French for a residence card since 2026: A2 for the multi-year card, B1 for the resident card

A2, for a first multi-year card, if you are under 65. Service-public.gouv.fr lists the cards that are not concerned: residence permits that are not subject to the contrat d'intégration républicaine (CIR), beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and their family, and stateless people and their family.

B1, for a first resident card, if you are under 65. The cards concerned are: the resident card as the spouse of a French national, as the parent of a French child, through family reunification or as the spouse of a resident-card holder; the long-term EU resident card; a talent passport or EU Blue Card holder after more than five years, and family; refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, and their families; five years of uninterrupted legal residence with sufficient, stable and regular resources; and the permanent resident card.

Only a first card. The requirement is worded for a first application of each card. Naturalisation asks more: B2, see TCF or TEF for B2.

1. A language test, and only two count. The Interior Ministry recognises only the TCF (France Éducation International) and the TEF (CCI Paris Île-de-France). The test must assess all four skills in separate papers (speaking, writing, listening, reading), in person at an exam centre, on the same day in a single session, with identity checks. The attestation is valid for 2 years and must carry your identity as checked against your passport or residence permit, and a photo taken before the test.

2. A French diploma at the required level or higher: a DELF, DALF or DELF Pro from France Éducation International, a DCL from the education ministry, the CCI's DFP, or a university DUEF from the ADCUEFE network. See our guides to DELF and DALF, the DCL and the DFP.

3. A French qualification: a national diploma from level 3 (CAP, BEP, CFG), the diplôme national du brevet, or a professional title registered at level 3 or above in the RNCP.

A diploma issued abroad does not count, even from a French-speaking country. Service-public.gouv.fr says so in plain words.

The TCF or TEF attestation is valid for 2 years; the page gives no validity limit for the diplomas. Our reading: a diploma at the level above the one you need now also covers the next card, while a test result has to be retaken once it is older than two years. The same rule, read in the decrees for all three levels, is set out in France now asks for B2.

Confirm with the préfecture handling your file before you rely on any document.

Most people admitted to stay in France for the first time sign a contrat d'intégration républicaine with the OFII. At the interview you take a French test in writing and speaking; below A2, you can enrol in language training prescribed under the contract. Service-public.gouv.fr says the CIR's language and civic training are there to help you meet the language level and the civic exam required since 1 January 2026.

The training helps you prepare; the proof the préfecture asks for is still one of the three above.

If you have a disability or a chronic health condition, you can get adjustments for the language test. If taking a test is impossible, you can be exempted from the French requirement, on a medical certificate from your doctor; the préfecture may have your health or disability checked.

Both cards also require passing an examen civique, with questions that differ by the card you apply for. The format we have checked is the one for naturalisation: see France's examen civique.