Obtaining French citizenship can take quite a bit of time and can often be a confusing process. I have found that there is not a profound amount of information in English on obtaining French citizenship, so that fact has become and inspiration for this post.

So you’ve decided to not only move to France, but now you’d like to look into French citizenship. Nice choice, I must say!

At least ONE of the following must pertain to you:

• One of your parents has French citizenship
• Your spouse has French citizenship and you’ve been married for over a year
• You’ve been married to a French citizen for under a year but have a child together
• You have lived in France for at least five years

You must also meet ALL of the following requirements:

• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• You must be able to show that you are of good moral fiber.
• You must show proof of having no criminal history. (Parking & speeding tickets aren’t criminal)
• You must be able to show that you have integrated yourself into French life, including being able to speak French well enough to function in daily life.

You will need to fill out a ‘dossier’ which will include:

• your birth certificate
• identification
• proof of marital status (and whether you have children)
• evidence of employment
• evidence of residence in France
• an ‘attestation de moralité’ which attests you have good character

From the moment you furnish the above information, it can be anywhere from one to two years until you will have French citizenship. There are many different things that the government will do in this time to prove that the information you’ve given is valid as well as the time it takes to file things in the different governmental departments. However, it’s good to remember that you’re on your path to French citizenship and although a daunting process, it’s worth it!