OFII appointment and republican integration contract: timing, steps, what changes in 2026

Information checked on 25 October 2026.

Arriving in France on a long-stay visa to live with your family or to work as an employee? Once your VLS-TS has been validated online (within 3 months of arrival), the Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (OFII) calls you in to sign the republican integration contract (CIR): an interview, a French test, then 24 hours of civic training and, if your level is below A2, language training. The contract lasts one year. Since 1 January 2026, attendance is no longer enough: to obtain a first multi-year residence card, you must also pass the civic exam and prove an A2 level in French (B1 for a first resident card, the carte de résident).

This guide is part of our series on the steps to take after arrival. For the overview by visa type, see arriving in France on a long-stay visa, and for other countries, the page arriving in Europe on a long-stay visa.

Who OFII calls in, and who is exempt

The CIR applies to a non-European foreign national admitted to stay in France for the first time who wishes to settle there long term. According to service-public, it is mandatory if you obtain:

• a « vie privée et familiale » (private and family life) residence card: this is the case for the spouse of a French national or a family member arriving through family reunification (the spouse and children over 16);
• a VLS-TS « salarié » (employee);
• a card to carry out a commercial, industrial or craft activity;
• a card as a family member of a refugee, a beneficiary of subsidiary protection or a stateless person.

It does not apply to the « visiteur », « étudiant », « stagiaire », « travailleur temporaire », « talent » or « saisonnier » permits, nor to European nationals. An employee on a fixed-term contract (travailleur temporaire) or a talent card holder therefore has no CIR to sign: our guide employee visa or talent card covers those cases.

Even with a permit that is covered, you are exempt if you have completed:

• at least 3 school years in a French secondary school;
• at least one academic year of higher education in France;
• or if you are between 16 and 18 and can obtain a resident card.

This matters for former students: someone who becomes an employee after at least one year of higher education in France has no CIR to sign (see our article on changing from student to employee status). Algerian nationals fall under the 1968 Franco-Algerian agreement for their residence permit: check your situation with OFII or the préfecture.

How the appointment letter arrives

Everything starts with validating the VLS-TS, online on the ANEF website within 3 months of entering France (our guide validating your VLS-TS explains the step). Once the visa is validated, your details are passed to OFII, which then organises your appointments: a medical check if you are concerned, then the welcome session and signing of the CIR.

The texts we consulted set no deadline for this appointment: it depends on the OFII regional office you come under. Two precautions apply to everyone:

• keep your address, email and phone number up to date in your ANEF account: that is where OFII looks for you;
• if you move to another département before being called in, report it, because the regional office of your new home will receive you.

If your permit is issued directly by the préfecture (without a VLS-TS), the CIR is signed at that first admission to stay. And if you were not required to sign it, voluntary signature remains possible later, at the OFII regional office.

The medical check: who is still concerned

The OFII medical check has not disappeared, but it does not apply to everyone in the same way:

• family reunification: the family has a medical check once in France (or on site, if OFII has an office in the country of origin). Service-public is clear: the certificate issued at the end of the check is essential to obtain the residence permit;
• employee: the medical certificate issued by OFII is among the documents requested when the residence card is handed over.

For other permits, the official pages do not give a single list. The practical rule is simple: if you receive an appointment for a medical check, attend it and keep the certificate safe. If you think you are concerned and receive nothing, ask your OFII regional office.

The personal interview and the French test

On the day of the appointment, you are received by an OFII auditor. The contract has been prepared in advance and translated into a language you understand. The auditor presents it, informs you about life in France and directs you to the local services relevant to your situation.

During this appointment, you take a French knowledge test, written and oral. It is not a pass-or-fail exam: it is used to assess your level and decide whether language training is offered to you.

You sign the CIR at the end of the interview; for a minor, the legal representative signs. The préfet also signs, on behalf of the State. Bring your passport, your visa or residence permit and the appointment letter.

Civic training: 24 hours in 4 sessions

Civic training is mandatory for every signatory. It consists of 4 sessions, 24 hours in total (2 sessions and 12 hours in Mayotte). It covers five main themes: the principles and values of the Republic, the institutions, rights and duties, French history and culture, and life in society.

