU country European (EU) and that you went into the Schengen area from a State not included in this space for a period of less than 3 months during the 5 years preceding the filing of your application, provide your passport or any equivalent document (e.g. a Schengen visa), and those of your minor children who could become French by their majority
If you wish, you can complete your request online with information that you feel is of particular interest (if the request is sent by post, please provide this information on free paper). For example, your participation in associative life in France.
Please note
depending on your situation, other documents may be requested.
One receipt is issued to you when you have provided all the requested documents.
Francization of surname and/or first name
To facilitate your integration, you can request francization of your surname and/or first names when you apply for acquisition of French nationality.
Instructions on the documents to be provided
Civil status record
One civil status document must be supplied in full and in original in the language of the country of origin.
A French civil status certificate must have been issued less than 3 months ago.
A copy of a foreigner civil status document must be accompanied, if necessary, by a copy of the decision in execution of which it has been drawn up, rectified or amended.
Copy or original of a document
You can provide copies of the requested documents except for civil status records.
However, you should be able to present the originals of the documents if necessary.
A copy of a foreigner act shall be accompanied, if necessary, by a copy of the decision in implementation of which it has been drawn up, rectified or amended.
Translation
You must attach a translation of each document written in a foreign language.
You must provide the original translation.
The translation must be done by a translator on the list of experts approved by the courts of appeal.
However, translation is not required for a multilingual birth certificate extract one of whose languages is French.
In addition, to avoid having to translate some documents issued by a the European Union, one multilingual form can be attached. See the e-justice site for more information.
Legalization or Apostille
Certain documents established abroad must be legalized or apostilles to be accepted in France.
Inquire at the embassy or consulate of the country concerned.
Who shall I contact
In France
General case
You can send your request online.
The online service is accessible with one of the following identifiers: your identifiers FranceConnect or your visa number for entering France, or your residence permit number, or your identifiers used to access the online service for applying for a residence permit.
At each stage of processing your request, you will receive an email to the email address you have provided.
Online application for French naturalization or reintegration into French nationality
In case of difficulties, you can benefit from support at the citizens' contact center of theANTS: titleContent.
Who shall I contact
Citizens Contact Center - French Nationality
You can get help with the online filing of your French naturalization application and have information on the follow-up of your file.
By telephone
0806,001,620 (no surtax number) in mainland France, from overseas and the foreigner.
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
You can also get help from a digital home settled in every prefecture and most sub-prefectures.
Check with your local prefecture to find out how to make an appointment.
Who shall I contact
You live in Guyana
You must file your file with the prefecture of Guyana if you are not currently legionnaires.
Click the interactive map to access the information of the Guyana naturalization platform (address of the public reception desk, postal address, opening hours, telephone numbers, email...).
Who shall I contact
To the foreigner
You must file your application for reinstatement in French nationality with a French consulate.
Where the application is sent by post, 2 photos identity format 35 x 45 mm, bare head. Enter your name, first name and date of birth on the back
Who shall I contact
Sending folder online
If your situation changes after the receipt is issued, you must inform the administration via your personal online space.
For example, birth, marriage, moving, new employment contract.
Attach the supporting documents in photographic or digitized format.
Online application for French naturalization or reintegration into French nationality
A receipt for sending the documents will be notified by email on your personal space.
Sending folder by mail
If your situation changes after the receipt is issued, you must notify the department that received your request.
For example, if your family or work situation has changed, or if you have changed your address.
You must complete the change of situation declaration attached to the form cerfa no. 12753.
Attach the supporting documents.
Application for acquisition of French nationality by naturalization or reintegration
The declaration of change of situation is to be sent to the naturalization platform that received your application.
Who shall I contact
You will be issued a receipt for the deposit of the documents.
You're summoned to a maintenance to check your assimilation to the French community.
To prepare for this interview, you can download the citizen's book.
You must bring the originals the documents necessary for the examination of your application.
At the end of the interview, you must sign the charter of rights and duties of french citizens.
Please note
if you do not attend the interview for no legitimate reason, your request may be filed without further action.
Sending folder online
You can track progress of your demand on your personal online space and respond to any additional requests.
For example, lack of a document, non-conformity of civil status.
At each stage of the processing of your request, you receive an email notification on your personal space.
Online application for French naturalization or reintegration into French nationality
Sending folder by mail
To find out more about the progress of your application or to submit additional documents, you need to address by email to the department responsible for examining applications for acquisition of French nationality.
Who shall I contact
Sub-Directorate for Access to French Nationality
- To find out about the progress of your application for acquisition of french nationality or provide additional documents (mail-only filing).
- To know which documents to attach to a francization request of surname / first name
By email
sdanf-accueil@interieur.gouv.fr
By User Assistance Form
You can also use a dynamic form which guides you according to your request
FYI
When the instructor department registers your request, you receive a mail notifying you of the allocation of a ministerial number. You also receive a mail to the end of the procedure to inform you of the date of naturalization decree and the date of publication of the decree in OJ: titleContent.
