At a glance
Rules checked in October 2026. Requirements change: before you apply, check the official site of your country’s authorities.
Which certificates are accepted
| Exam | What to know |
|---|---|
| TCF IRN (France Éducation international) | The “integration, residence and nationality” version of the TCF, run by France Éducation international, an agency of the French Ministry of Education. You take all four compulsory parts on the same day, 1 hour 35 minutes in total, at an approved TCF centre (for example an Alliance Française, a university or a language school), on paper or on computer. The certificate is valid for 2 years and states whether you reached the overall B2 level needed for naturalisation. |
| TEF IRN (CCI Paris Île-de-France) | The Paris Chamber of Commerce test (Le français des affaires), recognised by the French Interior Ministry. Four parts on the same day, about 1 hour 30 minutes: reading, listening and writing on computer, speaking face to face with an examiner. You get B2 with at least 400 points in three parts and at least 367 in the weakest one; the certificate is valid for 2 years. |
| DELF B2 or DALF C1, C2 | Diplomas of the French Ministry of Education, issued through France Éducation international and offered by Alliances Françaises and Instituts français worldwide. DELF B2 has four parts worth 25 points each: you need at least 50 out of 100 and at least 5 in every part. It is longer than the TCF (about 2 hours 30 minutes of written papers and a 20-minute speaking test after 30 minutes of preparation), but the diploma never expires. |
| A French diploma (brevet, CAP or higher) | You need no test if you hold the brevet (DNB), any French state diploma at level 3 or above (CAP, baccalauréat, BTS, licence, master) or a professional certification at level 3 or above listed in the RNCP register. These never expire. The attestation de comparabilité for foreign diplomas has not been accepted since 1 January 2026. |
Who does not need a certificate
- Holders of a French diploma on the official list: the brevet (DNB), a state diploma at level 3 or above (CAP, baccalauréat, BTS, licence, master) or an RNCP certification at level 3 or above. They need no language test, just the diploma.
- People whose disability or health makes a language assessment impossible: they need a medical certificate on the official form, and the authorities may order a new medical check. If you can sit the test but need help, ask for adjustments (aménagements), also with a medical certificate.
- Refugees and stateless people over 70 who have lived in France for at least 15 years with a valid residence permit: for naturalisation by decree they need no language certificate (all three conditions must be met).
- Spouses applying by declaration (déclaration) do not take the examen civique, but they do need B2 proof, and only health reasons exempt them from it. Neither age nor long residence in France exempts anyone on its own.
Civics test: Examen civique (naturalisation version)
Compulsory since 1 January 2026 for naturalisation and reinstatement by decree; spouses applying by declaration do not take it. It is a test in French on a computer or tablet, up to 45 minutes long: 40 multiple-choice questions with one right answer out of four, 28 on knowledge and 12 everyday scenarios, across five themes (principles and values of the Republic; institutions and politics; rights and duties; history, geography and culture; living in French society). You pass with 32 correct answers (80%). Centres approved by France Éducation international or CCI Paris Île-de-France run it; you take it before filing, and the pass certificate never expires.
Tips- Learn the official list of knowledge questions for naturalisation (questions de connaissance) published by the Interior Ministry and read the current Livret du citoyen. The scenario questions are not published, so understand the principles (laïcité, equality, rights and duties) rather than memorising answers.
- Memorise the key dates and numbers: 1789 (the Revolution), 1905 (separation of churches and state), 1944 (women’s right to vote), 1958 (the Fifth Republic), 1981 (abolition of the death penalty); the president is elected for 5 years, you can vote from 18, and the emergency numbers are 15, 17, 18 and 112.
- Read each question to the end: the traps hide in words like obligatoire, interdit and possible and in negatives. You have 45 minutes for 40 questions and wrong answers cost nothing, so answer every one.
How the exam works
Recordings range from everyday conversations, messages and announcements to interviews, radio programmes and talks on concrete and abstract subjects, at normal speed. The multiple-choice questions (four options) get harder as you go; each recording is played only once, and the question comes after you have heard it.
