National law

26 of June 1889

Law called “sur la nationalité” June 26th 1889

The law states that those who will be considered as French citizens will be the young foreigners born in France unless they have declined the French nationality within the year after they have reached their majority (there is then the necessity to prove that they retained the nationality of their parents by a certificate in due form from their government… and that they have also produced if necessary a certificate recording that they have responded to the call-up (art 4).

For the first time the word “nationality” appears in the title of a French law. The State makes a clear distinction between nationals and foreigners.
The defeat of 1871 and the loss of Alsace Lorraine, the spirit of revenge against Germany led to strengthening the development started in 1851 (is French at birth every person born in France of a parent who was himself born French (double right of soil-).
The goals were demographic ones (falling birth rate), military (there was a strong resentment against the young foreigners who escaped military service).
On the other hand, following the Civil Code, which assigns to girls a status of being a minor (subordination of wife to husband), the law still rejects from the national community those who marry a foreigner.

Journal Officiel du 28 juin 1889, pp 2977-2978
Le texte de loi n’est pas disponible sur Internet, mais peut être consulté dans « l’immigration dans les textes France 1789-2002 » de Janine Ponty, Editions Belin 2003
Official Bulleti

Frédéric Rousselle / Marika Kovacs

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