French and booklet
French language level: A2, B1 or B2 depending on your application
Enter the permit you want, your age and your situation: the tool shows the French level you must prove and the civic exam level that goes with it.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Civic exam
Resident card level
French level
B1
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.
France ties the French level it expects from foreign residents to how settled the status is. A first multi-year residence permit (carte de séjour pluriannuelle) needs level A2; a first resident card or an EU long-term resident card needs B1; naturalisation and nationality through marriage both need B2. You prove it with a French diploma, such as the brevet or a qualification at level 3 or above, or with a recognised language test, the TCF from France Éducation international or the TEF from the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce, taken less than 2 years before you apply. The language proof sits alongside the civic exam, it does not replace it: the multi-year permit, the resident card and naturalisation each need both. Medical exemptions exist, and for citizenship a refugee or stateless person over 70 who has lived in France for 15 years is excused from the language proof. The tool above runs these rules on your own case and returns the level and civic exam level in one answer.
Which French level for my permit?
Level required
A2
| Civic exam | multi-year permit level |
| Exam pass mark | 32 / 40 |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The level for each application
Think of it as a ladder: the longer the right to stay, the higher the level. The table follows the service-public.gouv.fr page on proving your French and the order of 22 December 2025 for residence permits.
| Application | French level | Civic exam |
|---|---|---|
| First multi-year residence permit | A2 | multi-year permit level |
| First resident card | B1 | resident card level |
| EU long-term resident card | B1 | resident card level |
| Naturalisation or reinstatement | B2 | naturalisation level |
| Nationality through marriage | B2 | not required |
Spouses of French citizens are often caught out. The marriage route skips the civic exam, yet it asks for the same B2 level as naturalisation. Holders of a talent passport or international protection who move to the EU long-term card follow the ordinary resident card rule: B1 plus the civic exam.
What counts as proof
There are two routes. The first is a French diploma, from the brevet upwards, or another qualification on the official list. The second is a test from a recognised body, in practice the TCF from France Éducation international or the TEF from the Paris Chamber of Commerce. Our page on the TCF IRN explains how to pick a test and when to sit it.
- A diploma never expires as proof, however old it is.
- A test result must be under 2 years old when you file.
- The level printed on the result must match or beat the one your application needs.
Expats who work in English all day often underestimate the jump from B1 to B2. If citizenship is your goal, aim for B2 from your first test: the same certificate will then cover a resident card on the way.
Language test and civic exam are separate
The civic exam is in French but it does not grade your French. It checks what you know about the Republic, its institutions and daily life. Passing the 40 questions does not excuse you from the language test, and a strong test score does not excuse you from the exam. The vocabulary you build on our civic exam mock test helps for the speaking part of a language test too.
Exemptions
For citizenship, the order of 30 December 2025 covers exemptions from the French and civic exam proofs on medical grounds. A refugee or stateless applicant over 70 who has lived in France for at least 15 years does not have to prove French. For residence permits, nobody over 65 has to sit the civic exam. See the exemptions page for every case, and keep the service-public.gouv.fr page on proving French at hand when you build your file.
Getting the most from the tool
Pick your permit and say whether it is a first application: that answer decides whether a language proof is needed at all for residence permits. Then add your age, any international protection and whether a doctor has certified a disability or health condition. If the answer comes back as B2, carry on with the naturalisation requirements to check the rest of your file. If it shows B1, the resident card page explains the timing and the fees for that step.