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CITIZENSHIP

The hack to find out early about your French citizenship application

There are two places that might be able to tell you whether or not you gained French nationality, even before you receive any official documentation from your local préfecture.

Published: 25 January 2024 11:33 CET
The hack to find out early about your French citizenship application
Naturalisation documents for France (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD / AFP)

Applying for French nationality can be a long process, involving lots of documents. Once you have finished the interview step, it is a waiting game to find out whether or not you have been approved.

Eventually you should receive a letter, as well as an email from SDANF, informing you that you have gained French nationality, and in most places you will also be invited to a ceremony to receive your certificate of naturalisation.

The ceremony is not compulsory, and whether you choose to go or not you can start doing things like voting in a French election or applying for a French passport before the ceremony (which might only be held a couple of times a year, depending on where in France you are).

But while you’re waiting for the letter you can check two places – depending on how you applied for citizenship – and find out early whether the decision went your way.

It’s not always quicker – sometimes the letter arrives first, while if you live in a small village the mayor may even pop round and tell you in person if they spot your name on the list of new citizens – for many people, these two websites offer a speedier answer.

Liste Électorale

Everyone who become a naturalised French citizen since 2018 has benefited from automatic voter registration, regardless of whether you are applying par décret or par déclaration.

READ MORE: The ultimate guide for how to get French citizenship

As such, new French citizens are automatically put into the liste électorale, which is sometimes done several days prior to the official letter being sent out. 

In order to see this, you can check your status via the Service-Public website.

Service-Public website

The exciting news is that once you are registered on the liste électorale, you should be able to vote almost immediately (though you should also verify you are on the annual voter rolls).

Journal Officiel

Foreigners who have gained French citizenship have their names listed in the Journal Officiel – the French government circular that lists all new laws and decrees.

However, this is only the case for those getting citizenship par décret, so it is not in place for those declaring French nationality by marriage or ancestry.

When looking for a specific naturalisation decree, you must know the date of publication in the JO (the date on which you received a favourable notification from French authorities).

READ MORE: What is France’s Journal Officiel?

Then, you can access the JO by going to the Légifrance website, clicking the correct date, and looking for the heading ‘Naturalisations et réintégrations‘. This will take you to a protected page, where you will need to prove you are not a robot by a quick verification test (usually a maths question).

 

At this point, you should be able to download the pdf file of the JO. You can scroll down and search for your name.

Due to privacy laws, the JO is a protected document so you cannot simply Google search your name plus ‘Journal Officiel‘ – you need to go onto the site and download the document.

For anyone going through the citizenship process, it is a good idea to hold onto this document as you may need it for future administrative processes.

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For members

CITIZENSHIP

Reader Question: How soon after receiving French citizenship can you vote?

One of the most exciting aspects of gaining French nationality is getting to take part in the French electoral process. Here is what to expect.

Published: 25 January 2024 11:39 CET
Updated: 31 January 2024 12:38 CET
Reader Question: How soon after receiving French citizenship can you vote?

If you were previously an EU citizen you may have already been eligible to vote in local and European elections, but only French citizens can vote in presidential and legislative elections.

Non-EU citizens, however, have no voting rights in France – so for many people becoming French also means being re-enfranchised to vote in the country where they live.

READ ALSO 

Anyone who has become French since 2019 benefits from automatic registration in the liste électorale. This means that most people can be eligible to vote shortly after acquiring French nationality.

Once you receive confirmation of your French citizenship, you can go online and double check you are registered using the Service-Public website.This will also inform you of where to go to cast your vote on election day.

After that, there is one more step: you still need to verify that you are also on the additional, annually updated, roll in order to take part in individual elections. You can do this online, here.

Be sure to double check that you are registered for both municipal and European elections. You can also do this process in person at your local mairie if you prefer.

Once you have gone through those steps – which may not take more than a few minutes, depending on your situation – then you should be eligible to vote in France.

What if I am not registered?

If you have only recently acquired French nationality, then you should be on the electoral list. However, if you are not, then you can make sure your registration is in order at your local mairie’s offices. You will need:

  • Proof of identity;
  • Proof of nationality (a passport or certificate of naturalisation);
  • Proof of address (a rent receipt, tax return, water or electricity bill);
  • A completed vote registration form – find that here

What to bring when voting

When you go to vote, you need a form of identification in most towns, although municipalities of less than 1,000 inhabitants do not have this obligation. However, the head of the polling station in small towns might ask you to prove your identity in another manner.

For an ID, you have several options, including: a French national identity card (valid or expired for less than 5 years), a passport (valid or expired for less than 5 years), your Carte Vitale (as long as it has your photograph), a valid French military card (Carte du combattant), a valid French disability card (as long as it has a photograph), a valid driver’s licence, and even a hunting licence (as long as it has a photograph and was issued by the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife).

Technically, your voter registration card is not required to vote, but it is highly recommended. 

READ MORE: A voté: How to register and cast your vote in France

How do you get a voter card?

The electoral card (carte électorale) is sent by post to your home at least three days prior to the first round of an election or referendum. 

If your electoral card has not been distributed to you before the election or referendum, it is kept at the polling station. You can collect it by presenting an identity document.

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