Civic exam
French civic exam exemptions: who does not have to sit it
Describe your application and situation in the tool: it shows whether the exam and a French level apply to you, or whether you are exempt.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Civic exam
Multi-year permit level
French level
A2
Required for a first application since 1 January 2026.
Rules from the service-public.gouv.fr pages read on 25 October 2026; the préfecture alone decides on your file.
Civic exam exemptions release some foreign nationals from the test normally required in France since 1 January 2026 for a first multi-year permit, a first resident card or naturalisation. The cases are narrow and depend on the application. For a residence permit, people over 65 do not sit the exam; there is no age exemption for naturalisation. A disability or health condition certified by a doctor can lead to adjustments or an exemption. Several applications are simply outside the scope: permit renewals, the multi-year permit for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and stateless people, the refugee resident card, permits issued outside the republican integration contract and nationality declarations, including through marriage. Note that having limited French is not in itself a ground for exemption: the exam is in French only for everyone who has to take it. The tool above applies these rules to your application, age and protection status and shows the French level required, and the small tool isolates the age question.
Do I have to sit the exam at my age?
Civic exam
Required
| Residence permits | exempt over 65 |
| Naturalisation | no age exemption |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The exemptions at a glance
| Situation | Residence permit | Naturalisation |
|---|---|---|
| Over 65 | no exam | exam required |
| Disability or health condition, on a medical certificate | adjustments or exemption | adjustments or exemption |
| Permit renewal | no exam | not applicable |
| Subsidiary protection or stateless | no exam for the multi-year permit | exam required |
| Refugee | no exam for the refugee resident card | exam required |
| Permit outside the integration contract | no exam | not applicable |
One idea sums up the table: exemptions follow the permit applied for, not the person. The same refugee is exempt for the refugee resident card but sits the exam when applying for the EU long-term resident card or naturalisation.
Age: a rule for residence permits only
Over 65, the exam is not required for a multi-year permit or a resident card. The rule does not carry over to naturalisation: an older applicant seeking citizenship by decree must pass the exam unless medically exempt. The small tool on this page makes the distinction in one question.
Health and disability
A disability or health condition certified by a doctor can lead either to adjustments to the paper or to an exemption. For nationality, the order of 30 December 2025 sets out how exemptions from the French-language and civic exam proofs work. Get the certificate before you book, so you know whether you will sit an adjusted paper or be exempt. The order is in French on Légifrance; if your French is limited, ask the doctor or a support association to help you read what it requires.
Applications outside the scope
- Renewals. The exam is tied to the first issue of a multi-year permit or resident card.
- Subsidiary protection and stateless people. Their multi-year permit is outside it.
- Refugee resident card. Exempt.
- Permits outside the republican integration contract. Not concerned.
- Nationality declarations. Nationality through marriage, or a declaration as the parent, grandparent or sibling of a French citizen, needs no civic exam; the marriage route still requires French at level B2.
Language exemption is not exam exemption
The two requirements are separate, and so are their exemptions. For naturalisation, a refugee or stateless person over 70 who has lived in France for 15 years need not prove their French level; that rule says nothing about the civic exam. Levels and proofs are covered on the French language level page.
If you are unsure, the which civic exam page starts from your application, and the préfecture handling your file has the final word. When in doubt about an exemption, it is usually safer to prepare anyway: the certificate never expires, so a pass you turn out not to need costs only the booking fee.