France raises residence-permit fees and adds a civic exam for newcomers in 2026

A first residence card costs €350 since 1 May 2026 and validating a long-stay visa €300, while since 1 January 2026 a first multi-year card requires French at level A2 and a pass in a 40-question civic exam, according to Service-Public.

The cost and the conditions of settling in France have both moved in 2026. According to Service-Public, the official information service of the Prime Minister's office, the 2026 budget law raised the tax stamp for a first residence card to €350 on 1 May 2026, from €225 before. The reduced rate, for students, seasonal workers, family reunification and au pairs among others, rose from €75 to €150. A renewal costs €250 instead of €225, or €100 at the reduced rate, and a duplicate €350 or €150.

The tax to validate a long-stay visa that counts as a residence permit, the VLS-TS, rose on the same date from €200 to €300, with the reduced rate going from €50 to €100. The regularisation visa duty is now €300, of which €100 is non-refundable at filing, and the stamp for a naturalisation application rose from €55 to €255.

The second change is about integration. Since 1 January 2026, under the immigration law of 26 January 2024 and its implementing texts, non-EU nationals under 65 who apply for a first multi-year residence card must prove French at level A2, and those applying for a first resident card must prove level B1. Renewals are not affected. Accepted proofs are the TCF or TEF tests, valid for two years, the DELF or DALF diplomas and certain French national diplomas; foreign diplomas are not accepted even from French-speaking countries.

A first multi-year card or first resident card also requires a pass in a new civic exam: 40 multiple-choice questions in French, of which 32 must be answered correctly, in a maximum of 45 minutes, taken on a digital device at a centre approved by the Interior Ministry. The pass certificate has no expiry date. The exam must be passed before the application is filed, and for multi-year cards it comes at the end of the 24-hour civic training, spread over four days, which since 1 January 2026 must be completed before the card is issued rather than after. Beneficiaries of international protection are not concerned.

Naturalisation by decree follows the same logic. According to the Interior Ministry, applicants must since 1 January 2026 prove oral and written French at least at level B2, and Service-Public confirms that the civic exam is compulsory for naturalisation and reintegration by decree, though not for declarations, for instance by marriage.

For a family planning a first application this autumn, a working adult on a standard first card now pays €350, and the language and civic requirements must be passed before the file goes in. Book a TCF or TEF session early, and keep the civic-exam certificate: it does not expire.

Sources: Service-Public (DILA), news item of 22 April 2026 on the increase in residence-permit taxes from 1 May; Service-Public (DILA), how to prove your knowledge of French for a resident card or multi-year card, verified 10 February 2026; Service-Public (DILA), how to take the civic exam, verified 10 February 2026; Service-Public (DILA), news item of 18 December 2025 on the new civic exam; Ministry of the Interior, naturalisation by decree, read 24 September 2026.

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