Changes to the TEF IRN 2025 for the new visa, residency, and French citizenship criteria for 2026: everything you need to know to prepare for the exam
Updated: Oct 23
If you’re an expat in France living with your French partner and you plan to apply for a residence permit or French nationality, the TEF IRN French language test changes introduced in 2025 are crucial. Recent changes to the French visa language requirements mean stricter levels will apply from January 2026 — but you have time to prepare. Getting ahead now can save you stress (and maybe repeated exam sessions) later.
Understanding the TEF IRN French Language Test
So, let’s see:
What is the TEF-IRN test?
French visa language requirement 2026
New TEF-IRN format
TEF-IRN exam structure
How to prepare for the new TEF-IRN 2025 exam
The TEF IRN certification (Test d’Évaluation de Français pour l’Intégration, la Résidence et la Nationalité) is a French language test specifically designed for integration, obtaining residency, and applying for French nationality. It evaluates everyday French in real-life contexts.
TEF-IRN is different from the classic TEF:
It is tailored to the legal and administrative expectations in France.
It focuses on functional competence (understanding, speaking, reading, writing in daily life).
It is tied directly to the requirements for residence permits and naturalization.
The TEF-IRN is valid for two years. If necessary, you can retake the test 20 days after the results of the first test have been validated. Le français des affaires But be careful—not all language centers are necessarily TEF-certified, and even those that are don't offer sessions every day! Depending on where you are, you may have trouble finding an available session.
Differences Between TEF and DELF
What are the differences between TEF and DELF?
The DELF is a diploma (valid for life), while the TEF IRN is a certification valid for only 2 years.
The DELF evaluates fixed levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, etc.), and you choose which level you sit for. The TEF IRN is an adaptive test up to B2: it measures your current level automatically.
The DELF can be used for academic or professional purposes, while the TEF IRN is explicitly required for residency and citizenship procedures.
So, after all, maybe the DELF—or perhaps neither of them—is right for you. Contact me if you want to discuss this in more detail.
Schedule of Changes to French Language Requirements for Residency and Citizenship
The law behind this is Law no. 2024-42 of 26 January 2024, aiming to strengthen integration via language: B1 level for residency and B2 level for citizenship. (Le français des affaires)
The revised TEF IRN format (evaluating up to B2 level) came into effect on 1 April 2025. (Le français des affaires)
Parallel changes for the TCF IRN followed on 12 May 2025. (France Éducation international)
The new level requirements for residence permits/naturalisation will be enforced no later than 1 January 2026. (Vie-publique)
The previous French language test for residency or nationality was up to B1, but the level requirement for naturalization in France is now B2. The TEF IRN 2025 assesses the ability to communicate in French in everyday situations from level A1 to level B2.
TEF IRN | Before 2025 | From April 2025 (new format) |
Levels evaluated | A1 to B1 | Now A1 through B2 |
Level requirements | lower levels (A2 for residency, B1 for nationality) | From Jan 2026: A2 required for multi-year residence permit; B1 for carte de résident; B2 for naturalisation (+ examen civique) |
TEF IRN French Exam for Residency or Citizenship 2025 at a Glance: Duration and Tasks of the French Exam
Understanding:
🎧 Listening | 📖 Reading |
20 minutes | 30 minutes |
10 questions all level + 10 questions adapted to candidate’s level | 10 questions all level + 10 questions adapted to candidate’s level |
Production:
🖊️ Writing | 💬 Speaking |
30 minutes (10min+20min) | 10 minutes (5min+5min) |
2 tasks: A: informal message: 40 words B: formal email: 100 words | 2 tasks: A: getting information B: giving an opinion and advice |
Let's Understand in More Detail the Structure of the New Format TEF IRN Exam
The basic structure remains, but expectations are raised up to B2.
🎧 Listening comprehension: 20 minutes – 20 multiple-choice questions.
- 2 parts in the test: one general (10 minutes – 10 questions all levels), 10 questions tailored to the candidate's level in the first part (10 minutes – 10 questions).
- Real-life audios: dialogues, announcements, everyday messages, radio, interviews…
📖 Reading comprehension: 30 minutes - 20 multiple-choice questions.
- 2 parts in the test: one general (15 minutes - 10 questions all levels), 10 questions tailored to the candidate's level in the first part (15 minutes - 10 questions).
- Texts from daily life: advertising, flyer, notice, registration, formal mail, administrative documents, newspaper… + fill gaps activities.
🖊️ Written production: 30 minutes. 2 exercises:
- Task A: writing a message/e-mail to a friend to get news (10 minutes – 40 words)
- New job, new house, travel, birth…
- Task B: Explaining motivation to obtain something (20 minutes - 100 words)
- Job, volunteer, activities, services…
Please note: The exams are taken on computers. Practice typing your text on an AZERTY keyboard, including accents!
💬 Oral production: the basic structure remains but expectations are raised up to B2.
- Task A is now to call to obtain information (5 minutes) => hotel, association, lesson, cooperative….
- Task B is to help a friend to make a decision by giving your opinion (5 minutes) => your friend hesitates between buying a house or an apartment, taking a dog or a cat, using a bicycle or the bus…
There is no time for preparation for the speaking exercises during the exam.
This is exactly the kind of training we practice in my daily mentoring program!
What doesn’t change
The 3 parts listening, reading, and writing are still computer-based.
You take the oral exam in front of an examiner who records the conversation to allow for a second evaluation and ensure the accuracy of the result. (2 tasks).
The test remains focused on realistic, everyday French, not academic or highly technical French. (Le français des affaires)
Preparing for the TEF IRN Exam
To meet the new requirements, you’ll want to:
Practice all four skills regularly, not just one or two.
Get used to newer formats: adaptive comprehension parts, mixed levels, administrative texts, realistic conversations.
Do mock exams in exam conditions (timed; record yourself speaking).
Work on weak points: e.g. oral fluency, written coherence, lexical range, varieties of structures…
The part that trips up almost everyone is the spontaneous speaking task—the very one you can practice for free every night at the dinner table. Your French partner is your best exam simulator: ask them to give you Task B (“Should we buy a house or an apartment?”) while you’re doing the dishes. If you also want a structured outline and personalized feedback, that’s what I do—but start with the daily task.
With Daily Mentoring Program, you can expect:
A structured plan for each week: tasks + production + feedback.
Personalized correction especially for speaking & writing (so you see what “lifting from B1 to B2” concretely means).
Regular exposure (listening, reading) curated to mirror exam content.
Motivation & accountability — so you don’t leave preparation to the last moment.
TEF IRN France 2026: Start Preparing Now for Residency and Citizenship Success
The changes in TEF IRN aren’t just bureaucratic: they reflect higher expectations for integration and language competence. If you’re in a relationship with a French partner and plan to apply for residency or citizenship, starting now gives you an advantage.
But remember that the TEF IRN is only valid for 2 years. Don't sign up for the test too far in advance if you're not sure when you'll submit your naturalization application.
Don’t wait for the deadline of 1 January 2026 to meet the French B2 language requirement for citizenship (or French B1 language requirement for residency). Start preparing now for the TEF IRN French exam with expert guidance. My Daily Mentoring program helps expats in France practice daily, build confidence, and succeed at the French language test for residency and nationality.
Let’s make the language test an opportunity, not a barrier.
This article, and especially its English translation, was compiled with the help of AI.
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