Apply for French Nationality/Citizenship STEP-BY-STEP: Interview at the Préfecture

The citizenship interview is one of the most important steps in the application process, but before we get to the interview itself, let’s answer some of the most common questions that you might have.

How long will it take until I have my interview?

By far the most frequently asked question is, how long will it take until I receive my convocation entretien d’assimilation. Unfortunately, as with most French administrative processes, there is no easy answer to this one.

Wait times between submitting your application and receiving the interview summons vary hugely depending on the préfecture through which you applied. Faster préfectures, such as Paris, sometimes issue interviews within a few months; other applicants elsewhere in the country have waited more than two years for their interview.

My own experience (through Nantes préfecture, 44) was that it took just over 8 months from the submission of my dossier before I received a demande de complément, followed by my récépissé du complétude and my convocation entretien d’assimilation 2 months later. My interview date was about 13 months after my initial submission. I’ve heard many people whose experience was much faster than that (including some through the same préfecture as me!) and some whose interview took much longer.

The important thing to note here is that all préfecture are different, and even within the same préfecture, processing times will vary from application to application and year to year. It’s worth checking whether your préfecture has published official estimated wait times on their website – some do, some don’t. It’s also worth checking the progress of other applicants through the same préfecture – there are several Facebook groups where you can read the experiences of others and share your own. This can help to give you a ballpark, but it’s still important to remember that there’s no rule as to how long it might take, so be patient.

How long will I have to prepare for my citizenship interview?

Times also vary between when you receive your convocation and the interview date itself. For example, I found out about my interview a little over 2 months before the date, which gave me ample time to revise, especially as I’d already started preparations long before that. On the other hand, some people have reported receiving their convocation just two weeks before the interview, which leaves very little time to prepare if you haven’t already started.

The moral of the story is: do not wait until you have a date for the interview to start preparing. This is a crucial step in your application, so it’s important to take it seriously and give yourself enough time to confidently memorise all of the required information. How long you need to prepare will depend on several things, including your current level of knowledge of French politics, geography, history, and culture; your level of French (less fluent speakers may need to gain confidence talking about these subjects); and how nervous you feel under pressure. More time is always better than less, and feeling over-prepared is much better than feeling under-prepared.

What happens if I can’t make the interview date?

When you are issued your convocation entretien d’assimilation, you will be given a date, time, and location (typically your local préfecture, but make sure to double-check the exact address they give you) to present yourself for your interview. If you can’t make the date, you can ask for another date and give a reason for this – however, if you do so, you must attend the second date issued “sous peine de voir votre demande de naturalisation classée sans suite” – otherwise your application will be closed without further action.

It’s therefore important to consider whether or not your reason for moving the date is truly important enough to put your application in jeopardy at such a crucial moment. To give an example, my own interview actually fell right on the date I was supposed to fly out of France for a 2-week holiday. While this wasn’t ideal, I decided it was more important to attend the interview and rebooked my flight, cutting short my holiday and losing money on the flight. I didn’t think prioritising a holiday over my nationality would look good for my dossier, and I worried that if I had a problem attending the second date, then I would really be in trouble!

On the other hand, I’ve heard from individuals who have postponed their interview without any problems for very good reasons, such as undergoing an operation that week – in this instance, the request was accompanied by a doctor’s letter explaining the individual’s recommended recovery time and was accepted without any repercussions.

There’s no easy answer to this one, but my advice would be to only request another date if you really can’t make the first one, not just because it’s an inconvenience.

Will I have a police interview or home visit?

We’ll cover this step in more detail in another article, but it’s also important to be aware that you may also have a police or gendarme interview or home visit around the time of your interview at the préfecture. Not everyone has to undergo this step – it’s more common for applications through marriage – and it seems to vary by préfecture and commune, but many applicants do report undergoing a police visit.

