lunch! 
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Think people who put themselves through this are very brave!
Unless one is relatively young or needs it for professional reasonsā¦more necessary post Brexitā¦Iām not really sure of the reasons why other than emotional and being able to vote, which a significant number of the French donāt bother, which is no different to UK.
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Not being able to vote is a very strong reason for many folkā¦ including me.
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Do people worry about political change in France - particularly to the far right in so far as security may be affected ?
My wife gained UK citizenship 2-3 years before the referendum.
I donāt know enough about French politics to understand whether a leader may or may not wish to force anybody to leave as they are doing in the UK.
there are comparisons to be drawn between the extreme right parties in most Countries and thus it has ever been as history tells us (without putting a finer point on it).
A private office for me also with a total interview time of approximately 20-25 mins. I estimate that I was asked about 10% of the possible questions that featured in the Livret plus several āwild cardā questions, so memorising the Livret would have been a waste of time and effort. One does need to know a good deal about the history and and culture of France. In my case the interviewer asked several questions that compared Britain to France that were incorrect, she had to be put right and she notated the correct answers. She was well prepared to re-ask questions that were not fully understood in another format, to help you along.
The home interview from the Gendarmarie, totally unannounced on Christmas Eve, lasted under ten minuets, and is more a case of re-establishing that you are who you say you are and that you live where you say you do.
The final interview, again at home, with the bod from the sub-Prefecture lasted perhaps 20 mins and was strictly taken in French with no repeating of questions to ease one along.
I know times have changed, but in our cases from application to JO was 17Ā½ months.
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What a lovely surpriseā¦ I hope you offered them mincepiesā¦ 
The Midi-PyrĆ©nĆ©es now groups everybody in the huge immigration centre in Toulouse. Nothing is done at prĆ©fecture level and thatās been the case for a number of years now. That in itself is a bit bizarre as there are security guards on the door, a huge hall full of mainly north african immigrants and you have to fight your way through all that to a tiny naturalisation department. Again, a real mix of nationalities, Brits make up a very small part even post brexit. The interview takes place in what is a bit like an old post office counter/doll office set up so they can interview up to 4 people at a time (there were three of us and the girl next to me was only a couple of metres away, almost closer than the lady interviewing me barracaded behind her screens (not covid - security screens in case things get heated which I think they do from time to time hence the security guards etc.) Mine did last the full 90 minutes. In fact it was my second interview, the first one was cut short half an hour in when some of the paperwork for my other half and kids were missing - theyāre all French by birth and obviously completely in all the systems but they still wanted birth certificates of less than three months for all three, Iād just bought along their actes de naissance 
) Fortunately weād otherwise got off to a good start, she understood and was almost apologetic, gave me her mobile number and told me to phone her direct and sheād slot me in a second interview appointment once Iād got the extra documents which I did. But she had to start from zero at the second interview and check that everything was there (she had simply returned the entire dossier to me and told me to come back when I had the extra documents). Mine was a very solid, non controvertial case too, she told me there would be no problem at all but that Iād have to be patient, she was right on both counts. So be patiant, if the interview went well and you keep your nose clean itās just a matter of time, JJones 
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17 months, very fast, mine was 3.5 years from start to finish. Yes the livret is usefull but you need/better to have a far wider knowledge (their history of France missed some key events) and be ready to go off on natural tangents (my interviewer and I share a love for the AriĆØge - she has a holiday home there and itās one of my favourite playgrounds for cycling, 2x AriĆ©geoise XXL and most of the cols in the bag too + numerous family holidays) Be ready to show your envolvement in the comunity - me sponsoring and riding for the local cycling club + training youngsters at another. Business envolvement etc.
You canāt fake the Gendarmesā visit, they were lucky to catch me in, more of a rubber stamping exercise to be honnest, made even easier as I ride with their boss 
āand was strictly taken in Frenchā - nobody spoke a word of English at any point and I wouldnāt expect anything else to be honnest!
You said it āemotionalā - I was the only non-French person in the house, I very rarely get to speak English, it was the last piece in the jigsaw for me and gave my kids the certainty that I was French too (English with French nationality, saying Iām French doesnāt feel right, feelās a little false despite the fact that English family and friends tell me Iām more French than English)
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It generally raises a smile, when I reply to new acquaintances ā¦
"Yes, itās trueā¦ I am English (with my accent, thereās no way to hide it)
but Iām also a little bit Frenchā¦ (and I point vaguely at my left leg)ā¦ thanks to my French grandmother, who was born in Paris ā¦ "
and that often leads on to a conversation about foreign connections/friends/familyā¦ etc.
Made some good friends this wayā¦
Iād love to be able to addā¦ āand now the whole body is Frenchā¦ thanks to the generosity of Franceā¦ā
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One day, Sunbeam
And to everybody else; sorry to woffle on was meant just to give others an insight into the process
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And thanks for it Andrew - not waffle, just useful info. 
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As I have said before mine took 13 months including the interview being cancelled due to covid!.The questions asked had little to do with history or current affairs but mainly about my work history and my french qualifications.
I must have an honest faceš
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Now thenā¦ tell the truthā¦ you offered a jar of marmiteā¦ didnāt youā¦ 
You really have done wellā¦ the Minister was adamantā¦ his reply to my gentle enquiry was that 3 years was the standard and could not be curtailed.
Although, thinking about itā¦ you (and @JaneJones) probably applied after the Minister and I exchanged lettersā¦ so perhaps he did think about my letterā¦ and relented when he saw your applicationā¦
There had been a change of ministers from appling to reception so who knows. I wouldnāt wish marmite on anyone, disgusting stuff.
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Iāll say it again, ālucky youā Flocreen, 13 months!!! Thereās an informal forum for people applying through Toulouse rĆ©gional immigration centre (for all ex-midi-pyrĆ©nĆ©es) and the waiting times are all pretty much the same, around the 3 or so years mark, although I havenāt looked recently.
If Iād applied when I should have done back in 2010, when I first met all the conditions, itād have been a few months through the PrĆ©fecture in Rodez
Applying by marriage, in Paris, or fast track covid scheme? These seem to be the fastest, but the rest of the hoi-polloi are usually stuck with around 3 years+. So if not one of the exceptions you must have hit the file mountain just right.
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Good for youā¦well done
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ā¦food from the Gods, as discussed on another thread
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