What French Level Do You Need for Residency and Citizenship? The 2026 Rules and the Hours

France raised its language requirements on 1 January 2026. A first multi-year residence card now requires A2, a resident card requires B1, and naturalisation requires B2 in both spoken and written French. All three also require a new civic exam. If you started preparing under the old rules, the target has moved, and for naturalisation it has moved up a full CEFR level.

This post covers what the decrees say, what counts as proof, and how many hours of study each step usually represents. Rules can be amended and prefectures handle files differently, so confirm details for your own case on service-public.gouv.fr and with your prefecture before you book anything. The rules below were last checked on 30 September 2026; this is general information, not legal advice.

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The three levels, and where they come from

The changes come from the January 2024 immigration law and two decrees dated 15 July 2025:

• First multi-year residence card (carte de séjour pluriannuelle): A2. Set by decree 2025-647, in force since 1 January 2026.
• Resident card (carte de résident): B1. Same decree, same date.
• Naturalisation by decree and reinstatement: B2, spoken and written. Set by decree 2025-648, which replaced the previous B1 reference with B2 for applications filed from 1 January 2026.
• Nationality by declaration through marriage: also B2. The same decree swaps "B1" for "B2" in the marriage-declaration provision, for declarations made from 1 January 2026. It is easy to miss if you are only reading about naturalisation.

Decree 2025-647 exempts people over 65 from both the language and the civic requirements for the two residence cards, and provides for adjustments or exemptions for disability and chronic illness. For naturalisation, service-public lists a narrower set of exemptions: a health condition or disability that makes assessment impossible, and refugees or stateless people over 70 who have lived in France for at least 15 years.

The civic exam comes on top

Language is only half of it. From 1 January 2026, a first multi-year card, a resident card and naturalisation all require passing an examen civique: 40 multiple-choice questions in French (28 knowledge questions and 12 scenario questions), a maximum of 45 minutes, and a pass mark of 32 correct answers, which is 80%. Renewals of a multi-year or resident card do not require it, according to service-public. For the residence cards, the Interior Ministry's exam page also says some people are not concerned, including beneficiaries of international protection and nationals covered by certain bilateral agreements; check whether that applies to you.

The civic exam is in French, so it is also a reading test in practice. A candidate who is shaky at A2 will find 40 questions about institutions and rights in 45 minutes harder than a B1 reader will.

What counts as proof of level

For naturalisation, service-public's guidance accepts, among other things, certain French diplomas and qualifications, any diploma certifying B2 on the CEFR, or a TCF or TEF result attestation issued less than two years before you apply. The two-year limit applies to the TCF and TEF attestations, not to the diplomas listed.

That has a practical consequence. A TCF or TEF taken too early can expire before your application is ready. A DELF B2 is a diploma, so it should fall under "any diploma certifying B2" and does not face the two-year limit, but confirm with your prefecture before relying on it. Our DELF B2 preparation guide covers that exam in detail. For the residence cards, the decree refers to diplomas or certifications on a list set by ministerial order, so check the current list for your card type.

How many hours each level takes

No French law or decree sets an hour count per level. The figures most often quoted are the indicative guided-learning hours for the DELF and DALF diplomas, which Campus France (the French government agency for international students) lists as cumulative totals from zero:

• A1: 60 to 100 hours
• A2: 150 to 200 hours
• B1: 350 to 400 hours
• B2: 550 to 650 hours
• C1: 800 to 950 hours
• C2: more than 1,000 hours

Treat these as guided-learning estimates, not official requirements: hours of instruction for a typical classroom learner, not counting homework or the French you absorb by living in France. Your first language matters a great deal. A Spanish or Italian speaker will usually need fewer hours than these, and someone whose first language shares little with French may need more. For a separate reference point, the US Foreign Service Institute lists French at 30 weeks, or about 690 class hours, for English speakers to reach professional working proficiency, plus substantial self-study each week.

Three worked examples

Using those DELF/DALF figures as a planning baseline (an estimate, not a promise):

1. At A2, applying for a resident card (needs B1). The gap is roughly 200 hours (350 − 150, or 400 − 200). At 5 hours a week that is 40 weeks, about nine months. At 3 hours a week, about 67 weeks, closer to fifteen months.

2. At B1, planning to naturalise (needs B2). The gap is roughly 200 to 250 hours (550 − 350, or 650 − 400). At 6 hours a week that is about 33 to 42 weeks, roughly eight to ten months. At 4 hours a week, about 50 to 63 weeks, roughly 12 to 14 months. Anyone who was preparing for the old B1 requirement should budget for this extra step.

3. Starting from zero, aiming for naturalisation. 550 to 650 hours at 7 hours a week is about 79 to 93 weeks, around 18 to 21 months of steady work. Living in France and using French daily can shorten this, but only if a good share of that daily French is actually comprehensible to you.

These figures assume the hours actually happen every week. Most people lose weeks to illness, travel and work peaks, so add a buffer of around 20% before you commit to a filing date.

Why B2 is harder than the hours suggest

The naturalisation requirement covers spoken and written French. At B1 you can get by describing experiences and explaining simple opinions. B2 expects you to argue a point, follow extended discussion and write structured texts that weigh both sides. In practice that means:

• Writing is the usual bottleneck. Many residents speak well from daily life but have rarely written more than a text message in French. Schedule regular written practice with correction, starting early.
• Listening needs to cover real-speed French. Radio debates and news, not only learner podcasts.
• Oral argument is a specific skill. Presenting and defending a viewpoint for several minutes can be practised, ideally with a tutor who can correct you on the spot.

If you already have a daily French routine, make sure writing is not quietly missing from it. Logging sessions by activity in LangTrack makes the split visible: if your weekly recap shows ten hours of listening and twenty minutes of writing, you know where the next month's hours should go.

A timeline that works backwards from the application

1. Decide which card or procedure you are applying for and note its level: A2, B1 or B2.
2. Get an honest placement with a mock TCF, TEF or DELF paper, or a placement test at a language school.
3. Calculate the gap in hours using the figures above, divide by a weekly pace you can actually keep, and add 20%.
4. Prepare for the civic exam in parallel from official materials, especially if you are near the bottom of your required level.
5. Take the language test so the result is still valid when you file. TCF and TEF attestations must be under two years old.

If your timeline is tight, our guide to learning a language on a deadline covers how to structure an intensive block, and tracking your French learning progress covers the longer haul.

The bottom line

Since 1 January 2026, France asks for A2 for a first multi-year card, B1 for a resident card and B2, spoken and written, for naturalisation and for nationality through marriage, with a civic exam on top in each case. In guided-learning terms, B1 to B2 is roughly another 200 to 250 hours, which at a working adult's pace is the better part of a year. Start the extra step early, give writing its share, and time your test so the result is still valid when you file.