At the end, the training provider gives you a certificate of attendance. Keep it: your attendance under the CIR will be reviewed when you apply for a multi-year card.

Language training

If your test result is below A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), you are offered language training. Service-public states a duration of 600 hours, partly possible on an online platform. Once you accept it and it is written into your contract, it becomes mandatory.

Decree no. 2025-647 of 15 July 2025 changed this part: there is no longer an exemption from training simply for reaching A1, and OFII offers the training instead of prescribing it automatically. An exemption remains possible if you present certain diplomas or a language test less than 2 years old. If you work, this training can also go through your employer or your personal training account (CPF).

Follow-up and length of the contract

The CIR is signed for one year. The préfet can extend it by one year at most, on OFII's proposal, if you have a legitimate reason (illness, a birth or work constraints, for example).

A few months after the training begins (service-public states 6 months), OFII calls you to a follow-up interview. It reviews what you have completed and can direct you to France Travail or a mission locale if you are looking for work.

What the law of 26 January 2024 changed

Law no. 2024-42 of 26 January 2024 « pour contrôler l'immigration, améliorer l'intégration » tightened the conditions for long-term permits. Its implementing decrees (in particular decree no. 2025-647 of 15 July 2025, mostly in force since 18 July 2025) set the timetable: the new requirements apply to permit applications since 1 January 2026.

The civic exam is a multiple-choice questionnaire of 40 questions, in French, on a computer, in 45 minutes at most. You need 32 correct answers (80 %) to pass. It is taken at a centre approved by the Interior Ministry: two networks offer a search tool, the CCI Paris Île-de-France and France Éducation international. The pass certificate has no expiry date, and the exam passed for the resident card also counts for the multi-year card. The ministry publishes the study sheets and the official list of questions on formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Fraud bars you from retaking the exam for 2 years.

Your French level is proven by a TCF (France Éducation international) or a TEF (CCI Paris), valid for 2 years, or by a diploma: DELF, DALF, DCL, DUEF, DFP, a French diploma of at least level 3 (CAP, BEP, diplôme national du brevet) or an RNCP professional certification of at least level 3. Be careful, this is crucial for readers from French-speaking Africa: foreign diplomas are not accepted, even if issued in a French-speaking country. Your Senegalese or Ivorian baccalauréat does not prove your level: you need a test or a diploma from the list.

A disability or chronic illness can give the right to adapted test conditions or an exemption, on a medical certificate. Finally, every permit application now includes a signed commitment to respect the principles of the Republic.

In practice, register for the civic exam and the language test well before your first permit expires: the multi-year card application must be filed at the latest 2 months before it ends. Our guide renewing your residence permit in France sets out the timetable.

What you risk if you do not show up

Missing the appointment does not cancel your visa, but the consequences arrive at renewal time. If you do not attend the training without a legitimate reason, or do not keep your commitments, the préfet can terminate the contract, on OFII's proposal, after informing you of the intention and the reasons. According to service-public:

• you will not be able to obtain a multi-year card;
• if you hold an annual permit, its renewals are limited to 3.

For family reunification, skipping the medical check directly blocks the residence permit, for lack of a certificate. If you cannot attend the appointment, notify the regional office before the date, ask for a new appointment and keep a written record of the exchange.

Summary

Finding your compatriots

An appointment that takes its time, training to fit between two working days, a civic exam to prepare: the members of your community who arrived a year or two before you went through the same regional office. On Compatri, join for example the Senegalese in France, the Cameroonians in France, the Ivorians in France, the Moroccans in France or the Algerians in France, and find all the communities in Paris, in Lyon and in other French cities. If you have not left yet, read how to join your community before you leave.

Compatri is not a government service and does not carry out any procedure on your behalf. Only OFII, the préfecture and the official websites below are authoritative.

Official sources

• Service-public: what is the republican integration contract (CIR)? (FR)
• Service-public: multi-year card and resident card, how to take the civic exam? (FR)
• Service-public: how to prove your knowledge of French? (FR)
• Service-public: family reunification (FR)
• Service-public: employee or temporary worker residence card (FR)
• Interior Ministry: the civic exam for a residence permit (FR)
• Interior Ministry: study sheets and official civic exam questions (FR)
• Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (OFII)
• Digital administration for foreigners in France (ANEF)