Telegram boss: What is his ‘exceptional foreigner’ status for French nationality?

France has defended its decision to give French citizenship to Pavel Durov, the head of the controversial online messaging app Telegram, who was arrested near Paris last month.

Mr Durov became a French citizen in August 2021 using a little used mechanism known as ‘exceptional foreigner’ path or étranger émérite. He was born Russian but also has citizenship from France, the United Arab Emirates, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. 

The étranger émérite status allows people with at least intermediate level French to acquire a fast-track citizenship if their work brings international recognition, economic improvement, or prestige to France. 

The process is rare and usually used for sports people, celebrities, and business owners, and is initiated by the French Foreign Ministry.

People who receive citizenship this way are not required to have lived in France (although some recipients have), nor reside in the country after obtaining it. 

Scrutiny of Mr Durov’s application and citizenship has intensified since he was arrested at Le Bourget airport on August 24.

He is being questioned as part of a judicial investigation into 12 counts of organised crime, including “complicity in the distribution of illegal content (child pornography, drugs, etc.)” and “refusal to answer to the law…for the purpose and use of interceptions authorised by law”.

Telegram is a partially encrypted messaging app that has little moderation, which means it is often used by criminals for illicit activities (including illegal streaming of sports matches and online content, for selling drugs and weapons, and for sharing pornography and terrorist information).

Read more: French authorities launch major crackdown on illegal streaming

Telegram is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which also allows it to escape harsher communication regulations that exist in other countries.

People must be ‘invited’ to France under citizenship scheme

The conditions for citizenship via the étranger émérite path state that “nationality may be granted to a French-speaking foreigner who contributes through his or her outstanding work to the influence of France and the prosperity of its international economic relations,” 

“This could be a well-known personality or a company director whose work in this field is recognised. This procedure is exceptional and is initiated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” states the government website explaining the process.

Read more: How many Americans live in France - and how many Britons?

It is rare with the ministry only assessing around 10 to 20 cases per year according to Le Monde.

Some famous faces who have received citizenship this way include Evan Spiegel, the co-founder of fellow social media app Snapchat, and author Jonathan Littell, both American, as well as South African rugby player Maks Van Dyk.

The three American soldiers (Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone) who stopped a 2015 terrorist attack on a train between Amsterdam and Paris were also given citizenship via this route. 

They were first granted the Legion of Honour, but after several journeys back and forth to France were naturalised.

Mr Durov became a French citizen in August 2021, after passing his B1 French exam in the UAE in 2020.

Read more: A1, C2: What is the CEFR language rating in France?

Mr Durov’s application for French citizenship was scrutinised at the highest level a source from the Alliance Française organisation in the UAE where Mr Durov learned French, is quoted as saying to the AFP. 

“The Consulate intervened beforehand,” the source said. “They asked us about the next dates for the French tests - but they didn't immediately give us the name of the person concerned. 

"The diplomats here are very professional. I sensed that there was some tension, some pressure. I understood that it was coming from very high up.”

It emerged that the interest was coming from President Macron himself, who had met Mr Durov and spoken positively about him and similar entrepreneurs. 

At a press conference in Belgrade on August 29, Mr Macron said that he felt that app founders were among those who “develop wealth [and] innovation, which spread their influence in the world”.

In an investigation by Radio France, several officials said: [Mr Durov] is “a libertarian, very business-oriented, but also a cultured and brilliant man who has prepared himself to meet the criteria for admission to nationality”. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied any “special treatment” for Mr Durov, stressing that the application followed the normal process.

Mr Macron has also said - since Mr Durov’s arrest - that he was “totally unaware” that the Telegram head was coming to France, and that “this is normal” in a country where there is “a separation of powers”. 

He added that he “totally backed” the decision to grant the founder French citizenship, and said that the founder’s efforts to learn the French language were commendable.