Tips- Because the question comes after the recording, listen for the whole situation: who is speaking, where, why and how it ends. Notes only get in the way, and France Éducation international advises against taking them.
- Listen to French at natural speed every day: RFI news (start with Journal en français facile, then the regular bulletins), radio debates and podcasts. The last questions, at B2, are built on long lines of argument.
- Train your ear for numbers, dates and times: soixante-dix, quatre-vingt-dix-sept, dix-huit heures trente. They are easy to mishear in announcements and interviews.
Texts range from notices, timetables and letters, including official ones, to articles in which the writer argues a position and long, complex texts. Multiple-choice questions with four options, getting harder towards the end.
Tips- The first questions are easy: answer them quickly to save time for the long texts at the end. On average you have less than a minute and a half per question.
- Track the writer’s position through linking words such as cependant, néanmoins, en revanche and certes… mais. B2 questions often test what the writer thinks, not a single fact.
- Wrong answers cost nothing, so never leave a question blank. On paper, transfer each answer to the answer sheet (feuille de réponses) straight away.
Task 1: a short message describing a person, place or object in reply to someone, 30–60 words. Task 2: an account of everyday activities or an experience for one or more readers, 40–90 words. Task 3: your opinion of a place, object or person, 40–90 words. Writing off topic, skipping a task or breaking the word limits can get the whole paper marked “A1 non atteint” (A1 not reached).
Tips- Count your words in every task and stay within the limits: they are strict, and extra sentences only hurt you.
- The texts are short, so show B2 through quality: linking words (pourtant, c’est pourquoi), relative pronouns (dont, où), the subjunctive after il faut que and bien que, and precise words instead of très bien and chose.
- Keep 3–4 minutes to check agreements (elle est partie, les démarches administratives), accents and articles. On paper, write legibly: illegible writing is also marked “A1 non atteint”.
A one-to-one conversation with an examiner, recorded for a second, independent marking. Task 1 (3 min): an interview about you, your family, work and plans. Task 2 (3 min 30 s): a role-play in which you find out information in an everyday situation. Task 3 (3 min 30 s): you give and defend your opinion on a question the examiner chooses.
Tips- For task 1, think through your key topics (work, family, why France, plans), but do not learn a script: the examiner asks questions and marks spontaneous speech.
- In task 2 you lead: ask 6–8 different questions (price, timetable, conditions, documents) in polite forms such as Je voudrais savoir si…, Est-ce qu’il faut… and Pourriez-vous me dire…
- In task 3, build your answer as an opinion, two arguments with examples from life in France, a concession (certes…, mais…) and a conclusion. If you need a moment, say C’est une question intéressante… instead of going silent.
How it is scored
Listening and reading are marked automatically: only correct answers count, there is no penalty for wrong ones, and the score converts to a CEFR level up to B2. Two examiners mark writing and speaking independently out of 20 (the speaking test is recorded), and for sessions from 1 September 2026 requests to re-mark these two parts are suspended for about a year. Your certificate shows a level for each part and whether you reached the overall B2 needed for naturalisation; if not, you can resit after waiting 20 days.
How many words you need for B2
B2 means about 3,250–3,750 word families (Milton and Alexiou, 2009). For the TCF IRN the most useful vocabulary covers everyday life and paperwork (the préfecture, housing, work, health) plus words and linking phrases for arguing a point, and the examen civique adds its own civic vocabulary: laïcité, suffrage universel, collectivités territoriales.
Check where you are now: the free vocabulary test takes 3 minutes and shows how many of the 5,000 most frequent words of the language you know.
