How French citizenship by descent works
The eligibility rules for French citizenship by descent, in plain English — who may qualify, what disqualifies, and the legal regimes over time, each cited to its primary statute.
Who may qualify
A qualifying path — via the certificate route
Requirements
ALL of the following
the qualifying ancestor must have held french citizenship at the moment the applicant was born, passing it down the line by descent.
- required citizenship:
- french
the qualifying ancestor must not have naturalized as a citizen of another country before the applicant was born.
Every intermediate ancestor between the applicant and the qualifying ancestor must have still held citizenship when they passed it to the next person down the line (the chain must be unbroken), where a break can be caused by: naturalization.
- chain-breaking events:
- naturalization
the applicant has a recorded desuetude bar not triggered such that triggered = false.
- triggered:
- false
Primary sources
- § Code civil, Art. 18 (French nationality by filiation — parent French at birth)
- § Code civil, Art. 30-3 (désuétude — 50yr foreign residency AND absence of possession d'état by applicant AND transmitting parent)
- § Cour de cassation, 13 June 2019 (Art. 30-3 = irrefragable presumption of nationality loss)
- § Conseil constitutionnel QPC 2025-1130/1131/1132/1133 (11 April 2025 — Art. 30-3 upheld; bar cannot apply to a minor child if not applied to the parent)
- § Service-Public.gouv.fr — Certificat de nationalité française (CNF)
A qualifying path — via the territorial birth route
Date keying
- In force from 2006-07-01 onward — keyed on the assessment date, not on anyone's birth.
Requirements
ALL of the following
the applicant has a recorded birth place such that country = france.
- country:
- france
the qualifying ancestor has a recorded birth place such that country = france.
- country:
- france
Must NOT be true
the applicant has a qualifying nationality repudiated (repudiated). If this fact is absent, the rule treats it as not applying (rather than asking for more information).
- repudiated:
- true
Primary sources
- § Code civil, Art. 19-3 (double droit du sol — child born in France whose parent was also born in France; in force 2006-07-01 via Ordinance 2005-759)
- § Code civil, Art. 19-4 — a person who acquired French nationality by double droit du sol may REPUDIATE it ('dans les six mois précédant sa majorité et dans les douze mois la suivant' — within the SIX months before majority and the TWELVE months after; 2026-06 audit corrected the inverted window); a repudiated applicant is not French [FR-07]
- § Service-Public.gouv.fr — CNF (double droit du sol: child born in France + at least one parent born in France)
A qualifying path — via the declaration route
Requirements
ALL of the following
the applicant has a qualifying desuetude bar not triggered (triggered).
- triggered:
- true
the applicant has a qualifying liens manifestes with france (has ties).
- has ties:
- true
Primary sources
- § Code civil, Art. 21-14 (recovery by declaration — liens manifestes — after Art. 30-3 désuétude bar)
Cases that need individual review
Needs individual review
Requirements
the qualifying ancestor has a qualifying ancestor lost nationality gender based pre 1973 (lost).
- lost:
- true
Primary sources
- § Conseil constitutionnel, décision n° 2013-360 QPC, 9 janvier 2014 (perte de nationalité par mariage/naturalisation — inconstitutionnel; fenêtre 1er juin 1951 – 9 janvier 1973; les descendants peuvent s'en prévaloir)
- § Conseil constitutionnel, décision n° 2025-1135 QPC, 25 avril 2025 (même distinction de genre — inconstitutionnelle; fenêtre 20 octobre 1945 – 1er juin 1951; la QPC elle-même ne peut être invoquée que par les femmes concernées, MAIS leurs DESCENDANTS PEUVENT se prévaloir des décisions reconnaissant la nationalité française de ces femmes — 2026-06 audit: correction d'une formulation antérieure trop absolue)
- § Code civil, Art. 21-14 (déclaration de nationalité — liens manifestes — route de recouvrement)
Needs individual review
Requirements
the qualifying ancestor has a qualifying ancestor denied nationality maternal 1906 1924 (denied). If this fact is absent, the rule treats it as not applying (rather than asking for more information).
- denied:
- true
Primary sources
- § Conseil constitutionnel, décision n° 2018-737 QPC, 5 octobre 2018 — 'en France' in Art. 1(3°) of the Loi du 10 août 1927 unconstitutional as applied to LEGITIMATE children born abroad to a French mother (sole French parent) between 16 Aug 1906 and 21 Oct 1924; descendants may invoke recognition (https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2018/2018737QPC.htm)
- § Loi du 10 août 1927 sur la nationalité, Art. 1(3°) (legitimate child of a French mother + foreign father = French only if born 'en France' — the restriction declared unconstitutional)
- § Temporal limit: invocable only for cases introduced at/after 5 October 2018 and not definitively judged at that date — cannot revive claims finally rejected before then
- § Tribunal judiciaire de Paris — sole first-instance jurisdiction for nationality disputes (applicants born/residing abroad); a court-path proceeding, not an administrative/consular declaration
See how these rules apply to your family
The free eligibility check walks your own lineage through these rules — no account, no card, about two minutes.
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