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Staying in France for good – resident card, multi-year card or French citizenship in 2026

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

After a year or two on a first permit, the question becomes how to stay for good. Every main route – a first multi-year card, a first resident card and French citizenship – now requires a set level of French and, in most cases, the civic exam introduced on 1 January 2026, and on 1 May the fees went up.

French flag hanging beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Photo: olrat/Adobe Stock

French citizenship is the goal for many newcomers, but most pass through two cards first: the carte de séjour pluriannuelle (multi-year residence card) and the carte de résident (10-year resident card). All three got harder in 2026. Since 1 January a first multi-year card requires French at level A2 plus the new civic exam, a first resident card B1 plus the civic exam, and naturalisation now requires B2 and the civic exam.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can skip the cards: after five years of legal, uninterrupted residence they have a permanent right of residence, lost after more than two consecutive years away.

DateWhat changed
1 January 2026First multi-year card: French A2 plus the civic exam (under-65s)
1 January 2026First resident card: French B1 plus the civic exam (under-65s)
1 January 2026Naturalisation by decree: civic exam compulsory
1 May 2026First card €350 (was €225); renewal €250 (was €225); naturalisation stamp duty €255 (was €55)

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

How do you get a multi-year card in France?

The multi-year card follows a first temporary card or a VLS-TS (long-stay visa that counts as a residence permit) and normally keeps the same purpose, although you can change status. Obtained after a first year, it is in principle valid four years – as a salarié (employee), entrepreneur or through family reunification. Spouses of French nationals, parents of French children and people admitted on personal and family ties get at most two years.

Your first multi-year card now needs A2 French and the civic exam unless you are over 65; renewals are not concerned. Exempt are cards not linked to the contrat d'intégration républicaine (CIR, the integration contract signed with OFII, the French Office for Immigration and Integration) – the talent, student and visitor cards, for example – and subsidiary protection beneficiaries, stateless people and their families. The CIR civic training, 24 hours over four days, must now be completed before the card is issued.

The card costs €350 (€300 tax plus €50 stamp duty), or €150 for students and some family cases, paid in timbres fiscaux (tax stamps) at the préfecture (prefecture), usually by appointment. In Paris and the inner-ring départements that is the Préfecture de police, whose phone support on 34 30 runs Monday to Friday, 8:30–16:00.

What are the language and civic exam requirements?

GoalFrench levelCivic exam
First multi-year cardA2Yes, unless over 65
First resident cardB1Yes, unless over 65
Naturalisation by decreeB2, spoken and writtenYes
Nationality by marriage (declaration)B2No
Renewing a multi-year cardNot requiredNot required

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Only two tests count: the TCF from France Éducation international and the TEF from the Paris chamber of commerce, with certificates valid two years. DELF, DALF and DCL diplomas and French diplomas such as a CAP, BEP or the brevet also count; foreign diplomas do not, even from a French-speaking country.

The civic exam has 40 multiple-choice questions in French – 28 on knowledge, 12 on real-life situations. You get 45 minutes on a tablet or computer and need 32 correct answers, or 80 per cent. You sit it at a centre approved by the Ministry of the Interior, as often as needed. The pass never expires, and the official preparation material is free. Cheating brings a two-year ban. You must pass before you file.

Every application or renewal also needs a signed contrat d'engagement à respecter les principes de la République (commitment to respect the principles of the Republic); refusing it can cost you the card. EU and EEA citizens and Algerians are among those exempt.

When can you get a 10-year resident card?

The carte de résident is valid ten years, is renewable and lets you work without a work permit, but lapses if you leave France for more than three consecutive years.

RouteMain conditions
Spouse of a French nationalMarried at least 3 years (1 year for Tunisians), living together, a foreign marriage transcribed; B1 and the civic exam
Parent of a French childAt least 3 years on a vie privée et familiale (private and family life) card
EU long-term resident5 years of legal, uninterrupted residence; resources of at least the SMIC (€1,867.02 gross a month); health insurance; B1 and the civic exam
Permanent resident cardOffered on renewal after two consecutive resident cards; B1 and the civic exam unless over 65
Refugees and subsidiary protectionRefugees on recognition; subsidiary protection holders after 4 years

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

For the EU long-term card, absences may not exceed six consecutive months or ten months in total, and the card allows long stays in other EU countries. A first resident card costs €350; the EU long-term card €250 if you already hold a valid permit. Refugees, subsidiary protection beneficiaries and stateless people get theirs free.

Take Anna, an engineer (an invented example) who has held a talent card for five years. Her talent card never required A2 or the civic exam, but a resident card does: she needs B1 French and a civic exam pass before applying.

How do you get French citizenship by naturalisation?

You must be 18 (you can apply from 17), live in France when the decree is signed and normally have five years' residence. Two years can be enough after a French higher-education diploma earned over two years of study; refugees and some French-speaking applicants have no minimum. You need a valid residence permit when you apply, unless you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.

You must also show assimilation – the civic exam plus a prefecture interview – B2 French, stable and sufficient income, and no unsuspended prison sentence of six months or more. With under ten years in France, add criminal-record extracts from the countries where you lived. You apply online through ANEF, the Interior Ministry's portal for foreigners; help is on 0806 001 620, Monday to Friday 9:00–17:00.

Naturalisation by decreeDeclaration by marriage
Basic conditionNormally 5 years in FranceMarried 4 years to a French national (5 in some cases)
French levelB2B2
Civic examYesNo
Stamp duty since 1 May 2026€255 (€127.50 in French Guiana)€255
DecisionUp to 18 months from the receipt (12 after 10 years in France), extendable once by 3 monthsThe ministry has 1 year to refuse registration
French fromThe date the decree is signedThe date of your declaration
If refusedAppeal to the minister within 2 months, then the Nantes administrative courtTribunal judiciaire within 6 months; a lawyer is compulsory

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Apart from the stamp, the procedure is free, so be wary of sites that charge. You buy the electronic stamp online or at an approved tobacconist; it is valid a year and refundable within 18 months if unused. Unmarried minor children who live with you and are named in the decree become French too.

French law does not require you to give up your original nationality. The prefect invites you to a welcome ceremony, in principle within six months, and you can then apply for a French ID card and passport; if you are 16 to 25, register for the census within a month.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Decide which route fits: multi-year card, resident card or citizenshipWell before your card expires
2Book a TCF or TEF, or find your French diploma, at the level you needBefore you apply – certificates last 2 years
3Prepare with the free official material and pass the civic examBefore you file
4Apply online for your next cardBetween 4 and 2 months before your current one expires
5For citizenship: buy the €255 stamp and file on ANEFOnce you meet the residence condition
6Nationality questions: Allô Service Public, 3939 (hours vary by topic)Mon and Thu 8:30–17:30, Tue and Wed 8:30–12:15, Fri 13:00–16:15

Source: Service-Public and the Ministry of the Interior, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.