Applying for French Citizenship? Keep reading to learn about what your French Citizenship Test and Interview will consist of and to get some helpful, practical tips to ace them!
Table of Contents
- How to get French Citizenship
- French Proficiency Test and Citizenship Interview
- How can Kwiziq French help me prepare for my French proficiency test and citizenship interview?
How to get French Citizenship
Obtaining French citizenship is a long and involved process that requires everything from official translations of personal documents like birth and marriage certificates to a set of precisely sized photographs.
You will also need to pass a French proficiency test as well as demonstrate your knowledge of French history and culture.
For an overview of the requirements and procedures involved in applying for French citizenship, take a look at this official video tutorial created by the French government.
Comment demander la nationalité française, 1re partie
Comment demander la nationalité française, 2e partie
We have turned this video into a two-part listening and reading comprehension exercise to help you get the facts AND practise your French at the same time!
For additional information about the conditions and requirements of obtaining French citizenship, see the official site of the Ministère de l'Intérieur.
French Proficiency Test and Citizenship Interview
In order to obtain French citizenship, you need to prove your French proficiency by either passing a test or meeting certain criteria (e.g., having a degree from a French university).
The most daunting part of the citizenship process, however, may be the interview, during which you need to demonstrate your knowledge of French history and culture. The official source of this information, the Livret du citoyen, is available as a PDF download or can be consulted at any Préfecture.
Our very own Shui Ng went through this process a few years ago and shared her experiences and thoughts for our bilingual Reader: L'Entretien de Naturalisation française de Shui.
French citizenship: Language proficiency test
The French language level test includes both listening and speaking sections, but there’s a chance you might be eligible to be exempted from it.
"There are many ways to be exempted from the language test, such as having studied in a French-speaking country for example. I have two degrees from a French university, so I didn't have to take this test," said Shui when talking to us about her experience.
Another way to prove your French proficiency level and be exempted from the language test is by getting an official diploma or certificate to prove you have reached at least B1 level in all four competencies: listening, reading, writing and speaking. It must have been issued within the last two years.
There are several official tests and diplomas accepted by the French Government that will be considered valid proof of your French level. Some of them are:
If you didn’t study in a French university and cannot get an official diploma or certificate, you’ll need to prove your French level with the language proficiency test, which should take place at your local préfecture.
This part of the French citizenship process focuses on measuring your ability to handle normal communication challenges while living in France and dealing with everyday situations. It won't focus much on your grammar or accent, but rather show that you are able to communicate well enough to navigate French society.
French citizenship: History and Culture test
This is the time to demonstrate your knowledge of French history and culture. As mentioned above, you can take a look at the PDF download of the Livret du citoyen to see the official source of the information you'll need.
In our chat, Shui mentioned some examples of the questions she got asked in her interview.
"Among the questions I was asked, there was: 'What year was the loi de laïcité (law on secularity) passed?' and 'Who elects the Senate?' There were also questions about the European Union, such as: 'How many countries are in the EU?' My interviewer asked me specific questions about where I live: 'Who is your mayor?,' 'What will be the next big event in Paris?' (the Olympics), 'In what year?' (2024)," Shui told us.
You are expected to know about things like key dates in French history, French values, important symbols and governmental organisation, among other topics.
The citizenship interview should feel like a normal conversation to you. The French government's website states the purpose of the interview is to verify that you have sufficient knowledge of French history, culture and society.
In general, there are 5 main topics that will get covered in your interview:
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Laws / History
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Regional
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Arts / Literature
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Travel / France / Culture
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Volunteering / Community
You might get questions about your holiday travels in and out of France. It's a good idea to mention where you have travelled in France (for any reason) to demonstrate your knowledge of and interest in the country.
There will be other questions to assess whether you are integrated into the French community, like about your hobbies and volunteering activities. You'll also want to mention if you like to read in French, watch French TV shows or go to the cinema or theatre. This will indicate that you enjoy a variety of French cultural activities.
How can Kwiziq French help me prepare for my French proficiency test and citizenship interview?
The French resources offered throughout Kwiziq French will help you steadily improve your language skills. We also have a series of French kwizzes based specifically on the content from the Livret du citoyen so that you can put your French to the test while simultaneously learning this essential information.
In addition to the facts and figures from the Livret du citoyen, you'll also need to demonstrate knowledge of and an appreciation for French culture. Kwiziq French has a huge body of content related to everything from art to sports that you can use to learn more about the richness of French history and culture.
