Home › Explained sheets › Rights and duties
The limits of individual freedoms
Individual freedoms have limits. In France, there are concrete examples of restrictions on these freedoms.
Key points of the sheet
- The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the other fundamental texts give us many rights and freedoms. But these rights have a limit to protect life in society.
- Our rights are "imprescriptible" (imprescriptibles) (article 2 of the DDHC). This means they cannot be taken away from us.
- Our freedoms are limited by the rights of others. Freedom means doing anything that does not harm others (article 4 of the DDHC).
- Our rights and freedoms are limited by the general interest, the freedoms of others and respect for human dignity.
- They are also limited by the defence of public order. Public order covers safety, peace and quiet, and public health and hygiene (salubrité).
- To fight terrorism, some freedoms, for example freedom of movement, were restricted. In March 2020, the health state of emergency against Covid-19 limited the freedom to come and go, to run a business and to meet.
- In prison, freedom of correspondence can be restricted for safety or to keep order. It is forbidden to move around in public spaces wearing clothing meant to hide the face.
Words to know
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Déclaration des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen)
- It is a text that grants us many rights and freedoms.
- imprescriptible (imprescriptibles)
- Imprescriptible rights cannot be taken away from us.
- public order (ordre public)
- Public order covers safety, peace and quiet, and public health and hygiene.
- public health and hygiene (salubrité)
- It means what is not a danger to hygiene, health and the environment.
- health state of emergency (état d'urgence sanitaire)
- Put in place against Covid-19 in March 2020, it limited several freedoms.
- prison environment (milieu carcéral)
- In prison, freedom of correspondence can be restricted for safety or to keep order.
Test yourself: 3 questions
What does "imprescriptible" mean for our rights?
In French, the language of the exam: Que veut dire « imprescriptibles » pour nos droits ?
Article 2 of the DDHC says our rights are imprescriptible. This means they cannot be taken away from us.
In which year was the health state of emergency against Covid-19 put in place?
In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année l’état d’urgence sanitaire contre le Covid-19 est-il mis en place ?
The health state of emergency against Covid-19 was put in place in March 2020.
What is forbidden in public spaces?
In French, the language of the exam: Qu’est-ce qui est interdit dans l’espace public ?
It is forbidden to move around in public spaces wearing clothing meant to hide the face.
You have read the sheet. See where you stand with 40 questions like the real exam.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions)Free mock exam · Exam Pass €19 incl. VAT, paid once, no subscription
Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
- In whose name can the State restrict rights and freedoms?
- About the limits to individual freedoms, which statement is correct?
- Can the State limit rights and freedoms?
- Why can individual freedoms be limited?
- Which example shows a freedom limited to protect the general interest?
- Article 4 of the 1789 Declaration says: "Liberty is being able to do anything that does not harm others" (autrui). What does this mean?
More in this topic (Obligations and duties of people living in France)
- Protecting victims of violence
- Human trafficking and prostitution
- The role of witnesses in cases of violence
Source
Sheet “La limite des libertés individuelles” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.