Nationality
French nationality through marriage: when and how to declare
Enter your wedding date and whether you have lived in France since: the tool gives the first date you can make the declaration.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Earliest date you can apply
You can apply today
| Period required | 4 years |
| Civic exam: | not required |
| French level: | B2 |
| Tax stamp: | €255 |
A guide date only: residence is one condition among others (valid permit, income, integration, criminal record). The préfecture decides.
French nationality through marriage is acquired by declaration, a separate procedure from naturalisation by decree. A foreign national married to a French citizen can make the declaration after 4 years of marriage. That becomes 5 years if you cannot show at least 3 years of continuous, lawful residence in France since the wedding. Your shared life, emotional and material, must not have stopped since the marriage, and your spouse must have kept French nationality throughout. You prove French at level B2, the same as for naturalisation, but you do not sit the civic exam, which does not apply to nationality declarations. The tax stamp is €255. Both spouses are called to an interview that checks the reality of your life together and your assimilation. For couples living abroad, the file goes to a French consulate. The tool above takes your wedding date and your residence in France and works out the first date on which the declaration can be made.
Can I claim nationality through marriage?
Still to wait
1 year
| Marriage length required | 4 years |
| French level | B2 |
| Civic exam | not required |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Requirements at a glance
| Requirement | What is asked |
|---|---|
| Length of marriage | 4 years |
| Without 3 years living in France since the wedding | 5 years |
| Life together | emotional and material, unbroken since the wedding |
| Spouse | French throughout the marriage |
| French level | B2 |
| Civic exam | not required |
| Tax stamp | €255 |
How the tool counts
It starts from your wedding date and adds 4 years if you answer yes to the question on residence in France since the marriage, 5 years if not. The residence must be continuous and lawful, so covered by a valid permit when one is needed. International couples who lived abroad before settling in France should check date by date whether they reach 3 years of continuous residence since the wedding; otherwise the longer period applies.
The procedure
- Gather your documents: civil status certificates, proof of your spouse’s French nationality, proof of life together since the wedding, proof of French at B2 and the tax stamp.
- Lodge the file: in France, at the counter or by post depending on the competent office; abroad, at a French consulate.
- Joint interview: it checks that your life together is real and that you are assimilated into French society. You receive the receipt at the end of it.
- Registration: the ministry has a set period from the receipt to refuse registration, longer if opposition proceedings are opened.
Unlike naturalisation, there is no civic exam here. That does not make it a formality: the joint interview and the check on your married life are at its heart.
Preparing for the joint interview
Both spouses attend. The interview looks at whether your life together is real and at the declarant’s assimilation. Gather proof of your married life since the wedding beforehand: a lease or deeds in both names, joint accounts or bills, tax notices, papers about your children. For the language side, French at level B2 is proved by a diploma or a recent test, but it also shows in the conversation, so practise talking about your story and your life in France. Couples who usually speak English together at home often underestimate this part: a few weeks of speaking French as a couple before the interview make a real difference.
Refusal and opposition
The declaration can be refused if a condition is missing: length of marriage, life together, the spouse’s nationality or the language level. The minister responsible for naturalisation can also oppose the acquisition for unworthiness or for lack of assimilation other than linguistic. An opposition decision can be challenged before the Conseil d’État within the time limit set out on the official page.
Marriage declaration or naturalisation?
A spouse who has lived in France for years may also meet the conditions for naturalisation. The declaration has two advantages: no civic exam, and nationality dated from the day you declare. Naturalisation needs the exam but does not depend on the length of the marriage or on life together, which matters if the relationship ends. To secure your stay in the meantime, the spouse’s resident card comes earlier. The service-public.gouv.fr page on nationality through marriage lists the documents.