Retirees with foreign pension no longer eligible for French citizenship, says Interior Ministry

Local France

14 hours ago

Following several recent reports from retirees who were denied French citizenship on the basis that their foreign pensions did not meet the requirements to have French income, The Local has been urgently seeking clarity from the Interior Ministry.
On Wednesday a ministry spokesperson confirmed that the rules have indeed changed and applicants, including retirees, with "income primarily coming from abroad" no longer qualify for French nationality based on residency (
décret
).
The spokesperson wrote: "There was previously a measure of goodwill for people over the age of 65 whose income came mainly from abroad that allowed foreigners to obtain French nationality.
"The May 2025
circulaire
(memo) removes this tolerance, specifying that, with only a few exceptions, applications from applicants whose income primarily comes from abroad will be refused.
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"It does not matter whether the applicant is retired or still working."
The ministry's statement echoes the
recent response
of the Deux-Sèvres préfecture, which stated that the "rules changed" after May 2nd, when the
circulaire
was sent out.
Since May, The Local has received several reports from retirees being denied French nationality, despite meeting all other requirements, such as language level and minimum time spent living in France.
In some cases, retirees had demonstrated strong community ties over decades of life in France, but they were still denied on the basis that they did not have sufficient French income.
Crucially, these changes are being applied to people who made their applications months or sometimes years ago. This is contrary to full legal changes - such as the revised standards for French language levels - which can
only be applied to new applications
.
READ MORE:
'Doesn't seem fair' - British pensioners speak out over apparent change to French citizenship rules
Although it has always been the case that people applying for citizenship through residency must show French income, previously préfectures had made exceptions for people who had retired to France, looking instead at the overall picture of whether the "centre of their economic interests" is in France - for example they had bought a home here.
There are numerous examples of retirees successfully gaining citizenship prior to 2025, and the Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed that préfectures had previously been able to apply a 'relaxation' of the requirements when it came to retirees.
Will there be any exceptions?
The spokesperson specified that there would be "an exception for retirement pensions drawn from an activity carried out in an international organisation." For instance, a person who worked for the United Nations might qualify for this exemption.
She also noted that the interior ministry does not have a set list of exemptions, and each application is still considered based on its own merits.
"This will be at the discretion of the administration, the person examining the application, or the préfet," the spokesperson clarified to The Local.
"If a person shows they are very engaged in the community, perhaps there could be an exception," she added.
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Each application is still decided on its own merits, and previously some préfectures have proved stricter than others when it comes to applying the letter of the law.
What did the
circulaire
say exactly?
A
circulaire
is a memo sent out by a government minister - it cannot change the law, but it can offer 'clarification' for how préfecture staff ought to interpret it when processing citizenship applications.
In the third section of the
circulaire
- titled 'the autonomy of the applicant' - Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau instructed staff on what to consider regarding
l'insertion professionnelle
(professional integration) and
le niveau et l'origine des revenues
(the amount and origin of income).
Retailleau wrote: "You will also, with some exceptions, reject applicants whose income comes mainly from abroad, as this shows they have not completely transferred the centre of their interests to France."
Retailleau did not reference any exceptions for retirees, though he did remind préfecture employees not to reject applications with 'insufficient income' if the applicant is ill or has a disability.
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The interior minister also explained that this requirement is to demonstrate 'integration' to France and a long-term commitment to the country.
He also wrote: "The applicant's autonomy must be based on proven and sustainable professional integration that provides them with stable and sufficient resources.
"This not only demonstrates the stability of their settlement in France, but is also an essential element of their integration into the national community."
Is there any hope for a change in the future?
Several of the retirees who told The Local they were rejected have appealed, which means they may still have a chance of gaining nationality, depending on the interpretation of the administrative court of Nantes.
There is also a possibility that a future interior minister could send out a
circulaire
changing this approach, or that complaints making their way through the courts could force the ministry to change its stance toward retirees.
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