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Marriage and Civil Partnerships (PACS) in France

List of documentary requirements for marriage or PACs in France and FAQs:

Please contact the city hall where you will be getting married for the list of documents they require.  Most city halls mairies in France require some or all of the following documents:

  • a valid U.S. passport;
  • a certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate and divorce decree if applicable: To get a copy of a vital record, contact the vital records office in the state where the event occurred.  For more information, visit the website of the National Center for Health Statistics – CDC http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm
  • an Apostille which will authenticate the document for use in France: For information on how to obtain the apostille, please refer to this webpage : U.S. State issued documents
  • certified French translation: An official translation of your birth certificate and divorce decree if applicable.  A list of sworn translators is available at every mairie or on the Cour de Cassation website: https://www.courdecassation.fr/experts-agrees-par-les-cours-dappel
  • proof of domicile justificatifs de domicile: You or your future spouse will need to present two documents (i.e.: electricity or telephone bills, rent etc.) establishing that you actually reside in the district in which you intent to marry.
  • for a prenuptial marriage contract: a certificat du notaire is required. If the parties to marriage opt for a prenuptial contract governing their respective properties régime du mariage the French notary preparing the contract will give the couple a certificate certificat du notaire which must be presented to the mairie.

The “Certificat de coutume and certificat de célibat ou de non re-mariage”

Each person much attest that they are single and any previous marriages or unions have been dissolved through death or divorce.  Since marriage records in the United States are managed by individual states, neither the U.S. Embassy nor any other federal authority can deliver a Certificat de coutumes or certificate de célibat for U.S. citizens.

To meet the requirements of the French government, U.S. citizens may sign an Attestation tenant lieu de certificat de coutume et de célibat  (PDF-388 KB) attesting that they are free to marry or enter a PACS. This form does not require notarization by the U.S. Embassy.   If you wish to have your signature legalized you may do so at the local city hall – mairie –  with a valid U.S. passport. ou may also show this letter (PDF-551 KB)  explaining this matter.

If the mairie insists that the document must be notarized by the Embassy, you may make an appointment for a notary service at the U.S. Embassy in Paris or the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille or Strasbourg.  The consular fee is $50 per seal. Schedule an appointment in Paris, Marseille or Strasbourg

Civil and Religious Unions in France

Civil Ceremony:  All marriages in France must be performed by a French civil authority, i.e., an officier de l’état civil, before any religious ceremony takes place.

Religious ceremony: A religious ceremony may be performed after the civil ceremony.  The minister, priest or rabbi performing the ceremony will require the certificate of civil marriage certificat de célébration civile as proof that the civil ceremony has taken place. In France a religious ceremony does not constitute a legal marriage.

PACS “Pacte Civil de Solidarité”

The PACS offers all unmarried couples, same-sex and opposite-sex, a legal status carrying some but not all of the benefits of marriage.  The act defines the PACS as “a contract concluded between two physical persons who have reached the age of majority, of different or the same gender, for the purposes of organizing their life in common.”

A PACS is not equivalent to marriage under French law, and the U.S. does not recognize it as a marriage.  For further information on the PACS, please refer to any French consular website in the U.S., or the following webpages: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N144?lang=en and http://ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article331.

Marriage Certificate

Couples married in France automatically receive a livret de famille (family history booklet).  This is an official document which serves as a record of a marriage and subsequent events in the family such as births, deaths, divorce, or name changes.  These events are all recorded as mentions marginales.

FAQs on Marriage and PACS in France

Q: What is a « certificat de coutumes » and “certificat de célibat”?
In order to be married or PACS in France, each person much attest that they are single and any previous marriages or unions have been dissolved through death or divorce.

Since marriage records in the United States are managed by individual states, neither the U.S. Embassy nor any other federal authority can deliver a “certificat de coutumes” or “certificate de célibat”for U.S. citizens.

To meet the requirements of the French government, U.S. citizens may instead sign an Attestation tenant lieu de certificat de coutumes et de célibat  (PDF-388) attesting that they are free to marry or enter a PACS.

Q: Where can I legalize my signature on the “attestation tenant lieu de certificat de coutume et de célibat » ?
The form which is available on our website does not require notarization by the U.S. Embassy.   If you wish to have your signature legalized you may do so at the local city hall (mairie) with a valid U.S. passport.

Q: The city hall “mairie” where I’m getting married/PACS does not accept the document without my certified signature by the US Embassy. What can I do?
If the mairie insists that the document must be notarized by the Embassy, you may make an appointment for a notary service at the U.S. Embassy in Paris or the U.S. Consulate General in Marseille or Strasbourg.  The consular fee is $50 per seal.

Q: Can I get this document in the United-States or another country, or at another US Embassy?
The city hall mairie in charge of celebrating your marriage will be able to inform you.

Q: Do I need to notify or register my marriage with the Embassy?
You are not required to register your marriage in France with the U.S. Embassy.  However, if you plan on residing in France, we recommend that you register in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program so you can receive safety and security messages from the Embassy.

Q: How can I  authenticate a French marriage certificate to be valid in the United States?
You may obtain an Apostille for Documents Issued in France both on the marriage certificate and the certified translation from the competent Court of Appeal in France. A list of certified translators is available on the French Supreme Court Cour de Cassation website, and at any City Hall in France.

Q: Family History Record Booklet – “livret de famille”
There is no equivalent of the French family history record booklets in the United States.

Q: Public or Private Guardianship
Orders of guardianship in the United States are issued by a judge.  The U.S. government does not have a centralized register of court orders. There is no equivalent of the French family history record booklets in the United States.