You filed your French naturalization application, your TCF IRN or DELF B2 certificate is in hand, and now you're waiting for the summons to your assimilation interview. And then everyone tells you something different: "they asked me who De Gaulle was", "mine was mostly about laïcité", "I had to talk about La Marseillaise".
What many applicants still don't realise: as of 1 January 2026, the procedure has changed. You now have to pass a civic exam in multiple-choice format (40 questions, minimum 32 correct answers) before the interview. That exam is what tests your factual knowledge of French history, geography and institutions. The interview itself is for something different: checking your spoken French in a real conversation, your support for republican values, and your personal integration journey.
Here we lay out the official procedure as published by Service-Public.fr and the Ministry of the Interior, what gets evaluated at each stage, how to prepare for both, and the mistakes that sink applications even when the language level is solid.
Since 1 January 2026 (decrees 2025-647 and 2025-648), French naturalization by decree has two distinct stages. First, a mandatory civic exam in computer-based multiple-choice format: 40 questions, 32 correct answers required, 45-minute maximum, covering 4 themes (French history, principles and institutions of the Republic, citizens' rights and duties, France's place in Europe and the world). Passing this MCQ is a prerequisite for the interview. Then the assimilation interview, at the préfecture (in France) or the consulate (abroad), where the agent mainly evaluates: (1) your ability to actually converse in French (the B2 level on paper has to hold up in real speech), (2) your support for republican values (laïcité - French secularism, equality, freedom), (3) your personal integration journey. At the end of the interview, you must sign the charter of rights and duties of French citizens (it's mandatory). The decision then arrives by mail within a legal maximum of 18 months (12 months if you have lived in France for at least 10 years), extendable once by 3 months.
1. The 2026 procedure - two stages, not one
Before the reform, the assimilation interview was both the knowledge test and the integration assessment. Since 1 January 2026, those two roles are split.
Stage 1 - The civic exam (MCQ)
This is the new part. You sit a computer-based test in French at an approved centre (Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, France Éducation International, French institutes or consulates abroad). The official format published by Service-Public.fr (sheet F39426):
- 40 multiple-choice questions, in French
- 32 correct answers minimum to pass (i.e. 80%)
- 45 minutes maximum
- 4 themes: French history, principles and institutions of the Republic, citizens' rights and duties, France's place in Europe and the world
Passing this exam is the condition for being summoned to the interview. Fail it, and you don't move on to the next stage.
Stage 2 - The assimilation interview
Once the MCQ is passed, you receive a summons for the individual interview. In France, that's at your local préfecture (or sub-préfecture). Abroad, at the relevant French consulate.
The agent who meets with you is a trained civil servant, not a French teacher and not a knowledge examiner. They already know you have the factual knowledge - you passed the MCQ. Their job is to verify that you can live, converse and function in French day to day, that you support republican values, and to understand your personal journey.
They take notes throughout the interview and write a report that goes to the Ministry of the Interior with your file. That report carries far more weight in the final decision than your raw test score does.
2. What gets evaluated at the interview (and not at the MCQ)
A. Spoken French in real situations
You filed a B2 certificate with your application (TCF IRN, DELF B2, DCL or DFP B2). At the interview, the agent checks that this level shows up in spontaneous conversation. They speak at normal speed, with everyday turns of phrase, sometimes throwing in unexpected questions to see how you react. This is not slowed-down classroom French.
What's expected: you understand the questions the first time, you answer in full sentences (not just "yes" or "no"), you can ask for a rephrasing if something is unclear, and your accent doesn't get in the way of being understood. If you need 5 seconds to process every question, that's a bad sign - the B2 certificate gets contradicted by what's happening in the room.
B. Support for republican values
Beyond factual knowledge (which the MCQ already tested), the agent wants to confirm that you genuinely subscribe to the core values. Typical questions:
- What does laïcité mean in France? Why does it matter to you?
- What does gender equality look like in everyday life?
- What's your view on freedom of expression?
- What is the role of public schools?
- How do you see citizens' rights and duties?
The agent isn't looking for a textbook-perfect answer (the MCQ takes care of that). They want to understand where you stand personally and to make sure you're not in radical disagreement with these values.
C. Your personal integration journey
The most personal part - and the one many applicants underestimate. The agent asks about your life in France: your job, your family, your social ties, your activities, what you actually do here day to day.
- Why do you want to become French?
- What do you enjoy about France?
