Frenchifying Your First Name When You Naturalize: How to Request It and When the Decree Reflects It

First name Frenchification in naturalisation: the short answer

Frenchifying your first name is optional: applicants request it when they submit their naturalisation application

What is a Frenchified first name, and who can request one?

A Frenchified first name is a French form of your original first name, or another first name that you choose instead. For example, you can adopt the French equivalent of a first name, or choose a different one.

This step is optional. You are free to keep your original first name, with no impact on how your application is assessed.

Any applicant for naturalisation by decree can make this request. It is an option provided for by law.

Two levels can then be distinguished:

• What the law provides: the option to request Frenchification.
• What falls within the discretion of the administration: the review of your choice of first name during the processing of your application.

A request therefore does not lead to automatic approval.

How do you request the Frenchification of your first name?

The Frenchification request is made at the same time as the naturalisation application, in the section of the form provided for that purpose. There is no separate procedure to carry out before or afterwards.

The content of the form and the list of supporting documents may change. Before filling in anything, check the current guidance notice with your prefecture or the submission platform used for your application. It is the authoritative source, not an informational article.

The role of the SDANF

The SDANF is the sub-directorate for access to French nationality (sous-direction de l'accès à la nationalité française), part of the Ministry of the Interior. It processes applications for naturalisation by decree. Your choice of first name is reviewed within this process, along with the rest of your application.

In practice:

• you state your wish when submitting your application;
• the application is processed;
• the administration assesses the request.

No favourable outcome is guaranteed. The first name you propose may or may not be accepted.

AlertJO is not affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior, the SDANF, the prefectures or Légifrance. For any question about your application, contact them directly.

Steps to follow to include your choice in your application

Here is a practical step-by-step guide. It is an aid from AlertJO, not an instruction from the administration: only the current guidance notice is authoritative.

1. Choose the first name you want. Decide whether you want a French form of your first name or a different first name. Write it exactly as you want it to appear.
2. Re-read the relevant section of the form. Find the section on first names and read the accompanying instructions before filling it in.
3. Check consistency with your civil status documents. Compare the spelling and order of your first names with your birth certificate and your other civil status documents.
4. Keep a copy of your application. Keep the completed form and supporting documents, on paper or as a file.
5. Report any change of mind. If you change your mind, inform the administration through the channels indicated in the notice or by the prefecture.

These steps do not ensure a favourable outcome.

When does the naturalisation decree take Frenchification into account?

If Frenchification is granted, it appears in the naturalisation decree itself. It is not notified by a separate act: a single decision covers both the naturalisation and the first name chosen.

A decision made before signature

The choice is made during processing, that is, while the administration is reviewing the application. This decision is made before the decree is signed. Once the decree is published in the Journal Officiel (JORF), its content can no longer be disputed: AlertJO never modifies it and has no way of intervening.

What the law says, and what is observed in practice

• Established by law: Frenchification is an option. It is reviewed along with the application and appears in the decree only if it has been granted.
• Practical observation: if the first name is not Frenchified in the decree, it generally means that the request was not accepted or was not made. This is only a common reading, not a written rule.

No publication date can be promised. The time between processing and publication varies, and any timeframe you come across remains an estimate.

AlertJO is not affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior, the SDANF, the prefectures or Légifrance. The service does not name any naturalised person.

Tracking publication with the REZE number: free search and email alert

Once your application reaches the publication stage, the REZE number serves as your reference point.

The REZE number is the ministerial number assigned to your application. Its format: the year, a series letter, then six digits, for example 2026X 012345. The letter corresponds to a processing series.

The naturalisation decree is published in the JORF, the Journal Officiel de la République française (the French official gazette). The DILA (Direction de l'information légale et administrative) publishes it on Légifrance.

At AlertJO, it works simply:

• The free search by REZE number is carried out in the Journal Officiel's public data.
• The email alert is a one-time payment: it notifies you when the number appears.
• The content of the decrees is never modified.

If your Frenchification has been granted, it appears in the decree itself. You can check it by reading the publication.

Any waiting time mentioned here is an estimate, not official information. No publication date is promised.

AlertJO is not affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior, the SDANF, the prefectures or Légifrance.

What if the first name doesn't appear Frenchified in the decree?

If your first name does not appear Frenchified, start by re-reading the entry in the naturalisation decree published in the Journal Officiel. Check that Frenchification is actually mentioned in the text, as it is included only if it has been granted.

After that, there are two options:

• Contact the prefecture or the SDANF (sous-direction de l'accès à la nationalité française, the sub-directorate for access to French nationality) to understand what was decided during processing.
• Look into changing your first name for a legitimate reason, which can then be requested from the civil registry office at the town hall.

The conditions in force vary: check them with these services. No outcome is guaranteed, and this is not legal advice.

The CNF (certificat de nationalité française, or certificate of French nationality) can then attest to your nationality.

Sources, limits of the information and deletion of your data

Decrees come from the Journal Officiel (JORF), published by the DILA on Légifrance. This is public data, which we do not modify. Waiting times remain estimates.

AlertJO is not affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior, the SDANF, the prefectures or Légifrance. We do not display the name of any naturalised person. You can delete your data at any time (GDPR).