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 Kwiziq 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 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 Kwiziq help me prepare for my French proficiency test and citizenship interview?
The French resources offered throughout Kwiziq 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
- Bricolage "Avion" pour la Fête des Pères
Learn how to make a cute Father's Day present in this fun tutorial, while practising your French listening and reading comprehension. - A cooperative of artisans
Béatrice shares how her discovery of a hidden cooperative of artisans inspired her. - Peindre comme Cézanne (Vocabulaire)
Practise your Painting vocabulary in French with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
Employment
- A French woman
Élodie tells us about her everyday life as a lawyer specialised in women's rights. - C'est quoi les soldes ?
Learn about the specific French sales, "les soldes", in this fun and instructive video, while practising your French listening and reading skills. - En arrivant à l'hôtel
Check into a French hotel with Mrs Vallée, while practising your A2 French reading and listening comprehension.
Famous People
- C'est qui Coluche ?
Learn about French icon Coluche in this cute animated video. - Basique - OrelSan
Practise your French rapping skills with OrelSan's "Basique". - "Arab blues"
Discover this French-speaking comedy and its French-Tunisian director Manele Labidi.
Film & TV
- "Arab blues"
Discover this French-speaking comedy and its French-Tunisian director Manele Labidi. - À la télévision (Coordinating Conjunctions)
Practise your French French coordinating conjunctions vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
- "Pot Luck" [US: The Spanish Apartment]
Discover the plot of the French film "Pot Luck" [US: The Spanish Apartment].
Food & Drink
- A December tradition
Solène remembers what she and her mother used to do every December. - À la carte - Brasserie Le Molière à Paris
Discover the mouthwatering menu of Le Molière, a typical French brasserie, while practising your French reading and listening comprehension. - A Christmas feast
Sébastien is in charge of Christmas Eve Dinner this year.
Monuments, Tourism & Vacations
- Voyage autour du monde (Vocabulary and Prepositions with Countries and States)
Practise your French Countries in French with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
- A day in Paris
Sylvie spends the day in the French capital. - A cooperative of artisans
Béatrice shares how her discovery of a hidden cooperative of artisans inspired her.
Politics & History
- Jour de manif (Le Futur Simple + Telling time)
Practise your French conjugations in Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) AND telling time with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- A costly project
Martine wants to reduce her spending to buy a new car. - Le Débarquement (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French D-Day vocabulary in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
Celebrations & Important Dates
- A Christmas feast
Sébastien is in charge of Christmas Eve Dinner this year. - 6 juin 1944 : voyage à travers le temps
Witness the commemoration of the Allied landing in Normandy, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - A December tradition
Solène remembers what she and her mother used to do every December.
Immigration & Citizenship
- C'est quoi, la Carte Nationale d'Identité française ?
Learn about the French National Identity Card and what it features, while practising your French reading and listening comprehension. - Ma carte d'identité (Possessive Adjectives)
- Comment demander la nationalité française (1ere partie)
Learn how to apply for French citizenship with the first half of this informative article, while practising your French listening and reading comprehension.
Language & Education
- 20 Mars : Journée de la Francophonie
Celebrate Francophonie by learning about a few less known French-speaking countries, while practising your reading and listening comprehension in French. - A delicious essay!
Isabelle has the perfect excuse for not handing her homework in... - 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).
Literature, Poetry, Theatre
- Où est Charlie ? (Prepositions of location)
Practise your location prepositions with this fill-in-the-blank kwiz exercise where we're looking for Charlie [That's Wally/Waldo's French name in the books "Where's Waldo?"]
- Entretien avec un vampire
Check out this interview inspired by Anne Rice's novel to practise your French listening and reading comprehension. - "Les Fleurs du Mal"
Learn about French poet Baudelaire's conception of beauty and poetry.
Music
- Ainsi Font, Font, Font (Comptines de France)
Dance and sing along with this famous French nursery rhyme's little puppets while practising your French listening comprehension. - Barbara
Laëtitia talks about her passion for fascinating French singer Barbara. - Une famille de musiciens (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Music instruments vocabulary in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
Sports & Leisure
- Alpine French School
Learn about the Alpine French School where you can ski and learn French at the same time, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - Faites-vous du sport ? (Adverbes de fréquence)
Practise your French adverbs of frequency with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
- A bad camping trip
Mathilde recalls the worst family camping trip she ever went on.
Create your free Kwiziq 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.