French citizenship by marriage


General eligibility for spouses of a French citizen :

 

The spouse of a French national may be eligible to become a French citizen by declaration on the basis of his or her marriage no matter if the couple lives in France or abroad.

 

The spouse must establish that he or she meets the following criteria in order to qualify:

  • Married for 4 years or more (5 years if you live abroad and your French spouse is not registered to the French consulate and if you didn't lived with a resident permit in France for more than 3 years)
  • Live with your French spouse from the day of your marriage (both materially and affectively)
  • If you married abroad, transcription of your marriage certificate on the French civil records
  • If you live in France, you have a resident permit or your are an EEA or Swiss citizen
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the French language : B1 level in French (oral and written proficiency)
  • French authorities will check if you are not under a deportation order or a ban from French territory and you will have to provide your criminal record (from the countries where you lived during the last 10 years)

Documents delivered by foreign authorities should be translated in French and, if needed, apostilled or legalised.