For this purpose, foreigners, including Moldovan citizens, will have to pass the obligatory Examen civique – a civic examination on the knowledge of the basics of French society and state values. The aim will be to confirm the understanding of the principles of the Republic, the rights and duties of the inhabitants of France, as well as key social norms.
However, it will be taken only by those categories of applicants for whom the state considers integration into French society a key condition for legal stay or change of status. These are those who apply for: multi-year residence permits for 2 to 4 years (on the basis of CDI employment contract, family reunification, entrepreneurial activity, etc.); 10-year French residence card; acquisition of French citizenship by naturalization.
It will not be possible to apply for the corresponding migration status without successfully passing the Examen civique.
The exam is taken before the first application for a multi-year residence permit (2-4 years). The results of the exam are attached to the application package. For the renewal of an already valid multi-year permit, the new requirements do not apply.
To apply for a 10-year residence card or citizenship, the examination is a mandatory step, regardless of the grounds of residence.
The country’s authorities have already approved a single official list of questions for the citizenship exam. A special state portal Formation Civique has been launched for preparation, and questions for self-preparation have been published in the public domain. They cover the following topics: the basic values of the French Republic (liberty, equality, fraternity, secularism); the rights and duties of foreigners and residents in France; the principles of the functioning of the state and its institutions; the social and civil norms accepted in French society; the basics of everyday life in France, including education, work and the social system.
The questions on the lists differ depending on the type of status for which the applicant is applying. Separate lists have been approved for multi-year residence permits of 2-4 years and for the 10-year residence card.
The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimated in 2021 that there were between 100,000 and 160,000 Moldovan citizens living in France, placing France third on the list of countries with the largest Moldovan diaspora after Russia and Italy.
