"Naturalisation file accepted on the first try" — Fatima's story

Fatima has lived in Courbevoie since 2015. Born in Rabat, she married Julien, a French engineer, at the end of 2018. Here she recounts the naturalisation file she submitted in early 2024, which culminated in a naturalisation decree published in the Official Journal in March 2025 — a 14-month procedure, without a single rejection or request for additional documents. First names have been changed at her request; the steps, dates and feelings described are authentic.

The context: marriage, arrival, the wish to naturalise

"Julien and I met in Rabat in 2017 — he was working on a project there for six months. We got married in 2018, first at the Rabat town hall, then in a civil ceremony at the Courbevoie town hall. As soon as I arrived in France in January 2019, I obtained my 'private and family life' residence permit as the spouse of a French national. I renewed it every year, then obtained the 10-year resident card in January 2024."

Fatima could have applied for French nationality by declaration as early as the 4th year of marriage (Article 21-2 of the Civil Code: 4 years of shared life, or 5 years if unable to prove 3 years of lawful residence in France). She preferred to wait, to feel "safe" about proof of shared life and to let her career settle.

"The trigger was when Julien was transferred to Madrid for two years in 2024. I wanted to go with him — but I absolutely did not want to lose my rights in France, I never wanted to queue at 4am outside the prefecture again. Nationality was the guarantee that I would never have to worry about it again."

The documents obtained in Morocco

"My biggest job was preparing the Moroccan documents. My mother in Rabat helped me a great deal. Here is what I needed, recent and translated:"

• Full copy of my Moroccan birth certificate, issued by the Hassan district in Rabat, less than 3 months old at the time of submission.
• Apostille from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rabat (Morocco has been a signatory to the Hague Convention since August 2016).
• Certified translation by a translator registered with the Versailles Court of Appeal — I chose Transdoc on a neighbour's recommendation.
• Moroccan criminal record extract ("bulletin n° 3"), apostilled and translated.
• Moroccan marriage certificate + apostille + translation (even though it had been transcribed in France, the prefecture wanted the original).

"I did it all in three weeks. My mother filed the requests in Rabat, the apostilles arrived in 10 days, and the Transdoc translations in 48h. It cost €280 in total for translations — I took the family pack, which covers several documents."

The French documents in the file

"On the French side, I needed: a valid resident card, proof of address for the past 4 years, tax notices for 3 years, payslips for 3 years, the transcribed French marriage certificate, and a statement of shared life (which we wrote ourselves on plain paper, with joint bills, car insurance in both names, a joint bank account, family photos)."

The appointment at the Hauts-de-Seine prefecture

"You submit through the interdepartmental naturalisation platform in Nanterre. It used to require going in person; now it's 100% online via the démarches-simplifiées / ANEF website. I scanned each document as a colour PDF, 300 dpi, with a clear file name: '01-Birth-certificate-apostille-translation.pdf', '02-Moroccan-criminal-record.pdf', etc."

"The online submission was done in February 2024. Three weeks later, I received an email from the prefecture saying the file was 'complete' and moving to review. Best email of the whole process."

The background check

"In June 2024, someone rang our doorbell. A plainclothes police officer, very polite, showed his ID. He wanted to see me and talk to Julien. He stayed for an hour."

"He asked me about my background: how I arrived in France, my studies, my successive jobs. He also asked Julien how we met, how we manage day-to-day life, where we go on holiday. No trick questions, no pressure — but I had mentally rehearsed my story so as not to stumble."

"The background check, technically, is an administrative inquiry (Decree No. 93-1362 of 30 December 1993). The officer fills out a questionnaire that assesses, among other things, assimilation, loyalty, and good fiscal and criminal standing."

The final decision and the ceremony

"January 2025, eleven months after submission: favourable opinion from the prefecture. Forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior for the decree to be signed. I waited another two months. March 2025: my name appeared in the Official Journal. I cried in front of my screen."

"The citizenship welcome ceremony took place on 17 June 2025, at the Nanterre prefecture. There were 142 of us newly French that day, from about forty different countries. The prefect handed each of us our decree and a booklet. We sang the Marseillaise. My mother had come specially from Rabat, in tears too."

Fatima's 5 tips for those preparing their file

1. Get your foreign documents first

"That's always the longest and most unpredictable part. Request the recent documents, apostilles, and translations before you even start filling out the online form. I've seen people get stuck because they were waiting on a document from Morocco that was dragging on."

2. Don't skimp on scan quality

"My husband spent half a day scanning everything cleanly at 300 dpi in colour, cropping each page and naming the files logically. That's what made the difference, in my view. A poorly presented file, even a complete one, will generate back-and-forth."

3. Prepare your narrative before the interview

"When the officer arrives, they want to feel that you know your own story. Dates, places, names — everything must be consistent with your file. You don't need to memorise it like a school lesson, but you need to be at ease. Write your key dates on a sheet of paper before the day."

4. Always pay your taxes on time

"A late payment, an unpaid bill, even a parking fine: it shows up in the background check. Make sure you have a spotless tax and criminal record for at least the 5 years before submission."

5. Never lie, not even by omission

"My cousin hid an earlier divorce, thinking it would simplify his file. Result: rejection, and a 2-year ban on reapplying for a false declaration. The administration always ends up checking — it has access to international registers via the SCIE."

"Today I live in Madrid with Julien, but I come back to Paris every month to see my family in France and exercise my right to vote. Having both nationalities — Moroccan and French — is a richness I never want to give up."