L'examen civique, réponses vérifiées / English / Questions
French civic exam 2026, Principles and values of the Republic
What can a member of the public do in a town hall when using a public service?
An official question of the French civic exam, with its answer and the official text that proves it, in French and English.
Resident card no. 33
Que peut faire un usager du service public dans une mairie ?
What can a member of the public do in a town hall when using a public service?
Answer. They can keep wearing a religious symbol, since neutrality applies to staff, not to members of the public.
Il peut porter un signe religieux, car la neutralité ne s'impose pas aux usagers.
Members of the public using a public service keep their religious freedom. They only need to follow the service's rules, for example showing their face to verify their identity.
The official text that proves it
« La neutralité ne s’impose pas aux personnes qui se rendent dans un service public en tant qu’usagers. Elles peuvent donc porter un signe d’appartenance religieuse. »
Neutrality does not apply to people who visit a public service as members of the public. They may therefore wear a symbol of religious affiliation.
In French, with its English meaning. read the official sheet
Next questions in this theme
- Who must respect the principle of religious neutrality in a prefecture?
- Does laïcité (secularism) require public officials to be neutral toward members of the public?
- What does the principle of laïcité (secularism) guarantee?
- Is it allowed to change religion?
- What does laïcité (secularism) represent?
All 521 official questions, in French and English
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Questions from the official lists of the French Ministry of the Interior, quotations from the civic training sheets, the Constitution and the 1789 Declaration, Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0. This is not a government site. The official sheets are free, in French, on formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr.