- Who do you speak French with on a daily basis?
- Are you involved in an association, club or activity?
- How are things going at school / at work / in your neighborhood?
- Do you have family in France?
3. How to prepare for the MCQ (stage 1)
The Ministry of the Interior provides two free tools at formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr:
- The livret du citoyen (citizen's booklet, still valid)
- The official civic exam reference and the list of knowledge questions published by the ministry
The MCQ tests factual content: key historical dates, how the institutions work, the national motto, the symbols, the geography, citizens' rights and duties. Classic study work. With 4 to 6 weeks of serious preparation using the official documents, you can clear it.
4. How to prepare for the interview (stage 2)
Once the MCQ is behind you, the interview calls for a different kind of preparation: not memorisation, but spontaneous speaking and personal reflection.
Weeks 1-2 - MCQ prep (factual)
- Read the citizen's booklet twice
- Work through the ministry's official list of knowledge questions
- Memorize the basics: last 5 presidents, motto, symbols, 13 regions and their administrative capitals, main rivers (Seine, Loire, Rhône, Garonne, Rhin), mountain ranges (Alpes, Pyrénées, Massif central, Vosges, Jura), key dates (1789, 1905, 1958)
- Run through practice MCQs whenever you can find them
Week 3 - Values and your own position
- Study laïcité in depth (the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State, public schools, public service): not to recite, to understand why it exists
- Think honestly about what you believe regarding gender equality, freedom of expression, the role of public schools
- Get ready to express your personal stance without falling into a recited script
Week 4 - Spontaneous speaking and personal story
- Practice talking about your own journey in France at natural speed: why you came, your work, your family, your activities, your social ties
- Ask a French-speaking friend to throw random questions at you, switching topics to throw you off
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5. The mistakes that sink applicants who already have a B2
- Thinking the MCQ excuses you from preparing for the interview. The two stages measure different things. Passing the MCQ does not guarantee a good interview.
- Not being able to talk about yourself. A lot of applicants prepare French history and forget to prepare their own story in France. Why you came, what you do, who you know.
- Disagreeing with republican values. If you express strong disagreement with laïcité, gender equality or freedom of expression, the report will be negative. Think it through carefully.
- Stiff, rehearsed French. You can have a B2 on paper and freeze the moment the agent switches topic or speaks a bit fast. Practice spontaneous French, not test-format French.
- Dress and attitude. Smart-casual minimum, on time, polite. This is an official interview, not a chat between friends.
- Lying about your situation. Agents cross-check against your file. If you claim a full-time job when your file says otherwise, you have a problem.
6. The day itself - typical interview sequence
You arrive 15 minutes early with your summons, your ID, your residence permit and the proof you passed the civic exam. You wait, sometimes a long time, in a waiting room. Eventually they call you.
Opening moment: the agent says hello, asks how you're doing, has you sit down. Use this to breathe and shift into French speaking-and-listening mode.
First block: questions about your life in France. Why you came, your work, your family, your daily routine.
Second block: questions about republican values and where you personally stand. This is where the reflection you did upstream pays off.
Third block: questions about why you want to become French and what French nationality means to you.
Wrap-up: the agent thanks you and asks you to sign the charter of rights and duties of French citizens - a mandatory step in the procedure (Service-Public.fr, sheet F2213). You leave without knowing the verdict.
Based on candidate feedback, the interview most often lasts 20 to 45 minutes (observed estimate, not an official rule - Service-Public sets no fixed duration).
7. Decision timeline
According to Service-Public.fr (sheet F2213), the legal maximum is:
- 18 months from the date your complete application is filed
- 12 months if you have lived legally in France for at least 10 years
- Extendable once by 3 months, on a justified decision
The decision arrives by official mail - either naturalization granted (with a citizenship welcome ceremony) or a reasoned refusal. If you're refused, you can appeal within a limited window.
Official sources
- Service-Public.fr, sheet F2213 - "How to become French by decree (naturalization)?": service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2213
- Service-Public.fr, sheet F39426 - "Civic exam for French naturalization": service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F39426
- French Ministry of the Interior - Civic exam and civic training: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr/examen-civique
NB: This article reflects the naturalization reform that came into force on 1 January 2026 (decrees 2025-647 and 2025-648), which introduced the mandatory civic exam and raised the language requirement from B1 to B2. The procedure may evolve - always check the latest version on service-public.fr and formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr before your interview.
