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Birth certificate: request for full copy or extract
Verified 11 January 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You need a birth certificate, and you want to know how to apply, if it is free, what document you can apply for,...? We'll give you the information you need. The approach varies depending on your place of birth (in France or abroad).
What applies to you ?
The application for a birth certificate shall be free.
Born in France
You can make the request directly online :
Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth in France) - Free service
The document is then sent by post in a few days.
The time limit may vary depending on the processing of the request by the services of the City Council and the time limit for forwarding the mail.
If you do not apply online, you can do it by mail or by visiting the premises.
By mail
You can send the request by free paper mail to the town hall where you were born.
You will receive the document directly at your home, by mail, in a few days.
The delay may vary depending on the processing of your request, by the services of the City Council, and the time of delivery of the mail.
- If you are applying for your unrelated extract, you must provide your full name and date of birth.
- If you are applying for an unrelated extract for another person, you must provide the full name and date of birth of the person concerned.
- If you request your full copy or extract with filiation, you must indicate your surname, forenames, date and place of birth, your address + the surname, forenames of your parents.
- If you are applying for a full copy or a parentage excerpt for another person, you must provide the surname, first name, address, date and place of birth of the person to whom the document relates + the usual surname and first name of his parents.
If you are applying for another person and are not concerned by the act, you will also have to provide another document proving filiation (family record book or other civil status document).
On the spot
You must apply to the town hall where you were born.
The document is issued to you immediately.
- If you are applying for your unrelated extract, you must provide your full name and date of birth.
- If you are applying for an unrelated extract for another person, you must provide the full name and date of birth of the person concerned.
- If you request your full copy or extract with filiation, you must indicate your surname, forenames, date and place of birth, your address + the surname, forenames of your parents.
- If you are applying for a full copy or a parentage excerpt for another person, you must provide the surname, first name, address, date and place of birth of the person to whom the document relates + the usual surname and first name of his parents.
If you don't know this information, you can show your ID card.
If you are not the person concerned by the act, you must also provide another document proving filiation (family record book or other civil status document).
In case of doubt about the identity or status of the person making the request, the registrar can ask you for any supporting documents.
Warning
if you request a birth certificate other than your own (e.g. that of your father), proof of your direct relationship with that person (copy of your birth certificate, family record, etc.) will be requested.
The approach is free.
FYI
there is no need to make your request on websites that ask you for financial compensation.
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Full Copy
The full copy shall reproduce all the information contained in the birth certificate entered in the civil register.
It includes your personal information (surname, first names, date of birth and place of birth), and that of your parents.
It indicates the marginal mentions when they exist.
Extract with filiation
The extract with parentage is a summary of the information contained in the birth certificate entered in the civil registry.
It contains your personal information (name, first name, date and place of birth) and that of your parents.
It indicates the marginal mentions when they exist.
Unrelated Extract
The extract without parentage is a summary of the information contained in the birth certificate entered in the civil registry.
It contains your personal information (surname, first names, date and place of birth).
It indicates the marginal mentions when they exist.
Access to a copy of a birth certificate depends on the type of document and the person requesting it.
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Full Copy
You can obtain a full copy of a birth certificate if you are one of the following:
- Person concerned by the act (provided he is of age) or his legal representative
- Spouse, wife or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent
- Ascendant of the person concerned (parent, grandparent...)
- Descendant of the person concerned (child, grandchild)
- Lawfully authorized professional (e.g. a lawyer on behalf of a client)
If you are on this list, you can obtain a copy of a birth or marriage certificate from the public archives. at any time and without limitation in time.
However, any other person (e.g. uncle, aunt) will not be able to request the release of these documents until:
- 100 years if the person is a minor
- 75 years from the date of the most recent document or document included in the file, if the person is alive
- 25 years if the person has died
Extract with filiation
You can obtain an extract from a birth certificate with filiation if you are one of the following:
- Person concerned by the act (provided he is of age) or his legal representative
- Spouse, wife or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent
- Ascendant of the person concerned (parent, grandparent...)
- Descendant of the person concerned (child, grandchild)
- Lawfully authorized professional (e.g. a lawyer on behalf of a client)
If you are on this list, you can obtain a copy of a birth or marriage certificate from the public archives. at any time and without limitation in time.
However, any other person (e.g. uncle, aunt) will not be able to request the release of these documents until:
- 100 years if the person is a minor
- 75 years from the date of the most recent document or document included in the file, if the person is alive
- 25 years if the person has died
Unrelated Extract
Any person may obtain a birth certificate without parentage, without
have to justify their request.
Foreign born
You can apply if you are a national of France.
You can apply online. You must create a Service-Public.fr account or sign in with FranceConnect.
Application for birth certificate: full copy or extract (birth abroad) - Free service
The time limit for issuing your birth certificate is approximately 20 days.