Take the vocabulary test →Vocabulary for the exam topics
- le titre de séjour residence permit
- la demande application, request
- le dossier application file
- le justificatif de domicile proof of address
- le rendez-vous appointment
- le récépissé receipt proving you filed
- l’acte de naissance (m.) birth certificate
- la convocation official notice to attend an interview or exam
- l’emploi (m.) job, employment
- le contrat à durée indéterminée (CDI) permanent employment contract
- le salaire salary, wages
- l’employeur (m.) employer
- la candidature job application
- l’entretien d’embauche (m.) job interview
- le chômage unemployment, also unemployment benefit
- les congés payés (m. pl.) paid holiday
- le loyer rent
- le propriétaire owner, landlord
- le bail lease, tenancy agreement
- les charges (f. pl.) service charges and utilities
- le dépôt de garantie deposit
- l’état des lieux (m.) check-in and check-out inventory
- le déménagement moving house
- le voisinage neighbours, neighbourhood
- la carte Vitale French health insurance card
- l’assurance maladie (f.) state health insurance
- la mutuelle top-up health insurance
- le médecin traitant registered family doctor, GP
- l’ordonnance (f.) prescription
- les urgences (f. pl.) A&E, emergency department
- la pharmacie de garde out-of-hours pharmacy
- l’arrêt maladie (m.) sick leave, sick note
- la laïcité secularism, the separation of state and religion
- la devise motto (Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité)
- le suffrage universel universal suffrage
- le droit de vote right to vote
- la mairie town hall
- le préfet prefect, the state’s representative in a département
- l’Assemblée nationale (f.) National Assembly
- les droits et les devoirs (m. pl.) rights and duties
- l’avis (m.) opinion
- le point de vue point of view
- l’avantage (m.) advantage
- l’inconvénient (m.) drawback
- l’argument (m.) argument, reason
- la conséquence consequence
- le débat debate, discussion
- la solution solution
Paste a topic name from the list above into the generation chat in the app and get a word set made for your exam, with examples in context, audio and smart reviews. You can get words for any other topic the same way.
Grammar for B2: what you need
Needed after il faut que, je voudrais que, pour que, bien que, avant que and after expressions of doubt and feeling: without it you can hardly show B2 in an opinion, written or spoken. Example: Il faut que les jeunes puissent se loger plus facilement.
For telling a story (writing task 2, talking about yourself): passé composé for events, imparfait for background and habits, plus-que-parfait for what had happened before. Example: Quand je suis arrivé à Lyon, je ne connaissais personne, mais j’avais déjà trouvé un emploi.
They join short sentences into B2 ones; the hardest are dont (of which, whose) and où for time (le jour où, the day when). Example: C’est le quartier où j’habite depuis 2020 et dont je t’ai parlé.
Polite requests in the role-play and hypotheses in your opinion: si takes the imparfait, and the conditional goes only in the main clause, as in English (never si j’aurais). Example: Si j’avais plus de temps, je ferais du bénévolat.
Cause, consequence, contrast and concession: parce que, puisque, donc, c’est pourquoi, pourtant, en revanche, bien que + subjunctive. They are how examiners recognise a coherent text. Example: Le loyer est élevé, mais en revanche le quartier est très bien desservi.
In the speaking role-play you ask the questions: mix est-ce que, quel and combien with polite inversion. Example: Est-ce qu’il faut réserver à l’avance, et combien coûte l’inscription ?
The app has a big grammar section for every level from A1 to C2, with short lessons and exercises. Paste a topic name from the list above into the generation chat and get exercises on exactly that topic. Any other topic works the same way.
An 8-week preparation plan
Try the TCF sample tasks on the France Éducation international website and the TCF practice on TV5Monde to see your level in each part. Download the official civic exam question list and set a daily routine: 15 new words and 20 minutes of listening.
Listening: an RFI bulletin and 10 TCF-style questions every day. Topics: paperwork and housing; grammar: passé composé, imparfait and plus-que-parfait for talking about your own life.
Reading: sets of 25 questions in 35 minutes, then go through every mistake. Topics: work and health; collect the linking words that show a writer’s position and learn them like vocabulary.
