Death certificate: request for full copy
Verified 22 March 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
A complete copy of a death certificate is a reproduction of the entire death certificate.
You can ask for it at any time, without supporting documents.
The request is free.
The steps to obtain it depend on the place of death : in France or abroad.
In France
You can apply directly online.
Request for death certificate (in France) - Free service
You will receive the document at 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 do not apply online, you can do it by going there, either to the town hall of the place of death or to the town hall of the last residence of the deceased.
You can make the request at the counter by indicating the name and forenames of the deceased and the date of death.
No documents are required.
The document is provided to you immediately.
Any person may request a death certificate, without particular justification.
Yes, the request is free.
The complete copy shall reproduce all the information contained in the death certificate entered in the civil registry.
It mentions the following:
- Date, time and place of death
- First names, surname, date and place of birth, profession and domicile of the deceased
- Parents' first names, last names, professions and homes
- First names and surname of spouse or Civil partnership partner
- First names, surname, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant (if any, his degree of kinship with the deceased)
FYI
death is mentioned on the margins of the birth certificate of the deceased.
Abroad
Online
You can apply online.
You must create a Service-Public.fr account or sign in with FranceConnect.
Request for Death Certificate (Overseas) - Free Service
The time limit for issuing a death certificate shall be approximately 20 days.
To get it, you need to log in to your Service-Public.fr account.
You will be able to 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.
By mail
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
You must specify in your application the surname and first names of the deceased and the date of death.
The time limit for issuing a death certificate shall be approximately 30 days.
FYI
to obtain a copy of the death certificate of a foreign person who died abroad, you must contact the authority that issued the certificate in the country concerned.
Any person may request a death certificate, without particular justification.
Yes, the request is free.
The complete copy shall reproduce all the information contained in the death certificate entered in the civil registry.
It mentions the following:
- Date, time and place of death
- First names, surname, date and place of birth, profession and domicile of the deceased
- Parents' first names, last names, professions and homes
- First names and surname of spouse or Civil partnership partner
- First names, surname, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant (if any, his degree of kinship with the deceased)
FYI
death is mentioned on the margins of the birth certificate of the deceased.