IF YOU are an American, over 18 years of age, residing and working in France for over five years, you may be eligible to apply for French naturalization. Americans, along with the British and Australians, are allowed dual citizenship. You do not have to relinquish your American passport to become a French citizen, and therefore a member of the European Community.

There are no history or cultural tests; you do not even have to be able to sing La Marseillaise - just weather the French bureaucracy. The most commonly traveled roads to French citizenship are via family relations, having a French parent or spouse, and by residency - making the leap from carte de residént to citizenship. Family related applications go through your local small claims court or Tribunal d’Instance and usually take about a year to process if there are no major complications.

A child of a French parent can obtain citizenship as a right but naturalization through marriage is more complicated. The required number of years one must be married to a French spouse doubled from two to four in 2006 as the government attempted to block les mariages blancs, or convenience marriages. In addition, the couple must prove that they have been living in France for at least three years.

If you have lived in France for less time, you must be married for five years, an additional year. Susan Joly, an American married to a Lyonnais, recently celebrated her new dual citizenship with international friends in Paris. “When I couldn't vote in the last French presidential election, I decided that it was time,” she said.

Married couples must submit the spouse's dossier in person so the court can verify all original documents. All applicants must attend an interview with the préfecture to demonstrate their competence in French, but couples must also demonstrate a legitimate marital union.

“The préfecture notified us by mail only one week before our interview date, so we had to scramble to arrange our schedules and put together the additional or repeated paperwork requested,” said Mrs Joly. “Some of the oddball questions about our personal habits got tricky - even after 20 years of living together!”

If previously divorced, you will need your former marriage certificate and a l'Acte de divorce. If you and your present French spouse married outside of France, you must get marriage verification from the Le tribunal administratif de Nantes where all naturalization document are issued.

By residence

If your situation is not family related, pick up your application form from your local mairie or préfecture. You must prove uninterrupted residence in France for at least five years or that you have studied here for at least two years, successfully completing a masters equivalent or more.

There are exceptions to the rule but one should be working, have a residency card, carte de séjour, and be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient resources. Dossiers must be sent by registered mail to your mairie or préfecture, not submitted in person. If there is an error, the entire dossier is returned to the applicant with instructions for correction, otherwise, one is mailed a receipt within three to six months confirming that the process is underway.

Brian Dunnett, a former Californian, applied for French citizenship in 2005 and just recently obtained it – a two and a half year endeavor. He had not worked and paid taxes for a full five years when he applied but had obtained a residence card from his French employer and had previously completed three years of higher education in a French school.

In addition to the standard requirements which include French police clearance, Dunnett needed documentation from the California police showing that he had no criminal record. He had not anticipated needing copies of his parents’ birth and marriage certificates either.

“It's a cat and mouse game,” said Mr Dunnett. “The procedure is so lengthy that the requirements changed while my dossier was in progress. It was returned for lacking documentation that wasn’t required when I originally submitted it. Each time something goes wrong, it’s back to square one.” Legally, an applicant must receive an answer 18 months after the date of the approved dossier’s receipt.

That period may be extended only once for three months by a reasoned decision. All documents must be translated at a cost of €35- €40 per page and must be issued within the three months prior to one’s interview. The prefecture provides you with an outdated list of about 100 approved translators from which to choose. “It was expensive and American's pay about 20% more for a spécialiste du dialecte,” said Mr Dunnett. “British English is considered to be the authentic language and American a dialect.”

Photo: Susan Joly toasts her new nationality with friends