Writing: one of the three tasks every day, counting words, and all three in 30 minutes by the end of the week. Review the subjunctive and relative pronouns in the NewLexi grammar section and check your texts in its writing trainer.
Speaking: record your answers to all three tasks on your phone: your own introduction, 10 role-plays with questions, 10 opinion questions. Listen back and fix the mistakes you repeat; topic: giving your opinion.
Examen civique: one or two themes a day from the official question list and the Livret du citoyen, plus the topic “the Republic and citizenship”. At the end of the week, book the exam at an FEI or CCI Paris centre.
A full TCF mock under exam timing (1 hour 35 minutes) in one sitting. Give the rest of the week to your weakest part, and review the exam word sets and the words from your own mistakes in NewLexi.
Light review only: linking words, polite phrases and the key dates for the civic exam. Check your ID, your convocation and the route, and get a good night’s sleep.
Common mistakes
Only the TCF (France Éducation international) and the TEF (CCI Paris) with all four parts on one day count, plus DELF B2, DALF and French diplomas. Online tests, certificates from other organisations and a B1 result will be refused: check that your certificate shows B2 before you file.
A TCF or TEF certificate must be less than 2 years old on the day you file. If gathering your documents drags on, it will expire: take the test when your file is nearly ready, or go for the DELF B2, which never expires.
For naturalisation by decree, the civic exam certificate is a required document. Without it your file is incomplete: you will be asked for it, and if it does not arrive in time the application is closed without a decision (classement sans suite).
For something that started in the past and is still true, French uses the present tense with depuis: J’habite en France depuis cinq ans. Pendant goes with periods that are over: J’ai travaillé à Lyon pendant deux ans.
French keeps the definite article when you talk about things in general: J’aime la musique, La santé est importante, Les loyers sont chers à Paris. After quantities it turns into de: beaucoup de temps, peu d’argent.
How to submit the certificate
- Naturalisation by decree is filed online on the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr): upload your TCF or TEF certificate (or diploma) and your civic exam certificate as scans or photos with the rest of your documents. The declaration by marriage is a paper file, posted to or handed in at the nationality platform (plateforme d’accès à la nationalité) for your address.
- Keep the originals: you bring them to the interview at the préfecture, as listed in your convocation. The ministry can check TCF and TEF certificates online, so your name and date of birth on them must match your passport and residence permit.
- Language documents need no translation: TCF and TEF certificates and DELF and DALF diplomas are issued in French. Documents in other languages, such as your birth certificate, need a translation by a sworn translator, and some must also be legalised or apostilled.
- A TCF or TEF certificate must be less than two years old on the day you file; DELF, DALF, French diplomas and the civic exam certificate have no expiry date.
- Common reasons for requests and refusals: the certificate does not show B2, it has expired, the test is not on the official list (online tests, other providers), a foreign diploma with an attestation de comparabilité, or a missing civic exam certificate.
On exam day
- Bring a valid residence permit or passport (EU citizens can use their national ID card): it is used to check your identity, and your details and photo go onto the certificate.
- At registration, check that your name and date of birth are spelt exactly as in your passport and ask for any mistake to be fixed on the spot: the préfecture will compare the same details.
- Arrive early: latecomers are usually not let in once the test has started. Switch off your phone and smartwatch and put them away; dictionaries and reference materials are not allowed.
- In listening, each recording is played only once: do not get distracted by note-taking, answer straight away and do not dwell on a question you missed.
- In speaking, if you did not understand, ask: Pourriez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ? That is perfectly normal, while silence cannot be marked.
How NewLexi helps you prepare
NewLexi has word sets for every topic of the exam, already split into categories, and you can generate a set on any other topic, such as your interview at the préfecture, and start practising it straight away. A large grammar section for every level from A1 to C2, with lessons and exercises, covers the subjunctive, past tenses and pronouns. Practise the written part in the writing trainer with instant AI feedback, and train your listening with stories and dialogues written for you, at your level and with your words, which you can listen to.
