Documents After Your Naturalization Decree: The List to Prepare Right Now

Why you should prepare your documents before the decree is published

You have received a ministerial number, also called a REZE number. It follows the format year, series letter, six digits, for example 2026X 012345. It identifies your file while it is being processed by the SDANF, the sub-directorate for access to French nationality (sous-direction de l'accès à la nationalité française).

All that remains is to wait for your decree to be published in the JORF, the Journal Officiel de la République française (the French official gazette). No one can give you a date.

This waiting period can be put to good use. Preparing your documents for after your naturalisation decree now means you won't have to rush once it is published.

What the publication of the naturalisation decree actually changes

The publication of a naturalisation decree in the Journal Officiel is the point from which you can begin your administrative procedures. Before that, the decree has not been published: you have nothing to present.

This change doesn't get dealt with all at once. Each organisation (prefecture, town hall, health insurance fund, employer) applies its own rules. It decides which documents it requires and when it can process your request.

The text of the decree remains as published. We do not reword it. To find out its exact effects in your situation, read it at the public source, then contact each organisation concerned directly.

The documents to gather first

Here are the documents to have on hand before publication. The list is deliberately short.

• Your REZE number, in the format 2026X 012345, as it appears on your letters.
• An ID document and your current residence permit, in paper form and as a digital copy.
• Your birth certificate, in the most recent version you have.
• Proof of address that is up to date.
• The publication reference of the decree, as soon as it exists, to be found in the Journal Officiel (JORF) or on Légifrance.

What comes from public sources: the publication itself and its reference. Both can be viewed in the Journal Officiel, published by the DILA (Direction de l'information légale et administrative, the French legal and administrative information directorate), and on Légifrance.

What comes from practical observation: the other documents. Many applicants prepare them, but each organisation sets its own list. For your procedures, always check it with the organisation itself.

Identity and civil status documents: what to check

Start by checking your identity and civil status documents (all the records that establish your identity and parentage). These are the documents most often requested:

• Valid residence permit: check its expiry date.
• Proof of identity: passport or ID document from your country of origin.
• Birth certificate: check that the spelling of names and dates is identical everywhere.
• Proof of address: recent, in your name.

This is a practical observation, not a common rule. Each organisation sets its own list. Check its source before submitting an application.

Proof of publication: finding and keeping the decree reference

Once the decree is published, note its publication reference in the Journal Officiel: the date of publication and the number of the text. Also keep your ministerial number (REZE), for example 2026X 012345.

The text can be viewed on Légifrance, the website of the DILA (Direction de l'information légale et administrative). It is never altered: always refer back to this public source.

The certificate of French nationality (certificat de nationalité française, CNF) is a different document. Some organisations may ask for it, but it is not a general requirement. Check with each one.

The procedures to start depending on your situation

Once the decree is published, your procedures depend on your situation. Here are the main ones, to be adapted to your case:

• National identity card and passport: ask your prefecture or town hall for the list of documents required.
• Electoral rolls: the registration request is made at your town hall.
• Employer: inform them if your administrative situation concerns them.
• Social security bodies and tax: report your change in status to your health insurance fund, your family allowance fund and the tax authorities, if necessary.

Each organisation sets its own required documents and its own timeframes. No timeframe can be guaranteed. Always check the source of the organisation concerned before submitting an application.

Telling published information from estimates

Only one thing is published: the decree, in the Journal Officiel. It is the public reference data, and we do not alter it.

Everything else is an estimate or a practical observation. This applies to your processing series, meaning the group in which the SDANF examines a file, and to the likely time of publication.

These markers help you get organised, but they are not official information. No date can be promised. Always check the public source before acting.

Tracking publication with AlertJO: free search and email alert

AlertJO offers simple tracking of your REZE number.

• Free search: enter your ministerial number (for example 2026X 012345) to check whether it appears in the published data.
• Email alert: with a one-time payment, you are notified when the corresponding publication is detected. No date is promised.

The data comes from public sources. No name of any naturalised person is collected or displayed. You can delete your data at any time (GDPR).

Sources, limits and independence of AlertJO

AlertJO is an independent service. It is not affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior, the SDANF, the prefectures or Légifrance.

Our public data comes from the Journal Officiel and the DILA (Direction de l'information légale et administrative), via Légifrance. The content of the decrees is never altered.

We do not promise any publication date.