English-Speaking France Citizenship Lawyers

The guidance of an experienced France citizenship immigration lawyer can help remove barriers on the journey to becoming a French citizen.

Lexidy France will guide you through the France citizenship process step-by-step so that you never get lost in translation.

How can a France citizenship lawyer help me become a French citizen?

Deciding to become a French citizen is a life-changing milestone. The France citizenship application process can be a complex and lengthy journey. That’s where a highly skilled immigration lawyer experienced in French nationality law comes in handy. Here’s how a France citizenship lawyer can help with becoming a French citizen:

Multilingual Support: Whether you speak English, French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, we’ve got you covered.

Document Checklist: Remove the guesswork. Our team will provide you with a list of all the necessary documents for your application.

Document Review: We’ll review your documents and ensure all your paperwork meets the strict requirements set by France’s Immigration officials.

Fast-track appointments: Hate waiting? Our legal team in France can speed up the procedure to obtain an appointment for you

Customized Guidance: Immigration rules can vary. Our team can contact the local Consulates and Immigration Offices in France to understand the unique requirements of your situation.

Citizenship Requirements for France

There are various ways to qualify for French citizenship, including through residency, marriage, and descent.

You’ll first need to legally reside in France for several years to meet the residency requirements. Once you meet the requirements, you can apply for naturalization through the local prefecture. The applicant can qualify for France citizenship through the following:

French Citizenship by Descent or by Ancestry

France recognizes the principle of jus sanguinis, meaning that individuals born to one or more French parents can apply for citizenship.

French Citizenship through Residence

If you have legally resided in France for at least 5 years, you can be eligible to apply for French citizenship through Residence.

This approach to citizenship requires a person to have legally resided in France for at least 5 years.[PC1]

French Citizenship through Marriage

If you have been married to a French citizen for at least 4 years, you can apply for French citizenship through marriage at a French consulate.

French Citizenship by being an ascendent of a French National

If you are over 65 years old, have legally resided in France for at least 25 years, and are either the parent or another ascending direct from a French citizen, you can apply for the acquisition of French citizenship.

French Citizenship by birth

If a child was born in France by parents of foreign nationality, has resided in France since the age of 8, and is residing in France at the moment of the application, his/her parents can apply for the child’s French nationality by age 13.

Reintegration into French citizenship by declaration

If you have lost your French citizenship because you married a foreigner or because you reside abroad, you can apply for reintegration into French citizenship by declaration.

Find your Immigration Lawyer for French Citizenship

Lexidy France is formed by qualified legal experts who have been trained in the field of immigration law. We work on these requests every day and it’s our passion. For us, Lexidy France is a way of life and what excites us the most is to be able to deliver the happiness and satisfaction of a successful immigration process. We want to help you achieve your goals and dreams.

French services are provided in the context of a collaboration with Lexidy France.

Eleonore Tavares — Head of Lexidy France
Eléonore Tavares de Pinho

Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour
Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour

Sophie — Immigration Lawyer
Sophia Lassegue

Head of Lexidy France

Eléonore Tavares de Pinho

Born in Senegal to Belgian-Portuguese parents and having lived for several years in various countries, Eléonore quickly became passionate about Immigration legislation. She graduated from the University of la Sorbonne and the University of Florence and obtained a five-year dual degree in Italian and French Law. As an attorney, she chose to work in Immigration Law in order to have real action on the field and help people fulfill their projects. Deeply convinced that digital technologies can make law and legal services simpler and impact people’s lives in a positive way, Eléonore will always be looking for the most efficient way to meet your needs.

Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour

Victoire is born and raised French, despite family from all around the world.
She graduated her Masters degree in international law and human rights law,
and believes she did not fall into Immigration law by accident. She is passionate
about helping others transform their dream to move to France into a project,
either professional or familial. She loves her crazy Paris city and the French
countryside, discovering new cultures, and showing off good old France.
Speaking: French and English.

Legal Trainee

Nour Rachidy

She was born and raised in France but is a dual national. From a young age she knew she wanted to become a lawyer. Nour studied private law in French university during my bachelor. Later she inroad in a Master Degree in which Nour studied International and European litigation law. She ended her master in Greece studying in an LLM of international Law. Growing up she was always facing various legal systems, procedure that immigrant go through in order to visit family, work, study. Nous is very comfortable talking and helping people legally or not in different language to make them feel helped efficiently. Speaking: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic.