To get it, you need to log in to your Service-Public.fr account.
You can download the PDF document to your personal space.
You can also request to receive it by mail.
The document shall include the electronic signature of a registrar.
If you do not wish to apply online, you can submit your request by mail, on free paper, with the Central Civil Registry Service of Nantes (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Who shall I contact
- Central Civil Registry Service (Scec)
Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a Frenchman abroad
Only by mail to:
Central Civil Registry Service
11 White House Street
44941 Nantes Cedex 09
The service is not open to the public.
You can apply for a civil status certificate through a online service.
For more information, you can:
- Go to diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Call the+33 1 41 86 42 47 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 4 pm
Free access to video interpretation or instant speech transcription for the deaf or hard of hearing - Email courrier.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr
- If you request your full copy or extract with filiation, you must indicate your surname, forenames, date and place of birth, your address + the surname, forenames of your parents.
- If you are applying for a full copy or a parentage excerpt for another person, you must provide the surname, first name, date and place of birth of the person to whom the document relates + the usual surname and first name of his parents.
For an application by post, the time limit for issuing a birth certificate is approximately 30 days.
Warning
if you request a birth certificate other than yours (your father for example), proof of your direct relationship with this person (copy of your birth certificate, family record,...) will be requested.
The request is free.
Warning
there is no need to make your request on websites that ask you for financial compensation.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Full Copy
The full copy shall reproduce all the information contained in the birth certificate entered in the civil register.
It includes your personal information (surname, first names, date of birth and place of birth), and that of your parents.
It indicates the marginal mentions when they exist.
Extract with filiation
The extract with parentage is a summary of the information contained in the birth certificate entered in the civil registry.
It contains your personal information (name, first name, date and place of birth) and that of your parents.
It indicates the marginal mentions when they exist.
Unrelated Extract
The extract without parentage is a summary of the information contained in the birth certificate entered in the civil registry.
It contains your personal information (surname, first names, date and place of birth).
It indicates the marginal mentions when they exist.
Access to a copy of a birth certificate depends on the type of document and the person requesting it.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Full Copy
You can obtain a full copy of a birth certificate if you are one of the following:
- Person concerned by the act (provided he is of age) or his legal representative
- Spouse, wife or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent
- Ascendant of the person concerned (parent, grandparent...)
- Descendant of the person concerned (child, grandchild)
- Lawfully authorized professional (e.g. a lawyer on behalf of a client)
If you are on this list, you can obtain a copy of a birth or marriage certificate from the public archives. at any time and without limitation in time.
However, any other person (e.g. uncle, aunt) will not be able to request the release of these documents until:
- 100 years if the person is a minor
- 75 years from the date of the most recent document or document included in the file, if the person is alive
- 25 years if the person has died
Extract with filiation
You can obtain an extract from a birth certificate with filiation if you are one of the following:
- Person concerned by the act (provided he is of age) or his legal representative
- Spouse, wife or partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent
- Ascendant of the person concerned (parent, grandparent...)
- Descendant of the person concerned (child, grandchild)
- Lawfully authorized professional (e.g. a lawyer on behalf of a client)
If you are on this list, you can obtain a copy of a birth or marriage certificate from the public archives. at any time and without limitation in time.
However, any other person (e.g. uncle, aunt) will not be able to request the release of these documents until:
- 100 years if the person is a minor
- 75 years from the date of the most recent document or document included in the file, if the person is alive
- 25 years if the person has died
Unrelated Extract
Any person may obtain a birth certificate without parentage, without
have to justify their request.
- Decree No. 2017-890 of 6 May 2017 on civil statusConditions of issue: Articles 25 to 38
- Civil Code: Articles 34 to 54Establishment of civil status records
- Civil Code: Articles 55 to 59Declaration of birth and content of the birth certificate
- Circular of 28 October 2011 on various civil status documents relating to birth and filiation (PDF - 1.0 MB)
- Circular of 23 July 2014 on civil status (PDF - 249.4 KB)
- Ordinance No. 2019-724 of 10 July 2019 on experimentation with the dematerialization of civil registration documents issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Decree No. 2019-993 of 26 September 2019 on experimentation with the dematerialization of civil registration documents issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
FAQ
- What is a marginal statement on a civil status document?
- How do I challenge a civil registration refusal from the city hall?
- Is there a period of validity of a civil status document?
- What recourse is there if the identity card or passport file is refused?
- How to use a French civil status document in Europe?
- Identity cardService-Public.fr
- PassportService-Public.fr
- MarriageService-Public.fr
- Civil Solidarity Pact (Civil partnerships)Service-Public.fr
- Marriage certificate: request for full copy or extractService-Public.fr
- Death certificate: request for full copyService-Public.fr
- Civil status and French nationalityMinistry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
- Births abroadMinistry for Europe and Foreign Affairs