Examen civique Guide

The examen civique is the written civics test France introduced for foreign nationals who apply for a long-term residence permit or for French citizenship. It replaced the old interview-based check of civic knowledge. It is required for applications filed from 1 January 2026, under the law of 26 January 2024 and the decrees and arrêté that implement it.

The test is a multiple-choice questionnaire of 40 questions, in French, taken on a computer or tablet at an accredited test centre. Each question has one correct answer among the options. You have at most 45 minutes. You pass with 80 % of correct answers, which means 32 of the 40. A correct answer scores one point; a wrong or missing answer scores nothing, so it is always worth answering.

There are three levels (called mentions): carte de séjour pluriannuelle, carte de résident and naturalisation. The format is the same at every level: 40 questions, 45 minutes and 32 of 40 to pass. But each level has its own official list of knowledge questions. PassCitizen's knowledge questions follow the naturalisation list.

If you are applying for a carte de séjour pluriannuelle, study the official CSP list of knowledge questions.

If you are applying for a carte de résident, study the official CR list of knowledge questions.

Only one pass officially counts for another level: a carte de résident pass also counts for a carte de séjour pluriannuelle application.

From 1 January 2026 a passed examen civique is required for:

• A first application for a carte de séjour pluriannuelle (not renewals).
• A first application for a carte de résident.
• Naturalisation or reintegration into French nationality by decree. Acquiring nationality by declaration, for example through marriage, does not require it.

For the two residence cards, you are exempt if you are over 65, if you hold or are applying as a beneficiary of international or subsidiary protection (or as a member of their family), if you are stateless, if you hold a residence permit that is exempt from the contrat d'intégration républicaine, or if you are covered by certain bilateral agreements.

For naturalisation, none of these exemptions apply. The only exemption is a disability or health condition that makes it impossible to assess your knowledge, shown by a medical certificate. The same medical exemption also exists for the residence cards. Note that from 1 January 2026 the French language level required for naturalisation rose from B1 to B2.

The 40 questions are of two kinds. 28 are questions de connaissance, knowledge questions about France, its institutions, history and values. 12 are mises en situation, situational questions that describe an everyday scenario and ask what the right course of action is. The ministry publishes a list of knowledge questions for each level; it deliberately does not publish the situational ones.

The arrêté fixes how the 40 questions are spread over five themes: 11 on the principles and values of the Republic (including 6 situational questions), 6 on the institutional and political system, 11 on rights and duties (including 6 situational questions), 8 on history, geography and culture, and 4 on living in French society. There is no minimum score per theme; only the overall total of 32 counts.

You register with one of the two accredited organisers, CCI Paris Île-de-France or France Éducation international, and sit the test at one of their centres. The fee is set by each test centre and is paid by the candidate; the ministry does not publish a fixed price. You can retake the test as many times as you need, paying each time. If you pass, you receive an attestation de réussite, which does not expire.

The official programme has five themes, and PassCitizen's study chapters follow them:

• Principes et valeurs de la République: the motto and symbols of the Republic, laïcité, fundamental freedoms, equality. 11 questions on the paper.
• Système institutionnel et politique: democracy and the right to vote, the organisation of the Republic (President, Government, Parliament, courts, local authorities), the European institutions. 6 questions on the paper.
• Droits et devoirs: fundamental rights, the obligations and duties of everyone living in France, justice and appeals, equality and non-discrimination. 11 questions on the paper.
• Histoire, géographie et culture: historical periods and figures, the territories and geography of France, French heritage. 8 questions on the paper.
• Vivre dans la société française: settling and residing in France, access to healthcare, working, parental authority and the school system. 4 questions on the paper.

PassCitizen's bank holds 257 knowledge questions, 243 of them from the official naturalisation list, plus 255 practice situations written by PassCitizen, since the ministry does not publish its situational questions. Every question comes with an explanation in French.

Work through the official knowledge questions for your level first: every knowledge question on your paper comes from the published list for that level. PassCitizen's knowledge questions follow the naturalisation list, so if you are applying for a residence card, study your own level's list as well. Then practise the situations so that you recognise the reasoning the real ones expect: what the law requires, which authority to contact, and how the principles of the Republic apply in daily life.

1. Start with Principes et valeurs de la République and Droits et devoirs. Between them they provide 22 of the 40 questions and all 12 situational ones.
2. Study each chapter in order, using study mode to read the questions with the answers and explanations revealed before testing yourself in quiz mode.
3. Take full 40-question mock exams regularly. PassCitizen's mock draws the official 11 · 6 · 11 · 8 · 4 theme split and runs the 45-minute clock, so you get used to the pace.
4. Focus your final revision on the questions you keep getting wrong; the Not Started filter shows what you have not yet seen.
5. On the day, read each question to the end. Situational questions often include one option that sounds reasonable but ignores a legal obligation, and the correct answer is the one that respects the law and the rights of others.