Civic exam 2026 exemptions: who is excluded, and for which permit

Not everyone is concerned by the civic exam that took effect on 1 January 20266. But the rule that emerges, almost always, is the same: yes for naturalisation, no for residency — or the reverse, depending on your status. This article maps the exemptions, by permit type.

The most common mistake isn't poor exam preparation; it's thinking you're exempt when you have to take it, or the opposite. Three groups regularly get this wrong: refugees, Algerian nationals, and holders of a French diploma. For each of them, the same key applies: which permit are you applying for, and the exemption regime differs.

The 2026 civic exam — 40 questions, 45 minutes, 80% threshold — applies to three permit types, each with its own exemption regime:

• Multi-year residence permit (CSP) — first application only, A2 level required.
• 10-year resident card — first application only, B1 level required.
• Naturalisation by decree — B2 level required, the most demanding regime.

Naturalisation by declaration — the path open to spouses, ascendants, or siblings of French citizens — is, for its part, not concerned by the civic exam4. Renewals of already-issued permits aren't either.

To know whether the exam is required in your case, two questions suffice on first reading: which permit are you applying for, and what is your situation (age, status, bilateral agreement, health condition)?

For residency: 65 years or older

For the multi-year residence permit and the resident card, the 65-year threshold acts as an automatic exemption: above this age, the civic exam isn't required. The same rule applies to language requirements.

For naturalisation by decree: no automatic threshold

Naturalisation is more demanding. Article 21-24-1 of the Civil Code9 nonetheless provides for a historical exemption for people aged 70 or more and residing legally in France for at least 15 years. That exemption covers sufficient knowledge of the language; in practice, a candidate in this situation can also obtain a civic exemption via medical certificate, by establishing that the evaluation modalities aren't accessible.

International-protection beneficiaries — statutory refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, stateless persons — are exempt from the civic exam for residency permits. The rationale: their integration is already accompanied by the Republican Integration Contract (CIR), and the impossibility of returning to their country of origin requires stabilising their status without academic preconditions.

That exemption stops at naturalisation. If a refugee files a naturalisation application by decree, they fall under the common regime (Article 21-24 of the Civil Code) and must take the civic exam under the “Naturalisation” mention — the most demanding one.

The Franco-Algerian agreement of 27 December 19688 exclusively governs the status of Algerian nationals in France. Their permit is called a residence certificate (1 year or 10 years), not a residency permit, and it doesn't technically fall under the CESEDA in the strict sense. As a result, the provisions of decree 2025-648 on the civic exam for residency don't apply to them.

The rule changes radically for naturalisation. French nationality falls under the Civil Code, not the bilateral agreement. The civic exam under the “Naturalisation” mention is mandatory like for any other candidate.

A diploma issued by a French institution at the required level (collège, lycée, higher education in France) exempts you from proving your language level — A2 for the CSP, B1 for the resident card, B2 for naturalisation.

That exemption does not cover the civic exam. Republican principles, history, institutions, scenario questions: all of this is the subject of a separate evaluation. Master's in political science included: the diploma says you speak French, the exam says you know the Republic. Two distinct requirements, for two distinct objectives.

The decree of 30 December 20253 distinguishes two levels of intervention based on the intensity of the need, on the basis of a standard medical certificate established by a doctor:

1. Exam accommodation. For partial visual, auditory or motor impairments: extended time, magnifiers, enlarged versions, set-up assistance. The candidate takes the exam, but in adapted conditions.
2. Full exemption. When the disability or health condition makes evaluation impossible (severe cognitive impairments, debilitating illnesses affecting learning or concentration). The candidate doesn't take the exam, and the file is processed without that piece.

Automatic exemption cases are provided for certain sensory situations: candidates who only read braille are exempt from both the language test and the civic exam, due to the absence of suitable support material.

If you're applying for a renewal of a multi-year residence permit or resident card already obtained before 2026, you don't have to take the civic exam. The obligation applies only to first applications filed from 1 January 2026 onward.

This rule avoids retroactive effect. Your integration was assessed at the time of first issuance, and the State doesn't revisit that at every renewal.

• Non-Algerian bilateral agreements. The texts mention exemptions for nationals of “certain bilateral agreements” without an exhaustive list beyond Algeria. The status of Tunisians, Moroccans or nationals of francophone African countries for long-term EU resident cards remains to be verified case by case with prefectures.
• Pricing. Registration generally costs between €70 and €100 depending on the accredited centre, with no national regulated price as of today. This creates territorial disparities that neither the ministry nor France Éducation International caps.
• Repeated failure and naturalisation. The number of attempts isn't capped, but the impact of a history of failures on the prefect's discretionary decision — under the assimilation criterion — isn't explicitly defined. In practice, retaking the exam once doesn't prejudice the file; several times, possibly.