Nationality
French naturalisation processing time: the dates of your file
The timeline places each legal step in time from your civic exam; further down, the tool gives the exact decision deadline from your receipt.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Latest end, if every legal deadline runs in fullbetween 5 Aug 2027 and 8 May 2028
1. Done · 1 day – 4 days
Civic exam and certificate
3 Feb 2026 – 6 Feb 2026
40 questions, 32 correct answers to pass. Result within 24 to 48 working hours at the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce (a weekend included in the range).
Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce: getting your civic exam certificate2. Done · milestone
Online filing and receipt
3 Feb 2026 – 6 Feb 2026
No official time to gather documents. The decision clock only starts at the receipt for a complete file; only the €255 stamp is paid.
Service-public.gouv.fr: French naturalisation by decree (checked 16 July 2026)3. In progress · 18 months
Review, interview, decision (legal deadline)
5 Aug 2027 – 8 Aug 2027
Legal deadline: 18 months at most after the receipt, 12 months after 10 years living in France (Civil Code, art. 21-25-1).
Légifrance: Civil Code, articles 21-14-1 to 21-25-1 (nationality by decision of the public authority)4. Upcoming · up to 3 months
Possible extension
5 Aug 2027 – 7 Nov 2027
Once only, 3 months, by reasoned decision.
Légifrance: Civil Code, articles 21-14-1 to 21-25-1 (nationality by decision of the public authority)5. Upcoming · milestone
Decree in the Journal officiel
5 Aug 2027 – 7 Nov 2027
Email after publication; the decree takes effect when signed and can be withdrawn for 2 years in case of fraud.
Service-public.gouv.fr: French naturalisation by decree (checked 16 July 2026)6. Upcoming · up to 6 months
Welcome ceremony
5 Aug 2027 – 8 May 2028
Held by the prefect, as a rule within 6 months of the decree's publication.
Service-public.gouv.fr: the welcome ceremony into French citizenship (F15868)
Naturalisation processing time is the period the French administration has to answer a citizenship application. Article 21-25-1 of the Civil Code sets it at 18 months at most from the date every required document has been supplied, shown by a receipt (récépissé), and at 12 months for someone who has lived in France for at least 10 years. It can be extended once, by 3 months, through a reasoned decision. If the answer is yes, naturalisation takes the form of a decree published in the Journal officiel, and the préfecture then holds a welcome ceremony, as a rule within 6 months. Earlier on, the civic exam certificate comes quickly: the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce announces results within 24 to 48 working hours. The timeline above turns these rules into dates, and the tool further down works out the deadline from your receipt, without assuming anything about your préfecture's real waiting times, which no official source publishes.
How many years before naturalisation?
Still to wait
2 years
| Period required | 5 years |
| You can file from age | 17 |
| Civic exam | naturalisation level |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Deadlines set by law
| Step | Deadline | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Decision, general case | 18 months after the receipt | Civil Code, art. 21-25-1 |
| Decision, 10+ years in France | 12 months after the receipt | Civil Code, art. 21-25-1 |
| Extension, once, with reasons | + 3 months | Civil Code, art. 21-25-1 |
| Welcome ceremony | as a rule within 6 months of the decree | Civil Code, art. 21-28 |
| Appeal against a refusal | 2 months after notification | service-public page F2213 |
| Decree can be withdrawn | for 2 years after publication | service-public page F2213 |
These are legal ceilings. They say nothing about how long each préfecture actually takes, which no text sets and which we do not publish without an official source. Expat forums swap anecdotes, but they vary too widely to plan a move or a job change on. The tool below works out the exact deadline from the date of your receipt.
Legal deadline for the decision
2 September 2027
in 312 days
| Period that applies | 18 months |
| Deadline with extension | 2 December 2027 |
Dates come from the legal texts, not from your préfecture’s real waiting times. Public holidays are not deducted for the exam result.
From receipt to decree
During the review the préfecture checks the file, looks into your civic conduct and invites you to the assimilation interview if the application is admissible. An email flags each stage in your online account. When the answer is yes, applicants living in France are told by email that they appear in the decree once it is published in the Journal officiel, and download it from Légifrance; applicants abroad receive a letter. The decree takes effect when it is signed.
The welcome ceremony
Under articles 21-28 and 21-29 of the Civil Code and the official ceremony page, the prefect of the département, or the police prefect in Paris, holds a welcome ceremony into French citizenship, as a rule within 6 months of the decree's publication. New citizens receive a welcome pack that includes the charter of rights and duties of the citizen, the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, extracts from the Constitution and the words of the national anthem. Some préfectures also hand over civil status documents that day.
Your civic exam result
The civic exam comes before you file, and its result is quick. At the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce it is sent within 24 to 48 working hours with a link to a digital safe, and the pass certificate has no expiry date. The civic exam result page covers the mark of 32 out of 40 and challenges within 30 days.
Published figures
According to the Insee series, built from Interior and Justice ministry data and published on 9 July 2026, 98,139 people acquired French nationality in 2025, of whom 42,246 by decree (42,063 naturalisations) and 53,912 by declaration, including 17,579 through marriage.
| Year | Total acquisitions | By decree | Through marriage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 97,288 | 40,064 | 19,455 |
| 2024 | 103,661 | 48,829 | 15,910 |
| 2025 | 98,139 | 42,246 | 17,579 |
No official source gives an average processing time per préfecture. As of 25 October 2026 we found no civic exam pass rate published by the ministry or the exam bodies, so we show none. For the date you can file in the first place, see the naturalisation page.