How to use a French civil status document in Europe?

Verified 21 October 2022 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice

To use a French civil status document within the European Union, you do not need to request authentication of the act: you do not need to obtain certification from the European country where you reside.

However, the civil status certificate must be drawn up in the language of the country.

To help you obtain a translation of your document, at no additional cost, and to avoid the need for a certified translator, forms of type multilingual have been set up by the European Commission.

Warning  

These forms are intended for authorized national authorities only. For a birth certificate, you will have to contact the city hall that issued the certificate.

Therefore, when you apply, this form, once filled in by the City Hall, must be attached to your French civil status document.

FYI  

you can consult the e-justice site for additional information related to the languages of use of each EU country.

For other documents or if the document is destined for another (non-EU) country, the procedure varies according to their agreement: need for legalization, apostilles.

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