New Citizen’s Handbook for the Assimilation Interview in Naturalization by Decree

The new citizen’s handbook for the assimilation interview came into force following a decree dated 3/7/2026. This article is a short focus on this new version and what it means for those applying for naturalization by decree.

A brief foreword to clarify that the assimilation interview only concerns people applying for naturalization by decree, and not those applying by declaration, such as spouses of French nationals, for example. The latter will not need to learn the citizen’s handbook.

The citizen’s handbook had not been revised since 2016, that is, 10 years. The new citizen’s handbook now runs to 83 pages, compared with 23 for the previous one. There is clearly much more to know, and what used to be an interview now looks much more like an exam. This is not very consistent, given that the civic exam introduced on 1/1/2026 is itself already an exam.

Many elements from the previous version are still found in it, which makes sense (French values, history, and culture have not changed in the meantime). Secularism (laïcité), which was already present in the 2016 version, now takes up 3 full pages. The section on fundamental rights has also been expanded. The section of the handbook dealing with history and culture has been thoroughly reworked and now occupies a larger part.

Finally, a section devoted to “daily life” appears in the new citizen’s handbook. It is broken down into 3 sub-sections:

• daily life;
• working in France;
• family life.

This is a brand-new section that did not exist in the previous version. One senses the State’s intention to restore a kind of “living together” (vivre ensemble). What is curious is that, in my view, people applying for naturalization by decree are very often those who best respect this notion of living together, unlike those who respect it less and who are themselves French by attribution (i.e., by birth).

It isn’t stated in so many words, but it is clearly what the informed observer will take away from it. The implication is that foreigners need to assimilate this notion. Yet in most cases, they are far more mindful of the rules than others. This once again reflects a tendency to stigmatize foreigners, since, as always, this is a category of people who have fewer means to defend themselves than citizens who can vote in elections.

Overall, while it is entirely reasonable to design an assimilation interview for those becoming French by decree, this new citizen’s handbook brings a significant change. Previously, the citizen’s handbook served an informational purpose, whereas the new version clearly leans toward being a study requirement.

This seems inconsistent with the addition of the civic exam, which already serves that purpose.

The naturalization-by-decree procedure, which was already very unfavorable, has thus just become even more difficult, since for some it will be harder to learn this new citizen’s handbook than the old one. It is worth recalling that when French nationals by attribution are tested on these questions, the results are very often poor, with many mistakes. On top of that, the gap with those who acquire French nationality by declaration becomes even wider, since the latter have no obligation whatsoever to sit the assimilation interview.

To learn more about the author, discover the biography of Alexandre Gillioen, immigration lawyer in Lyon