What is the TEF IRN?

1- The test

As of January 3, 2022, the TEF Naturalization and TEF Resident tests will be merged into a single test: the TEF IRN (Integration, Residence and Nationality).

Aimed at foreigners over the age of 16, this test is required by the French Ministry of the Interior for those who wish to:

Acquire a visa for 1 or 2 years (level A1 required)

Obtain a long stay visa of 10 years (level A2 required)

Apply for French citizenship (level B1 required)

All candidates registered for the TEF IRN take the same test, no matter what goal a candidate wishes to achieve.

2- The sections of the test

The TEF IRN consists of 4 mandatory sections:

Listening: 17 questions (4 answer choices, one correct answer)

Reading: 13 questions (4 answer choices, one correct answer)

Writing: 2 exercises

Speaking: 2 exercises

The test lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes in total. The duration of each section is detailed below:

Listening: 10 minutes

Reading: 30 minutes

Writing: 30 minutes

Speaking: 10 minutes