French nationality reinstatement: decree or declaration

Did you once hold French nationality and then lose it? The law lets you recover it. French nationality reinstatement follows two paths: a decree or a declaration. The right choice depends above all on how you lost it. A lawyer reviews your situation in 20 minutes on Avocat20min.fr.

French nationality reinstatement: two routes

Article 24 of the Civil Code sets the principle. Anyone who proves they once held French nationality can recover it. Depending on the case, they do so by decree or by declaration.

The two routes to French nationality reinstatement have little in common, though. A decree is a government decision, and the government keeps wide discretion. A declaration, by contrast, rests on a right: if you meet the conditions, the court registry must register it.

Point	Reinstatement by decree	Reinstatement by declaration
Legal basis	Article 24-1 of the Civil Code	Article 24-2 of the Civil Code
Who	Anyone who lost French nationality	Loss through marriage to a foreigner or voluntary acquisition of a foreign nationality
Residence in France	Required when the decree is signed	Not required
Language	Level B2 and civic exam	No set level
Stamp duty	€255	None, at present
Where to file	Online (NATALI) or consulate	Judicial court or consulate
Appeal	Minister, then Nantes administrative court	Judicial court, within six months

Reinstatement by decree: the naturalisation rules

The first route is the broadest. It suits any request for French nationality reinstatement, whatever caused the loss. Under article 24-1 of the Civil Code, reinstatement by decree is open at any age, with no minimum period of residence. For everything else, it follows the naturalisation rules.

In practice, you do not need five years of residence. However, you must live in France when the decree is signed. The centre of your material interests and family ties must be there. A few exceptions exist, for example for someone working abroad for the French State.

The other naturalisation conditions then apply:

• Lawful residence, with a valid residence permit when you file, unless you are a European or Swiss national.
• French at level B2, spoken and written, for applications filed since 1 January 2026.
• A pass in the civic exam, followed by an assimilation interview at the prefecture.
• Work and income that are stable.
• A compatible criminal record: a sentence of six months' immediate imprisonment or more closes the door (article 21-27).

Our guide to French naturalisation explains these criteria and the 2025 circular that guides prefects.

Applying for French nationality reinstatement by decree

The process mirrors naturalisation. You file online on NATALI, the ANEF platform. If online filing is impossible, the naturalisation platform for your area accepts a paper file. Abroad, the consulate takes the application.

The tax stamp costs €255 for files lodged since 1 May 2026 (€127.50 in French Guiana). Also enclose your language certificate, your civic exam certificate and proof of income.

The authorities have eighteen months from the receipt to decide. This falls to twelve months if you have lived in France for at least ten years. It can be extended once by three months, through a reasoned decision. The decree takes effect on the day it is signed. It is then published in the Journal officiel.

Be careful: for two years after publication, the government can still withdraw the decree if a condition was missing. In case of fraud, that period runs from its discovery.

Refusal of reinstatement by decree: the appeal

Against an inadmissibility decision, a deferral or a rejection, a prior appeal is compulsory. You send it to the minister responsible for naturalisation within two months. If you applied online, this appeal goes through your personal account.

If the minister stays silent for four months, your appeal is deemed rejected. You then have two months to bring the case before the Nantes administrative court. Note: without the prior appeal, the court declares the claim inadmissible.

Reinstatement by declaration under article 24-2

The second route covers specific cases. It offers a simpler French nationality reinstatement, but a restricted one. It concerns people who lost their nationality by marrying a foreigner. It also covers those who lost it by voluntarily acquiring a foreign nationality.

These losses often date back decades, under older legislation. For example, a Frenchwoman who married a foreigner before 1973 could lose her nationality. Reinstatement by declaration remains open to her today.

A central condition applies: you must have kept or built manifest ties with France. These ties may be cultural, professional, economic or family ties. Regular stays, French children or work turned towards France all count, for instance.

On the other hand, the declaration requires neither residence in France nor a set language level. If you live in France, however, your stay must be lawful. Finally, article 21-27 applies here too: certain convictions rule out any reinstatement.

Filing the declaration and challenging a refusal

You sign the declaration before the registry of the judicial court where you live. Abroad, the French consulate receives it. According to justice.fr, this step is not among those subject to the €255 stamp.

The registry has six months from the receipt to refuse registration. Without a refusal within that time, you receive the registered declaration. Your French nationality reinstatement takes effect on the date you signed it.

If it is refused, you can go to the judicial court within six months. A lawyer is then compulsory. For its part, the public prosecutor can challenge the registration for two years, or from the discovery of a fraud.

Proving your former French nationality

For any French nationality reinstatement, you must first prove that you were French. This proof is often the main hurdle. Neither the registry nor the prefecture presumes it, even if your family has lived in France for a long time.

Several documents can help:

• A former nationality certificate or a court decision.
• A naturalisation decree or a registered declaration.
• Civil status records that establish your link to a French parent.
• An old identity card or passport, as supporting evidence.

Next, you need to date and explain the loss. A certificate of the foreign nationality acquired, showing its date and legal basis, helps a great deal. If your nationality remains disputed, our article on the French nationality certificate explains how to have it recognised.

The effect on your minor children

Under article 24-3 of the Civil Code, French nationality reinstatement extends to your minor children. The article refers to the rules in articles 22-1 and 22-2.

Your child therefore becomes French if named in the decree or the declaration. The child must also live with you habitually, or alternately after a separation. A married or adult child, however, does not benefit from this collective effect.

So list every child as soon as you file your application. Leaving one out often means a separate procedure later.

Desuetude and stripping: other situations

Loss of nationality does not always stem from a marriage or a foreign naturalisation. Sometimes a court records loss through desuetude, when a family has lived abroad for over fifty years. In that case, the right route is often the article 21-14 declaration, not reinstatement. Our article on loss of French nationality presents that declaration.

Finally, can someone subject to stripping of French nationality turn back the clock? In practice, the door is almost shut. Stripping mainly punishes crimes against the interests of the Nation or terrorism. And article 21-27 bars any reinstatement after those convictions, unless the person has been rehabilitated.

When to consult a lawyer

A lawyer first helps you choose the right route to French nationality reinstatement. If your loss falls within its scope, the declaration avoids level B2 and the stamp. The lawyer also checks how solid your proof of former nationality is.

A lawyer specialising in immigration law then prepares your appeal, before the minister or the judicial court. The official conditions appear on the service-public page on reinstatement by decree.