The civic exam 2026: the complete guide

Since 1 January 2026, a new step has been added to the path toward nationality and long-term residency in France: the civic exam. Neither the assimilation interview nor the language test replaces it — it is a standalone test, created by decree no. 2025-6485 and detailed in the order of 10 October 20251. Here, without the jargon, is everything you need to understand in order to approach it with confidence.

The civic exam is a multiple-choice questionnaire written in French, entirely digital, that checks your knowledge of the Republic: its principles, its history, its institutions, and the way its values apply in everyday life. It is not a disguised language test — command of French is proven separately11B2 for naturalisation, B1 for the resident card, A2 for the multi-year residence permit. The language test and the civic exam are two distinct requirements: passing one does not exempt you from the other. — but rather a check of the civic foundations expected of every future citizen or long-term resident.

Until 2025, republican integration was checked mainly through the individual interview and a language level. The law no. 2024-42 of 26 January 2024 — known as the “Immigration Act” or “Darmanin Act”22“Darmanin Act” is a common journalistic nickname, after the minister who championed it; it is not the official title. The reference text remains law no. 2024-42 of 26 January 2024. — set out a new principle: to check, systematically, knowledge of the principles and values of the Republic. Decree no. 2025-648 and the order of 10 October 2025 are its implementing texts; they create the civic exam as it is taken today.

In concrete terms, since 1 January 2026 you can no longer obtain French nationality, a first resident card, or a first multi-year residence permit without having passed this exam2. It is added to the usual documents in your file — it does not replace them.

Whatever the mention, the test follows the same framework: an MCQ of 40 questions, to be answered in 45 minutes at most, each question offering four possible answers, only one of which is correct. The pass mark is set at 80%, i.e. 32 correct answers out of 401. The exam is fully digital and takes place at an accredited centre.

The exam exists in three mentions: “multi-year residence permit”, “resident card” and “naturalisation”1. These are not three unrelated exams, but a single framework adapted to the procedure — with a language requirement specific to each and question lists published separately by the ministry. A certificate obtained for one mention does not count for another.

The format is identical, but the depth expected grows with the procedure: more practical for the multi-year residence permit, more institutional and historical the closer you get to naturalisation. That makes sense — you don't expect the same thing of a first residence permit and of a nationality application.

The syllabus is set by the order of 10 October 2025. Two official presentations coexist, and it is useful to know both. Service-public.gouv.fr, the reference aimed at candidates, groups the knowledge into four broad areas2:

1. Key landmarks of French history — the dates, periods and figures that frame the national story.
2. Principles, symbols and institutions of the Republic — the motto, the flag, secularism, and how the branches of power work.
3. The exercise of French citizenship — rights, duties, and participation in democratic life.
4. France's place in Europe and the world — the European Union and the country's international role.

The Ministry of the Interior's portal, for its part, breaks the same syllabus down into five revision themes — a finer division, more convenient for organising your work4: the principles and values of the Republic; the institutional and political system; rights and duties; history, geography and culture; and living in French society.

The one subtlety: the area “France's place in Europe and the world” does not form a standalone theme in the second division — it is split between the institutional system (the European Union) and history-geography. The table below bridges the two.

The 28 knowledge questions are about verifiable facts: a date, a symbol, an institution. Good news — their official list is published free of charge by the ministry, by mention4. So you can prepare for them methodically.

The 12 scenario questions are of another kind. They describe an everyday situation and ask for the response consistent with republican values. The ministry does not publish them — and that is precisely what makes them unsettling for anyone who has never practised them.

The exam is taken at a centre accredited by France Éducation International or by the CCI Paris Île-de-France, by online registration3. The fee is set by each centre and varies; plan ahead for it, just as for the language test, which remains a requirement distinct from the civic exam.

• People aged 65 and over — exempt from the language requirement, and therefore effectively from the exam.
• People whose state of health or disability makes assessment impossible, on production of a medical certificate.
• Holders of certain French diplomas attesting to the required level.
• Renewals of a multi-year residence permit — the exam is required only at the first application.

The rules do, however, differ between residence permits and nationality, and there are many pitfalls. We detail them in a guide dedicated to exemptions — worth reading if you think you fall into a special case.

1. Start with the official material. Download the free list of knowledge questions that the ministry publishes for your mention.
2. Work theme by theme. A few questions each day, theme by theme, beat one long weekly session — consistency beats intensity.
3. Train the reflex. Since the scenarios aren't published, it is repeated practice on concrete cases that builds the right response.
4. Simulate the exam. 40 questions in 45 minutes, under real conditions, to get the pace before the day itself.