France Raised the French Level for Citizenship — B1 No Longer Counts
For years, the rule was simple: reach B1 French, and the language requirement for French citizenship was behind you. That rule is gone.
Under Décret n° 2025-648 (15 July 2025), every naturalization application filed from 1 January 2026 must show B2 French — in both oral and written skills, with no compensation between them. The same applies to citizenship by declaration through marriage. If you’re on this path, here is exactly what changed, who it affects, and what proof now counts.
What the new rule actually says
B2 is the new floor. B1 — the level thousands of applicants worked toward — no longer satisfies the requirement for applications filed from 2026 onward.
Both oral AND written, separately. You must reach B2 in speaking/listening and in reading/writing. A strong oral performance cannot make up for weaker writing, or the reverse. There is no averaging.
A civic exam now accompanies the language requirement. France introduced a civic examination, organized by France Éducation International, alongside the language rule. Factor it into your timeline.
Who is affected — and who isn’t
The line is the filing date, not the decision date:
- Complete applications filed by 31 December 2025 are assessed under the old B1 rule — even if the decision arrives in 2026 or later.
- Applications filed from 1 January 2026 fall under B2.
If you filed a complete dossier before the deadline, this change does not move your goalposts. If you’re filing now, B2 is your target.
What proof counts now
For applications under the new rule, acceptable evidence means a diploma or test attestation showing at least B2:
- DELF B2 or DALF C1/C2 — diplomas, valid for life
- TEF or TCF at B2 level or above — test attestations (check validity periods)
A DELF B1 certificate — sufficient for years — no longer works for naturalization filings from 2026.
One important distinction: this change is about citizenship. Residence permits keep their own separate levels — the 10-year resident card still references B1, the multi-year permit A2. Don’t confuse the tracks; check the requirement for the specific procedure you’re in.
The honest framing
Reaching B2 is a requirement, not a guarantee. Naturalization weighs residence years, integration, income, and more — language is one condition among several. No level, no diploma, and no test promises a French passport. What B2 does is keep your file from failing on language — and from January 2026, B1 no longer does that.
The exams themselves haven’t changed: DELF, DALF, TEF, and TCF all keep their formats, scales, and pass marks. What changed is which level France accepts — the bar moved, not the tests.
Getting from B1 to B2 — honestly
The jump from B1 to B2 is real: more complex texts, defending opinions, writing with structure. It typically takes months of steady work, not weeks. Practise all four skills against the actual CEFR descriptors, and measure yourself honestly — that’s what we built AlmiFrench for, with every major French exam on its own real scale at almifrench.almiworld.com. The full breakdown of the new rule, with links to the official texts, is at almifrench.almiworld.com/french-level-for-citizenship-2026.
The requirement rose. With honest preparation, so can your level.