Is there a period of validity of a civil status document?
Verified 29 November 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
In principle, civil status documents (extracts and full copies) are valid irrespective of their date of issue.
One birth certificate, of marriage or death shall remain valid as long as the elements contained therein have not been modified.
However, for the following steps, seniority may not be exceeded:
- National identity card or passport: the date of the act is a maximum of 3 months
- Marriage: the date of the deed is a maximum of 3 months if the service issuing the deed is French (6 months maximum if the service issuing the deed is foreigners). But there is no time limit if the country's system does not provide for the updating of the acts.
- Civil partnerships: the date of the document is a maximum of 3 months if the service issuing the document is French (6 months maximum if the service issuing the document is foreigners).
For other procedures (e.g. application for a survivor's pension), a period of validity of the civil status document is not required. However, in practice, pension funds may ask you to provide them with a recent document to ensure that you have not remarried.
- Civil Code: Articles 63 to 76Rule 70
- Code of Public-Administrative Relations: Articles R113-5 to R113-9Rule R113-7
- Decree No. 2005-1726 of 30 December 2005 on the passport: Article 5 - Documents to be provided for a first application
- Decree No. 55-1397 of 22 October 1955 on the identity card: Article 4 - Documents to be provided for a first application
- Circular of 10 May 2017 on the transfer of Civil partnerships to registrars (PDF - 469.6 KB)
- Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth in France) - Free service
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- Application for marriage certificate (celebrated in France) - Free service
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- Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth abroad) - Free service
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- Application for marriage certificate (celebrated abroad) - Free service
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FAQ
- Identity cardService-Public.fr
- PassportService-Public.fr
- MarriageService-Public.fr
- Civil Solidarity Pact (Civil partnerships)Service-Public.fr