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In depth
Droit du sol (right of the soil) is the French term for jus soli — citizenship acquired by birth on French territory. French droit du sol is restricted: a child born in France to foreign parents does not automatically become French at birth, but can claim French citizenship at age 18 if resident in France.
Recent reforms (2024) restored French nationality to descendants of individuals who lost French citizenship by marriage before 1927. This reform opens a new CBD path for descendants of French women who married foreign men before that date.
Droit du sol is less relevant to CBD cases than droit du sang, but it can apply to ancestors who were born in French colonies (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Indochina) before independence.
Related terms
Droit du sang (right of blood) is the French term for jus sanguinis — citizenship acquired by descent from a French parent.
Jus soli (Latin for 'right of the soil') grants citizenship based on being born in the territory of the state, regardless of the parents' citizenship.
The état civil is the French civil registry system that maintains records of births, marriages, and deaths, managed by each commune's mairie (town hall).
The Tribunal Judiciaire is the French court that processes certain citizenship declarations and disputes, including CBD claims that require judicial recognition.
The Certificat de Nationalité Française (CNF) is the official French document that certifies a person's French citizenship, used as proof in CBD cases.