French Citizenship by Birth
France
Citizenship
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See if you're a match →This citizenship pathway is for people who may already be citizens because they were born in France or in another qualifying birth situation connected to France. It generally turns on birthplace, birth date, and the parents' citizenship or immigration status at the time.
- Type
- Citizenship by birth
- Who it covers
- People born in France or another qualifying birth situation
- Core records
- Birth records plus parents' status at the time
- What to know
- Usually a strong right if the facts and records line up
Summary
France has conditional birthright citizenship. If you were born in France, you may already be French even if you grew up thinking of yourself only as another nationality.
There are three common already-citizen situations:
- French parent: a child is French from birth if at least one parent is French, whether the child is born in France or abroad.
- Double birthright rule: a child born in France is French from birth if at least one foreign parent was also born in France.
- Automatic citizenship at 18: a person born in France to foreign parents becomes French automatically at age 18 if they live in France at age 18, lived in France for at least 5 years since age 11, and the parents were not diplomatic agents or career consuls.
Specific rules apply to Mayotte, so a Mayotte birth needs separate review.
Eligibility
You may already be French if one of these is true:
- You were born in France and at least one parent was French when you were born.
- You were born in France and at least one foreign parent was also born in France.
- You were born in France to foreign parents, lived in France at age 18, and had at least 5 years of habitual residence in France since age 11.
What This Route Allows
This route can help confirm or document citizenship in France when the citizenship-creating facts named above are proven. For many people in this category, the main work is evidence: civil records, family-link records, prior citizenship records, and any registration or restoration paperwork needed to show the claim.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a shortcut around documentation. Even when the citizenship claim is based on a right, you still need records that prove each required fact and family link.
Next Steps
- Order your French birth certificate from the local civil registry or through the official French civil-record system.
- Confirm the parent basis. If a parent was French, gather that parent's French identity or nationality evidence. If relying on double birthright citizenship, gather the France-born parent's birth certificate.
- If relying on automatic citizenship at 18, gather residence evidence showing you lived in France at age 18 and for at least 5 years since age 11.
- Request a Certificate of French Nationality (certificat de nationalité française) if you need formal proof before applying for a passport or ID card.
- Apply for French identity documents once the citizenship basis is documented.