Do You Need to Speak French to Settle in France? The Rules for Non-EU Workers

This guide is for non-EU employees who have just arrived in France and want to understand the French language rules that apply to them. It explains how the republican integration contract works, what the language test and training involve, and what proof of French the 10-year resident card requires.

• Who the language rule covers
• The republican integration contract
• The language test and what follows
• Language training through work
• Language proof for the 10-year card
• Where to ask questions
• FAQ

Who the language rule covers

Service Public has a page on whether a non-European employee settling in France must know French. It says a non-European worker needs an autorisation de travail (work permit) to work in France. A second requirement applies to workers who intend to settle in France for the long term. They must either have a sufficient knowledge of French or commit to learning it after they arrive. This rule is in article L5221-3 of the Code du travail (Labour Code).

On this page, “European” means nationals of the EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Everyone else counts as non-European. The page does not explain what “sufficient knowledge” means in practice, so the authorities handling each file decide.

The republican integration contract

The main tool is the contrat d’intégration républicaine (CIR, republican integration contract). The French State signs it with any non-European national who has been admitted to stay in France and wishes to settle there long term, apart from certain exceptions. The page does not list those exceptions. It also does not describe everything the contract contains or how long it lasts. Service Public publishes a separate explainer on the CIR.

The contract still matters years later. According to Service Public’s page on the 10-year resident card, when the prefect assesses an applicant’s integration, they take into account whether the CIR was signed and how it was followed. This is how the newcomer stage connects to long-term residence.

The language test and what follows

As part of this process, the newcomer takes a French language test with an oral part and a written part. It is organised by the Office français de l’immigration et de l’intégration (Ofii, the French office for immigration and integration). The result decides what happens next: the person either receives language training or is exempted from it.

Service Public’s page does not state the score needed for an exemption, the level being tested, the number of training hours or any cost. Ofii confirms those details. The page lists a separate contact for questions about the language test.

French levels are described on a scale from A1 to C2. Service Public has a separate page explaining what each level means.

Language training through work

Employers also have a part to play. Under the plan de développement des compétences (skills development plan), an employer may offer an allophone employee a course aimed at level A2. An allophone is a person whose mother tongue is different from the language of the country they live in, and to qualify the employee must already be following a language training path. The word used is “may”, so the page presents this as an option open to the employer, not an obligation.

The employee can also use their compte personnel de formation (CPF, personal training account) to pay for this training. The legal basis is article L6321-1 of the Labour Code for the employer’s side and articles L6323-16 to L6323-17-6 for the CPF. The page does not say how much the CPF covers or whether the employer has to agree to the training.

Language proof for the 10-year card

The carte de résident (resident card) is valid for 10 years and can be renewed. It can be issued as a first titre de séjour (residence permit) or when a temporary or multi-year card is renewed. Service Public’s page focuses on people with family ties in France, people who have rendered services to France (such as joining the Foreign Legion) and beneficiaries of international protection. Different rules apply to Europeans, Algerians and nationals of countries that have a migration agreement with France. The page does not describe a route specifically for employees. The prefecture is the authority to ask about whether a particular worker can obtain this card, and how.

For the routes the page does describe, such as spouses of French nationals and family reunification, applicants must meet a condition of intégration républicaine (republican integration). The prefect looks in particular at four criteria:

• a commitment to respect the principles that govern the French Republic
• actual respect for those principles
• knowledge of French at level B1, for a first resident card
• a pass in the examen civique (civic exam) under the “carte de résident” category, for a first resident card

People over 65 do not have to meet the B1 and civic exam requirements. As part of this assessment, the prefect also asks the mayor of the applicant’s home town for an opinion.

The file must include proof of French at B1 level, in the form of a diploma, a test or a language certificate. It must also include the certificate of success in the civic exam and a signed copy of the commitment to respect the principles of the Republic. The page does not name specific tests or diplomas, so the prefecture decides whether a document is acceptable.

For these routes, the application is made online through the ANEF website. It must be filed no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the current residence document expires. The fee is 350 €, made up of a 50 € stamp duty and a 300 € tax, paid in timbres fiscaux (tax stamps). Applicants who entered France without a long-stay visa pay a further 300 € visa regularisation fee. Of that amount, 100 € is paid when the application is filed and is not refunded if the card is refused. A late application costs an extra 180 €, unless the delay was caused by force majeure (circumstances beyond the applicant’s control) or the applicant holds a valid visa. The card stops being valid if the holder leaves France for more than 3 consecutive years.

Where to ask questions

Allô Service Public answers general questions by phone free of charge. For employment law questions, the staff who answer belong to the ministry responsible for labour. The line is open Monday and Thursday from 08:30 to 17:30, Tuesday and Wednesday from 08:30 to 12:15, and Friday from 13:00 to 16:15. The service cannot see personal files, so it cannot say how an application is progressing.

Questions about a specific residence situation go to the prefecture or to a migration advice service. If the prefecture has not answered a resident card application after 4 months, this counts as an implicit refusal. The applicant then has 2 months to challenge it, either with the prefect or the Minister of the Interior, or before the tribunal administratif (administrative court).

FAQ

Do non-EU workers need to speak French before arriving?

Not necessarily. According to Service Public, a non-European worker who intends to settle in France long term must either have a sufficient knowledge of French or commit to learning it after arriving. The page does not define “sufficient”, so the authorities handling the file decide.

What happens after the Ofii language test?

The test has an oral part and a written part, and Ofii organises it. Depending on the result, the person either receives language training or is exempted from it. The Service Public page does not give the score needed or the length of the training, so Ofii is the body that confirms those details.

Can an employer pay for French lessons?

An employer may offer an allophone employee who is following a language training path a course aimed at level A2, under the skills development plan. The page presents this as an option, not a duty. The employee can also use their personal training account (CPF) for this training.

What level of French is needed for the 10-year resident card?

For the routes Service Public describes, a first resident card requires French at level B1 and a pass in the civic exam under the “carte de résident” category. Neither requirement applies to people over 65. Proof of B1 can be a diploma, a test or a language certificate, and the prefecture decides whether a document is acceptable.

Sources: service-public.fr · service-public.fr

Last verified: 20 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the prefecture of your département, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (avocat).