OFII Integration Day in France: the Civic Training Behind the 4-Year Residence Card

The short answer: if you have just arrived in France on a first one-year residence title, the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) calls you in to sign the republican integration contract (contrat d'intégration républicaine, CIR), then to attend 4 days of civic training. Many people call it the "integration day". It looks like a formality, but it matters: at renewal, the préfecture checks that you attended these trainings before it issues a multi-year residence card, valid for 4 years in principle instead of one.

This guide follows the official texts as checked on 2 November 2026: Service-Public, the Interior Ministry's civic training site and the immigration code (CESEDA) on Légifrance. The pages are in French; we give the official French terms in italics so you can match them. The same guide exists in French.

What is the OFII "integration day"?

The phrase is not official. It means the start of France's personalised republican integration path, built around the CIR. The contract is signed between the State and a non-European national admitted to stay in France for the first time who wants to settle for the long term. By signing it, you commit to follow the trainings prescribed to you (CESEDA article L413-2).

In practice it has two parts:

1. The OFII interview, where you sign the CIR and take a French test.
2. The civic training, 4 days that OFII calls you to. You receive the notice when you sign the CIR.

Who has to sign the CIR?

You are concerned if you are admitted to stay for the first time with a temporary or multi-year residence card and want to settle in France. Service-Public names, among others, the employee long-stay visa that works as a residence permit (VLS-TS salarié), the card for a commercial, industrial or craft activity, and family members of a refugee, a beneficiary of subsidiary protection or a stateless person.

According to Service-Public, the CIR is not required for:

• visitor, student, au pair, trainee, temporary worker, talent (the Talent Passport), seasonal worker and ICT posted employee cards, and their family versions;
• the permit for health reasons, the Algerian residence certificate, and the "private and family life" card of a foreign national born in France who meets the residence and schooling conditions;
• EU nationals and the family members living in France with them.

You are also exempt if you completed at least 3 school years at a French secondary school, or at least 1 academic year of higher education in France.

The OFII interview: what happens

1. A personal interview with an OFII officer. They present the contract, translated into a language you understand, and point you to local services that fit your situation.
2. A French test, written and oral. If you score below A2, OFII can prescribe language training of up to 600 hours, in class or online. Once written into the CIR, it is compulsory. A diploma or test under 2 years old showing at least A2 exempts you from the assessment.
3. Signing the CIR at the end of the interview. The préfet then signs it for the State.
4. The civic training notice, handed over when you sign.

Tip: Keep every OFII document. The signed contract, the notice and later the training certificates are what you show at renewal.

The civic training: 4 days, 24 hours, 5 themes

Civic training is compulsory for CIR signatories. It has 4 sessions, 24 hours in total (the arrêté of 22 July 2025). The Interior Ministry adds that the 4 days can be spread over several weeks, up to 4 months, and that an interpreter is present for people who do not speak French well. The State pays for it (CESEDA article L413-3).

It covers five themes:

• the principles and values of the Republic (the motto, secularism, the symbols);
• the institutional and political system;
• rights and duties that come with living in France;
• history, geography and culture;
• life in French society.

These are also the themes of the civic exam, now required for a first multi-year card. See our guide to France's civic exam in 2026.

The attendance certificate: the document to keep

The official civic training site puts it plainly: at the end of day 4 you receive a named certificate of seriousness and attendance (attestation nominative de sérieux et d'assiduité), and it must be added to your residence permit application.

For civic training, attendance means taking part in every prescribed session. For classroom language training, you must attend at least 80% of the prescribed hours and progress between the first and final assessments; online, only progress counts (the arrêté of 22 July 2025).

Why it decides between a 1-year card and a 4-year card

A first title often lasts one year: the employee card (carte salarié), for example, is valid for 1 year and renewable. At renewal you can apply for a multi-year residence card (carte de séjour pluriannuelle). Since 1 January 2026, CESEDA article L433-4 makes it depend on several conditions, attendance and seriousness in the CIR trainings among them.

