The French Citizenship Welcome Ceremony: What Happens After You Are Naturalised

The welcome ceremony, the cérémonie d'accueil dans la citoyenneté française, is the final step of becoming French by naturalisation. By the time you are invited to it, the decision is already made and you are already French. The ceremony marks the moment publicly rather than deciding it. It is a meaningful occasion for most new citizens, and knowing what to expect makes it easier to enjoy.

When it happens

You become French on the date set by the decree that grants your naturalisation, once it is published in the Journal officiel. The welcome ceremony comes afterward. In principle it is organised within six months of acquiring nationality. In practice, the invitation usually arrives a couple of months to a few months after the decree is published, depending on your prefecture.

The ceremony is organised by the prefect of your department. In Paris this falls to the prefect of police, and for people abroad the relevant consular authority arranges it. In some cases a mayor, acting as a civil registrar, can be authorised to hold the ceremony at the town hall.

What takes place

The ceremony is formal but warm. New citizens are welcomed together, the values and symbols of the Republic are presented, and the Marseillaise is usually played. You are given the charter of the rights and duties of the French citizen, the charte des droits et devoirs du citoyen français, which sets out what citizenship involves on both sides. Many ceremonies include a short speech and a moment to mark the occasion collectively.

You do not pass or fail anything at the ceremony, and nothing about your nationality depends on it. It is a welcome, not a test. Bringing family is generally encouraged, and many people treat it as the celebration at the end of a long process.

Practical points

A few practical details are worth knowing. If you are employed, you are entitled to leave of at least half a day to attend your ceremony, so you do not have to use your own holiday for it. The invitation will tell you what to bring and where to go, so read it carefully when it arrives. Attendance is part of the experience of becoming French, though the legal effect of your naturalisation comes from the decree, not from the ceremony itself.

After the ceremony

Once you are French, you can apply for a French identity card and a French passport, you can register to vote, and you hold the full rights of a citizen. France allows multiple nationality on its side, so naturalisation does not by itself require you to give up another nationality, although whether you keep it depends on the law of your other country. If that question matters to you, check the rules of your country of origin.

The details of the ceremony and the rules around it can change, and arrangements differ between prefectures. For the current position, see service-public.fr and the instructions in your own invitation.

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