Legalization or apostille of a public act drawn up by a French authority

Verified 01 May 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Legalization: changes to the rules as of 1 September 2025

The formalities for legalizing public acts drawn up by the French authorities and intended to be produced abroad will be amended from 1er September 2025.

That's what the orders in council provide n° 2021-1205 of 17 september 2021 and No. 2024-1200 of 23 December 2024, and a order of 23 december 2024.

In the meantime, the information presented on this page remains current.

You have to go abroad and you wonder whether your French documents should be legalized or not. apostilles ? We provide you with information about the procedures for authenticating a signature affixed to a public document intended to be presented to an authority of a foreigner country.

Warning  

The legalization and the apostille do not concern a French document intended for a French administration.

Step-by-step approach

To submit a French document to a foreign authority, prior authentication of the signature of the issuing authority may be required.

For example, for an adoption procedure, a judicial procedure, the signing of a contract.

The legalization is the authentication procedure prior to the signature of the issuing authority.

The Apostille is a simplified procedure of legalization. It replaces legalization for the countries where it applies.

Legalization and the Apostille attest to the following information :

  • Veracity of the signature of the author of the document
  • Quality in which the signatory of the document acted
  • If necessary, identity of seal or stamp which is mentioned on the document.

In practice, legalization and the apostille are a official stamp added to the document.

Legalization and the Apostille concern the French public acts intended to be presented to an authority of a foreigner country.

The following documents are considered as public acts :

  • Act of a judicial or administrative court. For example, a judgment.
  • Act of parquet floor. For example, a judgment.
  • Document drawn up by a registrar. For example, an extract from a criminal record.
  • Act drawn up by a Commissioner of Justice (former bailiff and judicial auctioneer). For example, a report of findings.
  • Civil status document drawn up by a civil status officer. For example, a birth certificate.
  • An act drawn up by an administrative authority. For example, a tax notice, a certificate of social rights, a diploma, a school certificate.
  • Notarial deed. For example, a notoriety deed, a power of attorney, a will, a donation.
  • Official declaration affixed to a privately signed document. For example, a signature certification, a record of registration, a visa for a certain date.

Please note

The documents drawn up by a diplomatic or consular official and administrative documents concerning a commercial or customs operation (for example, a health certificate) are public acts. However, those acts cannot be apostilled.

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You must submit a document to an authority in a European Union country

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Some French public documents may be presented without authentication formality to an authority of a country of the European Union. These are the public documents which concern next domains : birth, being alive (life certificate), death, name, marriage, including capacity to marry and marital status, divorce, legal separation and annulment of marriage, civil pact of solidarity (Civil partnerships), dissolution annulment of Civil partnerships, filiation, adoption, domicile and/or residence, nationality, absence of criminal record.

See the e-justice site for public documents accepted by countries European without authentication formalities.

Presentation of a public document in a European Union country: consult the rules by country

Different rules apply to other public documents (e.g. passport, identity document): as appropriate, they are exempt from authentication formalities or must be apostilles. To verify the applicable rule, you must consult the summary of rules by country updated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

You must present a document to an authority in another foreigner country

To check if the document should be legalized, apostilled or is exempt from formality, you should consult the summary of rules by country updated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

You can also ask the embassy or consulate in France of the destination country.

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In France

Legalization costs €10 per document.

You can pay by check to the order of "Régie des legalizations (FDFA)" or by bank transfer.

To the foreigner

You are registered in the register of French people established outside France

Signature legalization costs €15 for a French registered in the Register of French outside France.

This price also applies to her spouse and minor children of foreign nationality.

You're in a different situation

Signature legalization costs €25.

You must pay a royalty when issuing an apostille document (if the apostille is not issued, the fee is not collected).

The means of payment shall be indicated to you in writing at the latest at the time of the request for an apostille.

The duty-free amount of the fee varies according to the time limit requested :

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Fast 24-hour delay

The duty-free amount of the fee shall be:

  • €20 by document if the application for issue concerns up to 3 documents
  • €10 by document from 4e act.

Normal Delay

3 working days from the day on which the information necessary for processing the request is available in the national database of public signatures.

3 working days from the day on which the information necessary for processing the request is available in the national database of public signatures.

The duty-free amount of the fee shall be:

  • €10 by document if the application for issue concerns up to 3 documents
  • €5 by document from 4e act.

Of forwarding charge may be added if you have not attached a prepaid envelope to your application or if the amount of prepaid postage is not sufficient. The re-dispatch fee shall not exceed €5 excluding taxes.

The legalization of a french public act intended to be presented to an authority of a foreigner country is based on the principle of double legalization.

The process is carried out in 2 steps :

  1. Legalization by the Bureau of Legalizations of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (pre-legalization)
  2. Legalization by a diplomatic or consular representation in France of the country in which the document is to be presented (over-legalization)

Warning  

One original document issued in one copy only (e.g. diploma) or unsigned document (e.g. tax notice) cannot be legalized as such. You must submit a certified true copy of the document. Check the compliance of your document on the website of the ministry of foreign affairs.

In France

Prepare the following documents:

  • Application form for international legalization, completed and signed
  • Check payable to "Régie des Légalizations" (FDFA)
  • Return envelope, labeled with the name and address of the applicant (in recipient and in sender) and postage at full rate (preferably registered, letter followed or Chronopost)

Send the documents to the Legalizations Office by post, registered post, Chronopost or follow-up letter.

If you have a question, you can contact the legalizations office by email.

Abroad

Contact the embassy or consulate.

Filing of the application

The approach varies according to the medium of the public act to be apostilled.

Before proceeding, consult the booklet of prerequisites by type of act.

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Digital public act

Electronic signed digital public act

Public act bearing a digital public signature

Electronic signed digital public act

Public act bearing a digital public signature

You must submit your application online on the dedicated platform.

During the online process, you select the Apostille Center that will process your request. In the absence of a choice, the center that is considered to be closest to your home will process your application.

Apply online for an Apostille

Paper public document

You can submit your request at the counter of an apostille center or send it by mail.

Check the procedure to follow if you need to have a paper act certified by a city council, depending on whether or not the City Hall has supplied the public signature base.

At the window of a center of Apostille

You can submit your application at the Apostille Center counter of one of the 15 regional councils or interdepartmental chambers.

Who shall I contact
By mail

You can send your request for an Apostille by post to the Apostille Center of one of the 15 regional councils or interdepartmental chambers.

However, you must first initiate your application online via the dedicated platform.

During the online process, you select the Apostille Center that will process your request. In the absence of a choice, the center that is considered to be closest to your home will process your application.

Apply online for an Apostille

Who shall I contact

Follow-up of the request

You're informed by email the progress of your application.

If necessary, you can inquire at the Apostille Center in charge of your request.

Who shall I contact

FYI  

The follow-up of the request is done by email. An email address is provided to you by the Apostille Center if you do not have one.

Delivery of the Apostille

The apostille is delivered in electronic format (Apostille) even if you provided a paper document.

You receive an email with a link to recover on the dedicated platform a document bearing an electronic signature (Apostille).

One paper printing must be provided to you if requested. In addition, if the receiving foreign authority so requires, a manual stamp and a handwritten signature may be affixed to the paper printing. You can pick it up at the counter of the Apostille Center in charge of your request, or ask to receive it by mail. In this case, you will have to pay shipping costs in addition to the expected fee.

Who shall I contact

FYI  

Where the application for the issue of the apostille concerns a paper document, a digitized copy of the document shall be made. The scanned copy is not valid in France.

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