U.S. Embassy & Consulates
in France

Apostille for Documents Issued in France

The United States and France are both parties to the Hague Convention which abolishes the requirement of legalization for Foreign Public Documents and simplifies the procedure necessary for French documents to be used in the United States.

Documents issued in one country which need to be used in another country must be “authenticated” or “legalized” before they can be recognized as valid in the foreign country. This is a process in which various seals are placed on the document. Such documents range from powers of attorney, affidavits, birth, death and marriages records, incorporation papers, deeds, patent applications, home studies and other legal papers. The number and type of authentication certificates that you will need to obtain depend on the nature of the document.
The Apostille must be affixed at the government agency in the country which issued the original document.

There is no charge for the Apostille, which normally should be ready for pick up in 24 hours.

The Embassy does not have the authority to affix the Apostille to documents issued in France or in other countries.

If the document was issued in the départements of 75, 93, 94, 91, 77 et 89, please go to the following office:

Cour d’Appel de Paris
Service Apostille
Vestibule de Harlay, 1er étage
10 boulevard du Palais
75001 Paris (Métro: Chatelet / Saint-Michel / Cité)
Tel: 01.44.32.73.54
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:15 to 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday
Email: address: apostille.ca-paris@justice.fr

For documents issued in other départements, please contact the Procureur General or the nearest Appeals Court  with questions on which documents require certification for recognition in the United States and how to obtain the Apostille.