Global mobility teams face a new compliance hurdle as France’s long-planned integration reforms quietly took effect on January 1, 2026. Crown World Mobility’s weekly bulletin of 8 January confirms that applicants for most multi-year residence permits, resident cards and naturalisation must now pass a 40-question civic exam and meet higher French-language thresholds.
The civic test—free, 45 minutes and administered in approved centres—covers five themes: republican values, political institutions, citizens’ rights and duties, French history/geography/culture and daily life. A score of 80 % (32/40) is required. Applicants must present a certificate of success before filing residency paperwork, adding a new step to what was previously a post-arrival integration course.
Language demands are also rising. CEFR A2 is now obligatory for pluriannual residence cards (two–four years), while first-time ten-year resident-card applicants need B1. Naturalisation cases jump to B2. Exemptions apply only to over-65s, disabled persons and certain Talent-Passport categories.
![France Launches Mandatory Civic Exam and Tougher Language Levels for Residence and Citizenship]()
For organisations seeking hands-on assistance, VisaHQ’s France team can take over the heavy lifting—securing exam slots, booking certified language tests and tracking prefecture updates in real time, all through a single dashboard. This concierge-style support, detailed at https://www.visahq.com/france/, helps employers and assignees navigate the new requirements without costly delays.
Practically, HR should factor two to four extra weeks into assignment lead times to secure exam slots, especially in provincial prefectures where testing capacity is limited. Employers may wish to underwrite intensive language coaching and civic-test preparation—materials are available via a new Interior-Ministry portal offering 222 study sheets.
Failure to pass means no filing; renewals could also stall if proof of language level is missing. Companies managing blue-collar secondees or intra-EU transferees should audit their workforce now, identify high-risk cases, and budget for training or legal appeals. The reform aligns France with integration-heavy regimes like the Netherlands and Germany, signalling that cultural-fit metrics are now central to long-term mobility strategy.
The civic test—free, 45 minutes and administered in approved centres—covers five themes: republican values, political institutions, citizens’ rights and duties, French history/geography/culture and daily life. A score of 80 % (32/40) is required. Applicants must present a certificate of success before filing residency paperwork, adding a new step to what was previously a post-arrival integration course.
Language demands are also rising. CEFR A2 is now obligatory for pluriannual residence cards (two–four years), while first-time ten-year resident-card applicants need B1. Naturalisation cases jump to B2. Exemptions apply only to over-65s, disabled persons and certain Talent-Passport categories.
For organisations seeking hands-on assistance, VisaHQ’s France team can take over the heavy lifting—securing exam slots, booking certified language tests and tracking prefecture updates in real time, all through a single dashboard. This concierge-style support, detailed at https://www.visahq.com/france/, helps employers and assignees navigate the new requirements without costly delays.
Practically, HR should factor two to four extra weeks into assignment lead times to secure exam slots, especially in provincial prefectures where testing capacity is limited. Employers may wish to underwrite intensive language coaching and civic-test preparation—materials are available via a new Interior-Ministry portal offering 222 study sheets.
Failure to pass means no filing; renewals could also stall if proof of language level is missing. Companies managing blue-collar secondees or intra-EU transferees should audit their workforce now, identify high-risk cases, and budget for training or legal appeals. The reform aligns France with integration-heavy regimes like the Netherlands and Germany, signalling that cultural-fit metrics are now central to long-term mobility strategy.
