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What is the age of civil majority in France?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: 18. The age of civil majority is 18. It was lowered to 18 under President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. A person under 18 is a minor. Source: the Ministry of the Interior sheet “Les présidents de la Vème République” (in French).
Sources: Sheet “Les présidents de la Vème République” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✗ 1616 ansAt 16, a person is still a minor.
- ✓ 1818 ansCorrect answer. The age of civil majority is 18. It was lowered to 18 under President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. A person under 18 is a minor.
- ✗ 2121 ansThis is not the right answer: the sheet speaks of the lowering of the age of majority to 18.
- ✗ 2525 ansA person over 18 is already an adult.
What the source says
« Abaissement de la majorité à 18 ans. »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « Quel est l'âge de la majorité civile en France ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “Quel est l'âge de la majorité civile en France ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Les présidents de la Vème République” (French).
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