Art & Design
- Claude Monet's "Water Lilies"
Learn about the story behind the unique way Claude Monet's Water Lilies are displayed, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - Peindre comme Cézanne (Vocabulaire)
Practise your Painting vocabulary in French with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
- Bargain hunters
Paul tells Mathilde about awesome bargains at the second-hand store.
Employment
- Les métiers de ma famille (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Job vocabulary in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
- Quand je serai grand
Watch this cute video of kids singing about what they'll do when they grow up, then see the lyrics in our bilingual reader - A call to the bank
Philippe is calling his bank about a letter he received recently.
Famous People
- Bruxelles je t'aime - Angèle
Celebrate the Belgian capital with Angèle's upbeat love song to Brussels, while practising your French listening comprehension. - "Arab blues"
Discover this French-speaking comedy and its French-Tunisian director Manele Labidi. - Actress Anne Dorval
Claire tells us about her favourite actress, French-Canadian Anne Dorval.
Film & TV
- Bretagne news - sketch by Les Inconnus
Get an (exaggerated) idea about French as it's spoken in Bretagne in this humorous sketch by Les Inconnus (a famous French trio of humorists from the 90's). - D'où vient le nom des Schtroumpfs ?
Learn how the name of les Schtroumpfs (Smurfs) came to be, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - À la télévision (Coordinating Conjunctions)
Practise your French French coordinating conjunctions vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
Food & Drink
- A Christmas feast
Sébastien is in charge of Christmas Eve Dinner this year. - Beaujolais nouveau : ne l'appelez plus piquette !
It's that time of year again, when wine lovers gather to taste the young wine known as Beaujolais Nouveau. But is it really as good - or bad? - as they say? - Les enfants au restaurant (Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives)
Practise French possessive pronouns and adjectives with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
Monuments, Tourism & Vacations
- À la gare
Buy some train tickets with Geoffrey and Agathe, while practising your A2 French reading and listening comprehension. - A Creole picnic
During a visit to La Réunion, Julie and Léo went for a typical Creole meal. - Chez Victor Hugo à Guernesey
Discover Victor Hugo's amazing mansion Hauteville House on the island of Guernsey, while practising your French reading and listening comprehension.
Politics & History
- 1 PM radio news
Headlines of the 1 PM news - based on France Inter's 13h of the 24/08/21. - Jour de manif (Le Futur Simple + Telling time)
Practise your French conjugations in Le Futur Simple (Indicatif) AND telling time with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- A call to the bank
Philippe is calling his bank about a letter he received recently.
Celebrations & Important Dates
- A Christmas feast
Sébastien is in charge of Christmas Eve Dinner this year. - La nuit d'Halloween (Vocabulaire)
Is your French Hallowe'en vocabulary in French vocab ghastly or scarily good? Trick-or-treat yourself to our spooktacular Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz!
- Hanoucca dans ma famille (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Hanukkah vocabulary in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
Immigration & Citizenship
- Opening a bank account
Jean-Pascal just opened a new bank account. - Comment demander la nationalité française (2e partie)
Learn how to apply for French citizenship with the first half of this informative article, while practising your French listening and reading comprehension. - Les symboles de la République française (Level A1)
Practise your French A1 level with this Fill-in-the-blanks exercise.
Language & Education
- L'enseignement en ligne : Témoignage de Céline
Learn about some of the pros and cons of online teaching in this interview with Céline. - Dialectes et langues régionales
For centuries, France was divided into two main dialectal regions. Learn about the development of French in this bilingual article. - Les Français vus par les étrangers
Listen to some opinions about the French by people all over the world while working on your French listening comprehension.
Literature, Poetry, Theatre
- A little mermaid
Lovely mermaid Lana tells us about her life! - Colette (Portraits français)
Learn about passionate French writer Colette, while practising your French reading and listening skills. - La journée des sept nains (Aller in Le Présent)
Practise Le Présent of the verb "aller" with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise
Music
- La Vie En Rose - Édith Piaf (Le Présent + Vocabulaire)
Practise your French conjugations in Le Présent (Indicatif) and some French A1 vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- Barbara
Laëtitia talks about her passion for fascinating French singer Barbara. - Amel Bent and Camélia Jordana
Aurélie tells us about these amazing French singers of Algerian descent.
Sports & Leisure
- "Pot Luck" [US: The Spanish Apartment]
Discover the plot of the French film "Pot Luck" [US: The Spanish Apartment]. - 25th December with family
In Elsa's family, December 25 is a lazy post-Christmas day. - Faites-vous du sport ? (Adverbes de fréquence)
Practise your French adverbs of frequency with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise !
Create your free Kwiziq French account here to get your French level and start practising your reading and listening skills while learning about all the topics you’ll need for your French citizenship test and interview.