How do you apply for reinstatement in French nationality by decree?

Reinstatement in French nationality by decree is requested by sending form cerfa n°12753 with the required documents. You must prove that you held French nationality before. You must reside in France when the decree of reinstatement is signed. You must have a valid residence permit (titre de séjour) when you file your request, unless you are European (EEA) or Swiss. If you live abroad, you file the request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree at a French consulate.

Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04

When is the civic exam required?

For reinstatement in French nationality by decree, you must prove your assimilation into the French community. For reinstatement in French nationality by decree, your assimilation into the French community is checked by passing the civic exam (examen civique). For reinstatement in French nationality by decree, your assimilation into the French community is checked by an interview at the préfecture.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04

Practise the civic exam

You live in France: how do you send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree?

If you live in France, you can send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree online, using the online service for French naturalisation or reinstatement in French nationality.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you cannot file your request through the online service while living in France, you can send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree by post to the naturalisation platform for your address.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree by post because you cannot file the request online, you must provide an email from the ANTS citizens contact centre or a document from the préfecture or the sub-préfecture proving that filing the request online is impossible.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree by post, you add a stamped envelope with your address and a blank 500 g « suivie » letter.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you live in Guyane and you are not currently a legionnaire, you file your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree with the préfecture de la Guyane.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04

You live abroad: how do you send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree?

If you live abroad, you file your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree at a French consulate.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you send your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree by post from abroad, you join 2 identity photos of 35 x 45 mm, bare-headed, with your surname, first name and date of birth written on the back.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you file your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree abroad, you pay the fee to the consulate when you file your request.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04

Your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree is filed: what happens next?

If your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree is admissible, you are called to an interview at the préfecture to check your assimilation into the French community.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
At the end of the interview, you must sign the charter of rights and duties of the French citizen.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you do not attend the interview without a legitimate reason, your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree can be classed without further action.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree is accepted, you must download your decree of reinstatement on the Légifrance site.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
A young person who became French between 16 and 25 must register for the census in the month following the obtention of French nationality.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04

Which documents must you provide for a request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree?

You are in a special situation: which additional documents must you provide for a request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree?

If you live in France for less than 10 years, you provide an original criminal record extract (extrait de casier judiciaire) from abroad, or an equivalent document, issued by a competent authority of each country where you lived or, failing that, of your country of nationality.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
For your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree, the original foreign criminal record extract or an equivalent document is not required for your country of origin if you are a refugee or a stateless person protected by the Ofpra.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you are a former combatant or a legionnaire, you provide, for your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree, the statement of your services and the decorations and citations you obtained.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you are a national of a non-European Union country and you entered the Schengen area from a non-Schengen State for less than 3 months in the 5 years before filing your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree, you provide your passport or an equivalent document and the passports of your minor children who could become French at their majority.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
If you wish, you can complete your request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree with information that seems to you of particular interest, for example your participation in association life in France.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04

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How much does a request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree cost?

A request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree costs 255 €. A request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree costs 127,50 € in Guyane. The tax for a request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree is paid with a timbre fiscal tax stamp. If you file a request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree abroad, payment is made at the consulate when you file the request.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
The administration has 18 months at most from the delivery of the récépissé receipt to answer a request for naturalisation or reinstatement in French nationality.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
The 18-month maximum period for the administration to answer a request for reinstatement in French nationality by decree is reduced to 12 months when you prove that you have your habitual residence in France for at least 10 years at the date of the delivery of the récépissé receipt.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
For reinstatement in French nationality by decree, your assimilation into the French community is checked by passing the civic exam (examen civique) and by an interview at the préfecture.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04
You can be reinstated in French nationality at any age, but if you are under 16 your legal representative must make the request for you.Service-Public · Checked 2026-11-04