You are informed by email of your registration in the decree on reintegration into french nationality after its publication in the Official Journal (or by mail if you did not send an email when you created your file).
You must download your decree on the website Légifrance.
The decree catch effect to the date of signature.
Your children unmarried minors who normally reside with you also become French if their name is mentioned in the reintegration decree.
The minority of the child shall be assessed at the date of signature of the decree.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Transcription error in the Official Journal
The approach varies depending on you have sent your file online or by mail.
Sending folder online
When your name appears in a naturalization decree, you receive a mail.
You are invited to consult the naturalization decree from the personal area created during your online application for access to French nationality.
If you notice an error, an oversight... in the French naturalization decree, you can to request a correction if the decree contains one or more errors, or an amendment if the decree does not take into account an event that occurred before it was signed.
One online service allows you to do the process online:
Request online an amendment or rectification of a French naturalization decree
Sending paper folder
If you notice an error in the transcription of your civil status in the decree of naturalization published in the Official Journal, report it by mail or by email to the Ministry of the Interior.
Who shall I contact
Ministry of the Interior - Naturalization
By mail
Ministry of the Interior
Directorate-General for foreigners in France
Directorate for Integration and Access to Nationality
Sub-Directorate for Access to French Nationality
12 Francis-le-Carval Street
44404 REZÉ CEDEX
By email
sdanf-accueil@interieur.gouv.fr
Error on a civil registration certificate
If you find an error in a civil registration (birth and/or marriage), you must send a letter to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Who shall I contact
Central Civil Registry Service (Scec)
Attention: the Central Civil Registry Service does not welcome any public.
Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a Frenchman abroad
Only by mail to:
Central Civil Registry Service
11 White House Street
44941 Nantes Cedex 09
You can apply for a civil status certificate through a online service.
For more information, you can:
- Go to diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Call the+33 1 41 86 42 47 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm
Free access to video interpretation or instant speech transcription for the deaf or hard of hearing - Email courrier.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr
The administration can make a decision unfavorable if your request is inadmissible or untimely.
The decision of the administration should be reasoned.
Your request is inadmissible if the conditions laid down by law are not fulfilled. If the grounds for inadmissibility disappear, you can make a new application.
Your request is untimely if the acquisition of french nationality is not, or not yet, possible: your application may be rejected (rejected) or postponed (postponed). In the event of a postponement, a deadline is imposed, for example to allow you to improve your integration into the labor market. Once this time has passed, you can make a new application.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Sending folder online
The unfavorable decision is yours notified online on your personal space (section My Notifications).
You have a deadline of 2 months from notification of the unfavorable decision to file an administrative appeal (hierarchical appeal) to the minister responsible for naturalization.
You must use the form available on your personal space (section My Notifications).
If you receive a negative response, or in the absence of a reply within 4 months from the date of receipt of your appeal, you have a period of 2 months to make a litigation before the administrative court of Nantes.
The time limit runs from the notification of the negative decision (if no reply is received, see theAR: titleContent of your administrative appeal to know how and when to appeal).
Who shall I contact
Warning
The administrative appeal must be made before a litigation.
Sending paper folder
The unfavorable decision is yours notified by registered mail with AR: titleContent or during a summons to the prefecture (or to the consulate if you are abroad).
You have a deadline of 2 months from notification of the unfavorable decision to file an administrative appeal (hierarchical appeal) to the minister responsible for naturalization.
Who shall I contact
Ministry of the Interior - Naturalization
By mail
Ministry of the Interior
Directorate-General for foreigners in France
Directorate for Integration and Access to Nationality
Sub-Directorate for Access to French Nationality
12 Francis-le-Carval Street
44404 REZÉ CEDEX
By email
sdanf-accueil@interieur.gouv.fr
If you receive a negative response, or in the absence of a reply within 4 months from the date of receipt of your appeal, you have a period of 2 months to make a litigation before the administrative court of Nantes.
The time limit runs from the notification of the negative decision (if no reply is received, see theAR: titleContent of your administrative appeal to know how and when to appeal).
Who shall I contact
.
Warning
The administrative appeal must be made before a litigation.
Online application for French naturalization or reintegration into French nationality
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
- Naturalization Platforms
Telephone administrative information - Allo Public Service
For more information on this topic, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Attention: the service does not have access to users' personal files and cannot therefore provide information on their status.
- Lundi : de 08h30 à 17h30
- Mardi : de 08h30 à 12h15
- Mercredi : de 08h30 à 12h15
- Jeudi : de 08h30 à 17h30
- Vendredi : de 13h00 à 16h15
- Service free
The informants who answer you belong to the Ministry of the Interior.
General provisions
Provisions common to certain types of acquisition of French nationality
Effects of acquisition of French nationality
Reintegration into French nationality
Administrative decisions
Nationality effects of transfers of sovereignty in respect of certain territories
FAQ
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Administrative Court of Nantes