French for living in France

To settle in France long-term, a certain level of French is required for several procedures.

Requirements

The January 2024 immigration law tightened language requirements, applying from 2026: A2 for some multi-year residence permits, B1 for the long-term resident card and B2 for citizenship. Your level must be proven with a recognised diploma or test (DELF, TCF IRN, TEF IRN…).

The republican integration contract

Foreign nationals settling in France sign a republican integration contract (contrat d'intégration républicaine, CIR) with the state, which may include free language training depending on their assessed level.

Learning in France

• courses provided under the CIR;
• associations and community language workshops;
• city-run classes;
• universities and language schools.

⚠️ Administrative rules change: always check up-to-date official information (service-public.fr, France Éducation international, the Canadian and Quebec immigration authorities, the test providers) before registering.

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