L'examen civique, réponses vérifiées / English / Questions
French civic exam 2026, Principles and values of the Republic
Does laïcité (secularism) require public officials to be neutral toward members of the public?
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. 35
La laïcité impose-t-elle aux agents publics d'être neutres vis-à-vis des usagers ?
Does laïcité (secularism) require public officials to be neutral toward members of the public?
Answer. Yes, public officials must be neutral in their work.
Oui, les agents publics doivent être neutres dans leur travail.
A public official may have a religion, but must not display it at work. They wear no religious symbol and treat every member of the public the same way.
The official text that proves it
« Comme tout citoyen français, l’agent du service public est libre d’avoir une religion. Mais dans le cadre de son travail, il n’a pas le droit de manifester ses opinions religieuses : »
Like every French citizen, a public service employee is free to have a religion. But as part of their work, they are not allowed to display their religious opinions.
In French, with its English meaning. read the official sheet
Next questions in this theme
- What does the principle of laïcité (secularism) guarantee?
- Is it allowed to change religion?
- What does laïcité (secularism) represent?
- What does the Charter of Laïcité at School forbid?
- What does article 1 of the French Constitution say?
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.
