How do I get permanent residence in France, and does it lead to citizenship?

France has two main long-term residence options. The EU long-term resident card (resident longue duree-UE) is granted after at least five years of continuous, legal residence, with stable income, B1 French and a pass in the civic exam; it also lets you reside in other EU member states for stays over three months. Separately, the status-based ten-year resident card (carte de resident) is granted on grounds such as marriage to a French national, family-reunification beneficiary status, or refugee status, rather than a fixed residence count.

These long-term cards do lead toward citizenship, but they are not citizenship themselves. Naturalisation by decree generally requires five years of legal habitual residence (reduced to two in certain cases), French language proficiency at the level required (B2 from 2026), a pass in the civic examination, and stable income with professional integration.

So a typical journey runs from a work or family permit, through long-term residence, to naturalisation — though you can apply for citizenship once you meet the residence and integration conditions, without necessarily holding a long-term card first. Because language and income requirements have tightened, confirm current rules on service-public.gouv.fr. ACME can help you assess where your residence history places you on the path to permanent residence or citizenship.