This might be a summons to visit your local police station and answer a few questions, or it might be that the local gendarmes pay a visit to your home. Generally, this is nothing to worry about, and it serves to check that you live at the address given. It usually happens in the two weeks before or after your interview. The police will likely ask to see your ID and ask a few questions about your integration in France, how long you’ve lived there, etc. It’s not the same as the interview at the préfecture and typically doesn’t require any preparation or revision – just answer the questions honestly and present any documents they ask for.

The interview is arguably the most important step in your citizenship application, and while you won’t only be judged on your interview, it will form a large part of whether you are successful or not. Most citizenship denials or adjournments happen at this stage, and especially in light of the new memo sent around to préfectures, it’s likely that préfectures will be taking this step even more seriously.

However, while it is important and there is a lot of preparation to undertake before the interview, it’s also not something to feared. The agents conducting the interview are generally not there to make your life difficult and they are usually very considerate of the fact that you will be nervous. Their job is to fairly and accurately assess whether you are a strong candidate for French citizenship or not.

While it’s a good idea to study for the interview with the same approach as you might an exam, it’s better to think of it as an opportunity to make your case in person and show why you’re a good candidate for French citizenship.

The interview is your opportunity to:

• Bring your dossier up-to-date and ensure that your dossier has all the required paperwork.
• Discuss your personal situation in more depth and give your personal reasons for wanting to become French.
• Prove your integration into France and your adoption of French values and customs.
• Demonstrate your knowledge of French geography, history, culture, politics, and general knowledge.

As with everything else, the interviews often vary from préfecture to préfecture and from case to case, with some reporting a casual chat and others reporting a much more in-depth interview. However, with the recent tightening of nationality application criteria, it’s likely that we will see more of the latter.

What to expect on the day

On the day of your interview, the most important thing is not to be late, so leave plenty of time for your commute and parking, making sure to account for traffic, strikes, or any other disruptions. Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes early at the préfecture (some préfecture won’t let you in if you arrive earlier than this, but it’s still better to wait outside than to be in a rush) and make sure you have a printed copy of your convocation entretien d’assimilation with you – most préfecture won’t allow you to enter without this. Once you are inside, you’ll be directed to the waiting room, where you will wait until called for your interview.

Make sure you bring all requested documents along with original copies of your passport, birth certificate, etc. You should also bring up-to-date copies of everything, especially tax returns and anything else that might be missing, especially if your interview date is a year or more after you originally filed your dossier. If anything else has changed within this period, for example, you got married, changed address, had a baby, started a new job, etc, you should also bring all documents pertaining to this as you will almost certainly need to provide them if you haven’t already.

Personally, as is my advice for all French administrative procedures, I recommend bringing everything you might need with you (including personal, work, and tax documents) and keeping them all organised and clearly labelled in a folder, so that you can easily access anything that may be asked for. Being organised like this not only shows the agent that you are prepared but there’s nothing worse than panicking trying to find something when asked!

The interview itself may last anything from 20 minutes to an hour or more, and they do seem to vary a lot depending on the applicant and the préfecture. Generally, it starts with going through your dossier and updating any documents, as well as a discussion about your personal situation. You may be asked for further information about your work, your life in France, your family and friends in France, what kind of hobbies you have and whether you are part of any clubs or associations in France.

Following that, you will typically be asked a series of questions that cover French values, politics, geography, history, and culture. Some may be simple questions concerning dates, places, events, or public figures; others may ask for your personal opinion or understanding of French laws, values, or customs. You will almost certainly be asked why you would like to be French, and it’s a good idea to prepare a thoughtful answer to this that relates to your personal situation.

Before the end of the interview, you will be asked to read and sign the Charter of Rights and Duties of French Citizens. The agent will likely talk you through the next steps and may give you an indication of estimated wait times.

(Note: the interview for applications by marriage will vary from this; this series of articles only covers applications par decrét).

We’ll cover preparing for your entretien d’assimilation in more detail in our next article.