What the préfecture checks	The proof
Attendance at the CIR trainings	The civic training attendance certificate, and the language training certificate if language training was prescribed
French at A2 level (first multi-year card)	A TCF or TEF test under 2 years old, or a recognised French diploma
A passed civic exam (first multi-year card)	The pass certificate at multi-year card level
The conditions of your current title	For an employee, for example, the same job
Respect for the principles of the Republic	The commitment contract, signed when you file

A2 French and the civic exam are not required if you are over 65. The multi-year card that follows a first year is valid for 4 years in principle, but 2 years at most for the spouse of a French national, the parent of a French child, a person admitted for personal and family ties in France, or a person admitted for medical care. The details are in our guide to France's multi-year residence card in 2026.

What happens without the CIR: if the contract is closed for non-compliance, you cannot get a multi-year title at renewal, and the limit of 3 consecutive renewals of a temporary card with the same purpose applies to you (CESEDA article L433-1-1).

What if you miss a day?

The CIR runs for 1 year. Within 6 months of the trainings starting, OFII calls you to a follow-up interview. If trainings are still under way when the contract ends, the préfet can extend it by 1 year at most, for a legitimate reason and on OFII's proposal.

If you do not attend a prescribed training without a legitimate reason, the préfet can terminate the contract on OFII's proposal. The préfet must first tell you of that intention, with the reasons and the consequences for the multi-year card, and you have 1 month to reply (CESEDA article R413-4).

Tip: Can't make a session? Contact OFII before the date and keep proof of your reason (a sick note, a summons, any document that shows it).

The timeline, from arrival to renewal

1. Arrival on a VLS-TS: validate it online and pay the €300 tax within 3 months of arriving (see validating a VLS-TS).
2. OFII appointment: interview, French test, signing the CIR and the civic training notice.
3. Civic training: 4 days within 4 months at most. Keep the certificate you receive at the end of day 4.
4. Language training if prescribed, then a TCF or TEF test to prove A2 if you need it.
5. Civic exam, before you file. You can take it at any time, as often as needed.
6. Multi-year card application: at the latest 2 months before your title expires. The exact window depends on your title: see our guide to renewing an employee residence permit.

For the wider picture of working in France, see our page on work permits in France.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the OFII integration day compulsory?

Yes, if you are covered by the republican integration contract: the civic training is compulsory. Skipping a prescribed training without a legitimate reason can lead to the contract being terminated, and without a respected CIR you cannot get the multi-year card at renewal.

How long is the OFII civic training?

4 days, 24 hours in total, which can be spread over several weeks and up to 4 months. In Mayotte it has 2 sessions, 12 hours in total.

Do I have to pay for the civic training?

No. Under CESEDA article L413-3, the State pays for the civic training.

What happens if I miss a day of civic training?

Contact OFII quickly and keep proof of your reason. The préfet can only terminate the contract if you miss a training without a legitimate reason, and must first tell you of that intention: you then have 1 month to reply.

Is the civic training certificate enough for the 4-year card?

No. Since 1 January 2026, a first multi-year card also needs French at A2 level and a passed civic exam, on top of the conditions of your current title. Neither applies if you are over 65.

Can I attend the civic training if I don't speak French?

Yes. The Interior Ministry says an interpreter is present during the training for people who do not speak French well.

Do Talent Passport holders sign the CIR?

No. Service-Public lists the talent card and its family versions among the titles for which the republican integration contract is not required.

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Sources

10 official sources

• Service-Public: Contrat d'intégration républicaine (CIR) (in French)
• Interior Ministry: La formation civique (in French)
• Interior Ministry: Qu'est-ce que la formation civique ? (in French)
• Légifrance: Arrêté of 22 July 2025 on the CIR civic and language trainings (in French)
• Légifrance: CESEDA, articles L413-1 to L413-6 (in French)
• Légifrance: CESEDA, articles R413-2 to R413-7 (in French)
• Légifrance: CESEDA, article L433-4 (in French)
• Légifrance: CESEDA, articles L433-1 to L433-7 (in French)
• Service-Public: Carte de séjour pluriannuelle (in French)
• Service-Public: Employee or temporary worker residence card (in French)