Legal Counsel

Julio Vero

Born in Brazil, where I started my Law studies, changing to Law School in Portugal and got my degree from University of Porto in 2021. I got a Master’s in European Law in Paris, at the University Paris 12. I have been having an enriching experience during my traineeship at Lexidy, where I get to complete with practical skills the knowledge I have acquired during these many years of legal studies. What I like to do the most is reading and cooking. I am fluent in Portuguese, French and English, and I am currently learning German.

Legal Trainee

Hector Valero

Born in Valencia, Spain, he started a Double Degree in French and Spanish Law between the Universitat de Valencia and the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole. Along with this degree formation, he specialized in European and International Law in for two years, completing it with a Master Thesis about the Evolution of the concept of States Boarders in the light of Internet. During my Master’s degree, Hector was able to discover Immigration law through the lens of European and French Law. Throughout the internship at Legal Service at the European Parliament, he learned the practical side of European and Public International Law from the lens of creation and conclusion of International Agreements. Finally, his experience at M&B Avocats helped to develop the profile as a French and Spanish Law Jurist, knowing the insights and particular traits of both legal systems. Speaks: English, Spanish, French.

Immigration Lawyer

Sophia Lassegue

Sophia was born in Paris, France. She travelled the world, studied law and worked in three different countries: France, Argentina and Morocco. She passed the Paris Bar at the Faculty of Law of la Sorbonne. Sophia has experience in international, civil as well as immigration law, and joined Lexidy France in January 2024. She is fully dedicated to helping foreign clients establish themselves and their businesses in France, assisting them in either French, English or Spanish.

Legal Trainee

Pauline Flaviano

Pauline Flaviano is half-french half-hongkongese, and lived in both places. Her European law studies also allowed her to live in Spain for a year. Her European studies focus on the European asylum and immigration policies. Having lived in different countries and speaking multiple languages, she joined the Paris immigration team for her end-of-studies internship. Speaks: French, English, Cantonese.

Lawyer

Eva Novoa Andino

Eva is originally from El Salvador but has lived in France and Spain. She obtained a double degree in French and Spanish Law from the Université Toulouse Capitole I and Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, specializing in International & European Law, reflecting her keen interest in the intersection of legal systems across borders. She has obtained her Master’s in Access to the Legal Profession and is registered at the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB). Drawing from her diverse experiences in an international setting, Eva has cultivated a profound interest in international and immigration law. She speaks Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese and is currently learning Catalan. Eva’s extensive international exposure, coupled with her linguistic proficiency, positions her as a valuable asset for clients seeking comprehensive legal expertise in a global context.

:eva.novoa@lexidy.com

Tax Lawyer

Sandra Vannier

Sandra is half-French and half-Lebanese. She is born and raised French and travels around the world to visit her family. Sandra has known since she was a teenager that she wanted to become a lawyer. Passionate about numbers, she naturally turned to tax and corporate law and graduated in these subjects from Assas University and INSEEC business school. Sandra has been practicing as a lawyer since December 2015. She loves assisting people and companies who come to France to facilitate their tax matters. She also assists entrepreneurs, shareholders and companies to set up or develop their business in France. Her approach is to provide personalised legal advice adapted to the client’s needs, because every project is unique. Speaks: French and English.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can French citizens have multiple nationalities?

Yes, in France it is possible to have dual citizenship or even three citizenships. Furthermore, French law does not require those acquiring French citizenship to renounce their original citizenship.

Do I need to change my last name and first name when becoming French citizen?

When submitting the application for French citizenship, you can choose to apply for the francization of your last and/or first name.

What does it mean to reside legally in France?

In some cases, in order to apply for French citizenship, you must prove to have lived regularly and legally in France for a certain number of years. This means that you must be holding a valid residence permit at the time of the submission of the application. There are exemptions for citizens of a country wthin the European Economic Area or a Swiss citizen.

My application for French citizenship was refused, what can I do?

If your registration as a French national has been refused, it may be because one of the requirements was not met. In this case, you have six months to challenge the refusal in court. However the process differs if application was by nautralisation or delaring nationality. Naturalisation involves appealing to the Ministry of Interior within two months of a negative decision and then waiting up to four months for a reply. For declaring nationality, there is no time limit for the appeal but both types of applications require expert legal support.

What clients say about us

How Can We help you?

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay ahead of the changes that matter to you