If you are preparing for French naturalization from a guide, a forum thread, or a preparation book that predates 2026, there is a good chance it tells you B1 is sufficient. It is not, and has not been since 1 January 2026.
What changed
France's language requirements for residence and nationality moved up, and are now:
| Objective | Level required |
|---|---|
| First multi-year residence permit | A2 |
| Long-term / ten-year resident card | B1 |
| French naturalization | B2 |
Naturalization went from B1 to B2. That is a full CEFR band, and for most candidates it is not a few weeks of work.
The test itself also changed, twice
There are two separate reasons old TEF-for-France material misleads people.
2022: the name. CCI consolidated its fragmented French-administration testing into a single test, TEF IRN - Intégration, Résidence et Nationalité. The phrase "TEF pour la naturalisation" survives all over the internet and in older preparation books, but it is not the name of a current product. Candidates still search for it and land on advice describing a system that no longer exists.
April 2025: the test. IRN was substantially revised on 1 April 2025. Its certification ceiling rose to B2 specifically in anticipation of the 2026 rules, total testing time went to roughly 90 minutes, the number and organisation of receptive items changed, and the production tasks were modified. Treat any IRN description published before mid-2025 as unreliable.
What TEF IRN looks like now
All four components, compulsory, on the same day:
| Component | Time | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 30 min | 20 questions |
| Listening | 20 min | 20 questions |
| Writing | 30 min | 2 tasks |
| Speaking | 10 min | 2 tasks |
It currently certifies A1 through B2 only. If you need to demonstrate C1 or C2 for some other purpose, IRN is not the instrument.
How IRN certifies a level
This is where IRN differs from what most people assume, and the difference is in your favour. It does not require all four components to independently clear the CEFR floor. It applies its own rule, which tolerates one weaker test:
| Level | Rule |
|---|---|
| B2 | At least 400 in three tests and 367 in the lowest |
| B1 | At least 300 in three tests and 267 in the lowest |
| A2 | At least 200 in three tests and 167 in the lowest |
| A1 | At least 100 in each of the four tests |
So for naturalization you need 400+ in three components and no component below 367. If listening is your weak point and lands at 375 while the other three clear 400, you still certify B2.
That is a meaningfully different preparation target from "B2 in everything", and worth knowing before you decide where to spend your study time.
Two things this page cannot tell you
Whether you are exempt. Exemptions exist for particular applicants and for certain recognised diplomas. The competent prefecture or authority decides whether one applies to you. This page describes the test, not your eligibility.
Whether IRN is the right variant. TEF IRN is for French residence and nationality. If you are immigrating to Canada, you need TEF Canada instead, and the two certificates are not interchangeable. A test centre advertising "the TEF" may be offering either.
Related
- TEF IRN guide - components, timings and thresholds
- TEF score chart - every conversion table, including the IRN rules
- Which TEF should you take? - the four variants compared