The 10 Year Resident Card and French Citizenship in 2026: 5 Years, Absence Limits, French at B1 and B2, the New Civic Exam and Dual Citizenship

France has one of the shortest roads to citizenship in Western Europe, 5 years, but since 2026 it asks for much more French than before. Here is the full path, checked on 5 November 2026 against Service Public.

Step 1: the long-term resident card

Condition	Rule
Residence	5 years of lawful, uninterrupted residence
Absences	no more than 6 months in a row and 10 months in total
Resources	stable and sufficient, at least the SMIC (€1,867.02 gross a month)
Insurance	health insurance
Integration	French at B1, the civic exam, commitment to the principles of the Republic
Card	10 years, renewable, with the right to work

The years that count include the VLS-TS, the visitor card, salaried and entrepreneur cards and the Talent card, except intra-group assignments and their families. The card costs €350 in tax stamps. It also lets you move to another EU country for more than 3 months without a long-stay visa, applying there for a residence permit.

Blue Card holders have a faster track: after 2 years in France if they have 5 years of lawful residence in the EU in total, with absences of up to 12 months in a row and 18 months in total.

The French language rules from 2026

According to Service Public, since 1 January 2026 a first multi-year card requires French at A2, and a first resident card B1. For nationality the level is B2, written and oral, according to the nationality page. Proof is a TCF or TEF test less than 2 years old, a DELF or a French diploma. People over 65 are exempt from the language level for the resident card.

The civic exam

From 1 January 2026 a civic exam is compulsory before a first multi-year card, a resident card and naturalisation, according to Service Public. It is a 45 minute multiple choice test of 40 questions on the history, values and institutions of France; you need 32 correct answers.

Step 2: naturalisation

According to the naturalisation page:

• 5 years of residence in France as a rule;
• 2 years if you obtained a degree after 2 years of higher education in France, or can render important services to France;
• a valid residence card on the date of filing;
• France must be the centre of your material interests and family ties; if your spouse or children live abroad, you can be refused;
• French at B2, the civic exam and an interview at the prefecture;
• stable and sufficient income and no serious convictions;
• a fee of €255 in tax stamps.

France allows dual citizenship. According to the BRIDGES Passport Index, the French passport ranks 7th of 199 with 184 destinations without a prior visa, and it gives the right to live and work anywhere in the EU.

My view

Start French on day one. With a Talent card or a visitor card the 5 years pass quickly, and in my experience it is the B2 level, not the residence period, that delays most applications now.