Civic exam

The French civic exam (civics test): what you need to know in 2026

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Since 1 January 2026, passing the civic exam is required for a first multi-year residence card, a first resident card (carte de résident) and naturalisation. Here is its format, who is concerned and how to prepare for it.

This page is a translation to help you read. French remains the reference language: the exam, the legal texts and the terms of sale are in French, and only the French text is authoritative.

In brief

The civic exam (examen civique) is a multiple-choice test of 40 questions, in French, to be done in 45 minutes at most. It has 28 knowledge questions and 12 real-life scenario questions (mises en situation). Each question offers four answers, only one of which is right. You need at least 32 correct answers to pass.

The exam was created by the law of 26 January 2024 "to control immigration and improve integration". Its rules are set by the order of 10 October 2025 on the programme, tests and organisation of the civic exam (arrêté du 10 octobre 2025).

Who has to take the exam?

Since 1 January 2026, the exam is required, before you file your application, for three procedures. Each has its own "mention", that is, its own version of the exam, at a different level of difficulty:

• a first multi-year residence card (in French) (carte de séjour pluriannuelle; nationals of non-European countries, permits linked to the republican integration contract);
• a first resident card (in French) (carte de résident);
• naturalisation or reinstatement by decree (in French); acquiring nationality by declaration (for example, marriage to a French person) is not concerned.

Renewals are not concerned, and some people are exempt: we detail them on the page exemptions from the civic exam (in French). The tool "Am I concerned?" (in French) shows which rule applies; only your prefecture (préfecture) can decide your own case.

The programme: five themes

The questions cover five themes. The order sets the number of questions for each theme; the real-life scenario questions cover only two of them, as this table shows.

The knowledge questions are taken from the lists published by the Ministry of the Interior (see the questions by theme (in French)). The real-life scenario questions are not published in advance: here is what they look like (in French).

On exam day

The exam takes place in an approved centre, on a computer or tablet. The centre presents the rules of the test before it starts; not following them can make the exam void, and cheating or attempted cheating bars you from retaking it for two years. To register, see prices, registration and exam centres (in French). Lateness, documents to bring, moving around the test, certificate: see civic exam day.

After the exam

With at least 32 correct answers, you receive a certificate of success, to attach to your application; for residence permits it has no end date (the page on naturalisation does not say). Below the pass mark you can retake the exam: the ministry says it can be taken as many times as needed; according to the candidate handbook, you can register again as soon as you receive your results, with at least 24 hours between two attempts. Details: 32 out of 40: passing or retaking (in French).

How to prepare

The Ministry of the Interior publishes the programme, fact sheets by theme and the lists of knowledge questions free of charge: that is the basis. What candidates most often say is missing is the real-life scenario questions and practice under a time limit. That is what we offer: mock exams in the real format, timed, with real-life scenario questions that we write from the legal texts.

Take the free mock exam

See the prices · Try the real-life scenarios test · Our method (in French)