Civic exam
French civic exam price and how to book a centre
Enter the price quoted by your centre: the tool adds the stamps for your application and any French test to give the total cost.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Estimated total cost
€350
| Permit stamp and tax | €350 |
| Civic exam | €0 |
| French test | €0 |
| Official fees | €350 |
| Costs you typed in | €0 |
The tax stamp is set by law; the civic exam and the French test have no national price.
The French civic exam price is not set by any national rule: each approved test centre decides its own, and it varies from one centre to another. Two bodies are authorised to run the exam, the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce, under the name Le français des affaires, and France Éducation international; you book and pay at a centre attached to one of them. The booking fee is only part of the bill. A first resident card or multi-year permit also costs €350 in stamps, plus €300 for a regularisation visa if you entered without a long-stay visa; naturalisation costs €255 in tax stamps per applicant. A French test may come on top, again at the centre's price. The tool above adds these items up from the exam price you were quoted and the number of attempts you plan for, and the small tool works out the stamps for a first permit. Booking pages and the exam itself are in French only. Preparing, on the other hand, can cost nothing.
Fee for a first residence permit
To pay in stamps
€350
| Stamp duty | €50 |
| Tax | €300 |
| Regularisation visa | €0 |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
What you pay, and to whom
| Item | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Civic exam booking | set by each centre | approved test centre |
| French test (if no diploma) | set by each centre | test centre |
| Stamps for a first residence permit | €350 | the State, by tax stamp |
| Regularisation visa (entry without long-stay visa) | €300 | the State, €100 of it at filing |
| Naturalisation tax stamp | €255 | the State, by tax stamp |
Stamp amounts are set by law and are the same everywhere; only the exam and the French test depend on the centre. The €350 for a first permit break down into €50 of stamp duty and €300 of tax.
Booking with the two authorised bodies
You do not book the exam through the préfecture: you register at a centre approved by one of the two bodies.
- Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce (Le français des affaires). Its civic exam booking page explains how to register and notes that each centre sets the fee.
- France Éducation international. Registration is on the test-civique.fr site, and its map of civic exam centres helps you find one near you.
When you book, pick the level that matches your application: multi-year permit, resident card or naturalisation. Booking a level that does not match your file is a costly mistake, since the certificate names the level; only the resident card level also counts for a multi-year permit. Some centres operate abroad, in French institutes and Alliances françaises, which can suit expats preparing a move. Bring valid identification on the day.
Comparing centres sensibly
- Note the price shown for your level, not a general rate.
- Check the next session date and how long the result takes to arrive.
- Read the centre's own rules on postponing or cancelling.
- Count the journey: a cheaper but distant centre can cost more overall.
Once you have the price, enter it in the tool at the top with the number of attempts you plan for, to be safe, and you get a realistic budget.
Naturalisation stamps
For a nationality application, the tax stamp is €255 per applicant, €127.50 in French Guiana. The service-public.gouv.fr page on this stamp explains how to buy it. A couple filing two applications pays two stamps: the count is per adult applicant, not per file. The small tool below works it out for a household; the naturalisation cost page covers every fee.
Naturalisation tax stamp
Stamps to buy
€510
| Per applicant | €255 |
| Rate in French Guiana | €127.50 |
| Civic exam | paid separately to the centre |
Keeping the bill down
The heaviest item is often a failed attempt, which means paying for a new booking. The best investment is therefore free: the civic exam mock test until you pass with a margin, then the booking. If the exam still goes badly, the civic exam result page explains how to challenge it or sit it again.