Hollywood star George Clooney, his lawyer wife Amal and their two children have become French, raising questions of ‘double standards’.
Several readers have emailed about this topic.
It was also referred to in a recent interview on FranceInfo by a junior minister in the interior ministry, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, following discussion of immigration issues including orders to leave France and an overall drop in the granting of French citizenship last year, after a toughening of attitudes.
Asked how it was possible, in view of the fact that, by Mr Clooney's own admission, he speaks little French, she said: "Speaking personally, I can understand the feeling of some French people that it's a question of double standards."
Asked if the rules were bent for the Clooneys, she said that she did not know but "I think that it doesn't send the right message".
She added: "I can be very proud of the fact that George Clooney asked for French nationality, it's very good - he lives in France ...but there's a question of fairness that to my mind is absolutely essential."
Senator Nicole Bonnefoy has also referred to this issue in correspondence with the interior minister over many refusals of citizenship to people on grounds that their income is mostly from abroad.
However, following Ms Vedrenne's remarks, the minister, Laurent Nuñez, reportedly denied that it was a case of double standards, saying that the award of citizenship to the Clooneys was "a great opportunity for our country".
Mr Nuñez also confirmed that their citizenship was conferred by naturalisation by decree of the ministry (ie. the ordinary route, as opposed to the 'declaration' methods possible for some people with close family links in France, or eg. a claim based on French ancestors).
This normally requires a good level of French, "assimilation" into French life and knowledge of its culture, and "habitual residency" in the country for at least five years at the point of applying.
However, we note that the Code civil, which lays out the main rules on acquisition of citizenship, states that the latter can be reduced to two for people whose talents mean they can render important service to France or who are deemed exceptionally well integrated due to activities in areas including cultural life (or to zero, if their candidature is of exceptional interest to France, where this is supported by the government and a favourable view from the Conseil d'Etat).
Working abroad for an "organisation of particular interest to the French economy or culture" can also be treated as equal to residency in France, for naturalisation purposes.
As of 2026, passing a test in civic knowledge is required and the required languge level has been raised from a lower intermediate B1 to a high intermediate B2. However, the Clooneys' citizenship was officialised in December 2025.
Is George Clooney integrated in France?
The Clooneys bought a farmhouse in 2021 in Brignoles, Var, where the children are in school, which suggests a serious commitment to France.
Mr Clooney said their children can have a “normal life” there, away from the paparazzi.
“We don’t only live in the south of France, we also have a house in the US, but our happiest place is on our French farm,” he said.
It is unclear if the couple are considered French tax residents, which most naturalisation applicants are.
The Code civil says a person must be 'residing in France' when they are naturalised, though definitions of this for citizenship are not exactly the same as for tax.
As for his language skills, Mr Clooney, 64, told RTL radio: “I like the French culture and I’m learning the language, even if I’m terrible at it. I’m on Duolingo [free language learning app], and I’m on day 400.”
Presenting at the Golden Globes in January, he opened with: “Bonsoir, mes amis, c’est une [sic] honneur d’être ici.” However, in new year wishes for his commune in 2024, he only managed Bonjour Didier [the mayor] before continuing in English.
It appears, then, he does not meet the usual requirement for good French.
Officials say he benefited from rule for 'illustrious' foreigners
It appears that the Clooneys benefited from article 21-21 of the Code civil, which refers to the possibilty of naturalisation being "conferred on any French-speaking foreigner who asks for citizenship and contributes by their illustrious actions to France’s international standing and the prosperity of its economic relations”.
The Code says this argument must be proposed by the foreign affairs ministry, which is reported by French media including Le Monde to have confirmed that this rule was used in this case.
Le Monde reported the foreign affairs ministry to also have said that the Clooneys had "followed a rigourous procedure, ranging from security investigations to the required naturalisation interviews at the prefecture, not to mention paying their timbres fiscaux [fees]."
However, we note the wording 'French-speaking' (étranger francophone).
Also, Code civil article 21-24 states that "no one can be naturalised unless they justify their assimilation to the French community, notably by sufficient knowledge, depending on their situation, of the language... of which the level and evaluation methods are fixed by decree".
The rules in force until this year, found here and here, stated that this should be proved with a certificate at level B1 or a higher education diploma from a French educational body.
From our reading of the Code it is not stated explicitly that the "illustrious actions" consideration dilutes these requirements, so some mystery remains over the exact criteria on which the decision was based.
However, the granting of nationality is ultimately seen as a "favour of the state", and it appears there may be flexibility where someone's candidature is seen as especially desirable.
