Telegram chief Pavel Durov has been in international headlines this week, after France arrested him over the weekend and later charged him with several crimes related to illegal content carried out on the app.

He was released from custody but is banned from leaving the country.

For those in France, the tech boss’ citizenship status is a particularly interesting detail to the story, as well as his closeness to French President Emmanuel Macron.

How did Durov become French?

Pavel Durov became a naturalised French citizen in 2021, despite holding citizenship in three other countries too – his native Russia, as well as the Caribbean island Saint Kitts and Nevis and the United Arab Emirates.

Durov has not lived in France for a minimum of five years, he is not married to a French citizen, nor does he have close French family connections, and he is certainly not a member of the French foreign legion. 

READ MORE: The ultimate guide for how to get French citizenship

Unlike the average person, Durov benefitted from a little-known procedure.

The ‘foreign emeritus’ procedure simply requires two conditions be met: the person is a French speaker, and they have contributed through outstanding work to the influence of France and the prosperity of its international economic relations.

This exceptional procedure is initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to French regional news outlet Ouest France, only 10 to 20 such applications are processed each year.

Durov is not the only well-connected foreigner who has benefitted as a ‘foreign emeritus’. American Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snapchat, also became French using this process in 2018, according to Les Echos.

Connections to Macron

According to a source close to the investigation, Durov had emphasised his links to Macron during questioning while being held by French authorities.

Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday that Durov had met Macron on several occasions prior to receiving French nationality in 2021.

According to reporting Politico, the two also met in 2018.

A source close to the case, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Thursday that after his arrest Durov asked that French telecoms tycoon Xavier Niel, chairman and founder of the Iliad mobile operator, be informed of his arrest.

Niel is seen as being close to Macron. Contacted by AFP, Niel’s entourage declined to comment.

However, it is not unlike the French president, who has made it his aim to court tech companies and investment in France, to meet with tech bosses.

Macron has also met publicly with Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, as well as privately with Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber, when he was minister of economy.

Speaking to reporters on a visit to Serbia, the French president said he did not know that Durov would be coming to France and denied having issued “any invitation whatsoever” to the Russian-born billionaire.

“We are a country where there is a separation of powers,” Macron said.

“I was completely unaware that he was coming. This is normal,” he added.

Macron said he “totally” backed the decision to grant Durov citizenship, adding it was a “strategy” concerning those who “make the effort to learn the French language” and who “shine in the world”.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear exactly what ‘outstanding’ criteria were used to apply the procedure to Durov.

Other unlikely ways of gaining French nationality

There are some other less common ways to get citizenship. One is to join the French Foreign Legion, as anyone who serves five years in the Legion or who is injured on active service qualifies for citizenship (although you might want to check out what their training involves first) and the other is to perform an outstanding service for France.

READ MORE: Can I fast-track my French citizenship application?

Some people who have achieved something superb are offered French nationality and thousands of foreigners who worked on the frontline during the Covid pandemic were offered fast-track citizenship. 

Similarly, the ‘Spider-man’ hero, Mamoudou Gassama who rescued a child hanging from a balcony in Paris’ 18th arrondissement in 2018, was also awarded French nationality. 

At the time, Macron told him “You have become an example because millions of people have seen you. It is only right that the nation be grateful.”