French nationality issues
A substantial part of our law practice consists in evaluating, presenting and litigating claims for French nationality before the French Courts and Administrations.
We can provide assistance in the following different situations:
- Requests for transcriptions of birth and marriage documents with the French Civil Register
- Applications for French nationality certificates (certificats de nationalité française) based upon French lineage
- Applications for French nationality by way of naturalization
- Applications for French nationality due to marriage to a French citizen
- Appeals of refusals of French nationality in the French civil and administrative courts.
Requests for transcriptions of birth and marriage documents
It necessary to register marriages and births in the French civil register. Updated French civil records is a prerequisite to any passport for French carte nationale d’identité requests. Furthermore, in the context of a child of a French citizen, obtaining transcriptions of civil records, and then a French passport, will most often take less time than a French nationality certificate request.
Applications for French nationality certificates (certificats de nationalité française) based upon French lineage
In France a person may have rights to nationality by virtue of their French lineage. Indeed, articles 17 et seq. of the French civil code provides that the child of a French person is also French. In order to establish the French citizenship of the descendant, a petition can be presented to the Nationality Office of the District Court (Tribunal d’Instance) of the residence/birth of the individual or with the District Court of Paris as regards persons born abroad. Our office will assist you in making a petition for French nationality to the Court, and we have experience appealing refusals before the civil jurisdictions concerned.
Applications for French nationality by way of naturalization
A foreign person who has maintained continued legal residence in France may qualify for French nationality by way of naturalization by decree, by submitting a petition to the Prefect of their residence. These applications require careful preparation. We will assist you to ensure that the file is complete and properly prepared. French naturalization is however not automatic simply after five years of continued residency. The individual also needs to demonstrate their social and professional integration in France, their financial and tax stability, and French language proficiency. We can also assist in the event of a refusal or adjournment to contest the decision in the context of a hierarchical appeal.
Appeals of refusals of French nationality in the French civil and administrative courts
Our office litigates claims for recognition or reintegration of French nationality in the French civil and administrative courts.
See also :
