Section 2: Administrative decisions

Reasons must be given for any decision declaring inadmissible, postponing or rejecting an application for acquisition, naturalisation or reinstatement by decree as well as an authorisation to lose French nationality.

Decrees concerning acquisition, naturalisation or reinstatement, authorisation to lose French nationality, loss or forfeiture of this nationality, are issued and published in the forms laid down by decree. They have no retroactive effect. .

Decrees granting acquisition, naturalisation or reinstatement may be revoked with the assent of the Conseil d’Etat within two years of their publication in the Journal officiel if the applicant does not meet the legal conditions; if the decision was obtained by deceit or fraud, such decrees may be revoked within two years of the discovery of the fraud.

Decrees that result in loss for one of the reasons provided for in articles 23-7 and 23-8 or forfeiture of French nationality are taken, the interested party being heard or called upon to produce his observations.