Results and certificates: timings, validity and what the préfecture reads

The three exams share neither the same waiting time nor the same validity: the civics exam certificate is immediate and never expires, the TCF attestation arrives in 2 to 4 weeks and is valid for 2 years, and the paper DELF diploma can take 3 to 6 months to arrive but never expires. That mismatch, not your level of French, is what derails the most préfecture appointments.

Information verified on 12 August 2026, from service-public.gouv.fr F34501, the arrêté of 22 December 2025, the Manuel du candidat TCF (version M, May 2025) and the Ministry of the Interior's site. This page is not legal advice: only your préfecture can validate your file.

Three calendars, three validity periods

	TCF IRN	DELF A2	Civics exam
What you receive	an attestation stating a level per skill	a national diploma	a pass certificate
Waiting time	about 15 working days after France Éducation international receives the materials — i.e. 2–3 weeks (computer-based) or 3–4 weeks (paper)	results in 6–8 weeks, paper diploma 3–6 months later	immediate or near-immediate (digital sitting)
Validity	2 years	for life — a diploma does not expire	no expiry date
Formal requirement	the attestation must carry an identity check and a photograph	—	—

What the TCF attestation contains, and the line that counts

The TCF IRN has no pass mark at all. The attestation does not say "pass" or "fail": it states a level, and the receiving body — here the préfecture — sets the level it requires. For a first carte de séjour pluriannuelle, that is global level A2.

In practice the attestation carries:

• a score from 100 to 499 for the comprehension papers, converted into a level: A1 from 101 to 199, A2 from 200 to 299, B1 from 300 to 399, B2 from 400 to 499. The TCF IRN is capped at B2, which is why the scale stops at 499;
• writing and speaking marked out of 20: level A2 corresponds to 2 to 5 points out of 20, B1 to 6 to 9;
• a table stating whether each global level has been reached — that is the line the préfecture reads.

⚠️ France Éducation international does not publish how raw correct answers convert into a score: no simulator, ours included, can announce a real TCF score.

The DELF A2 works the other way round: it is a diploma, so a pass or a fail. You need 50 points out of 100 overall AND at least 5 points out of 25 in each of the four épreuves — below 5/25 in a single épreuve is eliminatory, even if the total is above 50.

For the civics exam, the threshold is 32 correct answers out of 40, with no minimum per theme.

The calendar trap

This is the most expensive mistake, and it has nothing to do with your level.

• The 2-year validity is measured at the moment you file, not on the day you sat the test. For nationality, the arrêté of 22 December 2025 requires a certification less than two years old at the time of filing. With current appointment backlogs, an attestation taken too early can expire before it is filed: sit the test as close to filing as you can.
• The paper DELF diploma can take 3 to 6 months. If your appointment is in two months, it will not have arrived — and the results (6 to 8 weeks) land first, not the document itself.
• The civics exam never expires and can be retaken with no waiting period. It is the only one of the three you can sit far in advance at no risk.

What the certificate is for — and what it is not

Proving level A2 and passing the civics exam are two independent conditions of CESEDA art. L. 433-4: neither certificate replaces the other.

Two points that come up constantly:

• A diploma issued abroad is not accepted, even from a French-speaking country and even if the studies were in French.
• The DILF does not qualify: it certifies level A1.1, below A2, and satisfies none of the 2026 requirements.

And other procedures require other levels: B1 for the carte de résident, B2 for naturalisation. The civics exam certificate bearing the "carte de résident" strand does, however, also satisfy the condition for the carte de séjour pluriannuelle.

Before you book a date

Find out where you stand first: our free practice paper reproduces the TCF IRN format and a full 40-question civics paper. Then work on the two papers least covered elsewhere, writing and speaking, both marked by AI.

For registration and price ranges, see where, when, how much; to choose between a test and a diploma, TCF IRN or DELF A2.

Legislation and counter practice change. Always check service-public.gouv.fr and your préfecture. More frequently asked questions, with their sources, are gathered in our FAQ.