France’s New Language Requirements: Your FAQs on Residency & Citizenship

No. You do not need to take a language test or demonstrate French language abilities in order to apply for a short-stay or long-stay visa. Nor do you need to sit a language exam to apply for your first Carte de séjour (residency card) in France. The French language requirements only apply to applications for multi-year residency cards and French citizenship.

If you plan to become a long-term resident of France, you will likely be required to demonstrate your level of French after living in the country continuously for four to five years. While individual paths to residency will vary, most people will arrive on a 12-month long-stay visa, apply for a 1-year Carte de séjour, and renew this Carte de séjour at least twice (or a maximum of three times) before applying for a multi-year Carte de séjour. At this stage, they will be required to demonstrate an A2 level of French.

As covered in the previous questions, no language exam is required for French long-stay visas and 1-year Carte de séjour residency cards. The language requirement applies to two different types of residency cards – the Carte de séjour pluriannuelle, which is typically valid for four years, and the Carte de résident, which is typically valid for 10 years – as well as for French nationality applications.

No. While it might be tempting to simply keep renewing your carte de séjour annually in order to avoid having to sit the French language exam, there is now a limit to how many times you can do this. In most situations, it no longer be possible to renew the 1-year carte de séjour more than three times, which, for most people, equates to a total of five years in France – the first year on a 1-year visa, followed by the initial 1-year Carte de séjour, and a further 3 x annual renewals. There are a few exemptions to this rule, which we’ve outlined in another question below.

In reality, five years is ample time for most people to learn French to the required level, which is only an A2 level, and receiving the multi-year Carte de séjour means securing your residency in France for a further four or five years. If nothing else, you will no longer have the hassle and costs of reapplying each year, which can be time-consuming at best.

There are now three different French language levels required, depending on the residency status that you are applying for:

1. For the multi-year carte de séjour (carte de séjour pluriannuelle), an A2 level of French is required. There was previously no official language requirement for this card, although applicants were often required to sit a language assessment and pledge to attend free lessons if their level was under the minimum A1.
2. For the residency card (Carte de résident), a B1 level of French is required. There was previously an A2 language requirement for this card.
3. For French citizenship (nationalité française) applications, a B2 level of French is required. There was previously a B1 language requirement for these applications.

There are several exemptions to these language tests, including:

• Individuals with a “visitor” (visiteur) Carte de séjour, most commonly used for retirees as it doesn’t allow the recipient to work in France. While these individuals will still be required to provide a language certificate to obtain a multi-year or resident card, the 1-year Carte de séjour visiteur will not have the same 3-year limit in place for renewals. This means that you could, in theory, continue to renew this card annually.
• Individuals with certain Carte de séjours, including students, interns, some family visas, and temporary workers, will also fall under the same rules as the visitor visa, meaning that there is no obligation to apply for a multi-year or resident card.
• People aged 65 and older will be exempt from the language requirements for the Carte de résident and multi-year Carte de séjour only. This exemption does not apply to French nationality applications, except for those over the age of 70 with refugee status.
• Individuals on a Talent Passport – this is one of few multi-year Carte de séjours for which different rules apply, and, in certain situations, it may be possible to renew it for a further four years. However, recipients of a Talent Passport would still be required to sit a language test if they plan to apply for a Carte de résident.
• Anyone who has previously received a carte de résident or carte de séjour pluriannuelle under the previous rules. You won’t be asked retroactively for a language test; however, it’s currently unclear how this will affect renewals.
• Anyone covered by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, including those who currently hold a 5-year card and wish to upgrade to a 10-year Carte de résident.
• Anyone with a medical exemption. Note that you will require an official attestation from your French doctor for this, and it may not apply to all disabilities and learning disabilities – many language testing centres offer options for such individuals to take suitable tests, such as a braille exam paper or an extended-time exam. Talk to your local test centre or your médicin traitant about the options available.

The required language levels are based on the Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues or CERL (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or CERF/CEF in English), so most diplomas that use this testing system will be allowed, including DELF, DU, and DCL. However, most applicants will opt to take the  the Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF) issued by France Éducation International or the the Rest d’Évaluation du Français (TEF) issued by the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris (CCIP).

Read our guide to Passing the TCF French Test.

Don’t worry if you don’t pass the test the first time, as it is possible to repeat the exam. However, it is important to note that the carte de séjour pluriannuelle and carte de résident applications will need to be filed within a strict time window, and failure to meet the deadline could result in your application being denied. Therefore, we recommend planning ahead, taking dedicated TCF preparatory classes to ensure you are fully prepared for the exam itself, and sitting the test itself as far in advance as possible (a TCF certificate is valid for two years after it is issued). This way, if you don’t succeed in your first attempt, there is plenty of time to revise and resit the exam.

Typically, the TCF/test de connaissance du français exam costs about €100, but you should also take into account the cost of any required preparatory classes – even if you are confident in your level, it’s recommended to take at least one to familiarise yourself with the test procedure and give yourself the best chance of success.

Most people who are employed in France or self-employed under the micro-entrepreneur scheme will also be able to use their annual government-issued training allowance, Mon Compte Formation, to cover the cost of both the TCF examination and the preparatory lessons.

How to Get Free French Tuition in France Using Mon Compte Formation(CPF)