Civil marriage in France
French or non french nationals wishing to get married in France must contact directly the Town Hall (Mairie) of his or her residence in France.
Any British or non British national who wants to get married in France must contact their own Consulate in France.
The information below is given only as a guide.
CONDITIONS:
minimum stay of one month in the town where the marriage will take place in France => Proof of residence will be required
the future husband and wife must give their consent
There must not be any close family relationship or ties between the future husband and wife.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED :
Birth certificate : It will be necessary to provide the "certified copy of an entry" (the full version with the names of the parents) with a translation. The Consulate does not undertake any translation. The legalisation of British documents and their translation must be « apostilled » according to the following procedure :
the documents must be translated by any translator (see yellow pages)
present the original with the translation to a solicitor registered with the Law society in the United-Kingdom,
The solicitor must verify the authenticity of the document and certify that the translation is correct,
It is imperative that the solicitor signs his own name and that of the firm,
The document should then be submitted for the apostille to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, at the following address (we advise you to contact them beforehand) :
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
LEGALISATION OFFICE
Old Admiralty Building
The Mall
London SW1A 2LG
0207 008 1111
www.fco.gov.uk/legalisation
This can also be done directly in France according to the following procedure :
the original documents have to be legalised by one of the British Consulates in France,
they have to be translated by an official sworn translator in France (lists are available from the Courts of Appeal - Cour d’Appel.)
A solicitor’s certificate : this certificate is necessary if the future couple has entered into a marriage contract. In the absence of any contract, the spouses will be subject to the law of the country in which they settle their first place of residence, according to the Hague Convention of 14th March 1978. However, since this appreciation can be subject to variations, it is recommended to refer to that convention for futher details.
Certificate of law = certificat de coutume. This certificate can be obtained from the :
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Consular Division
Nationality and passport section - Room E502
Kings Charles Street
LONDON SW1A 2AH
(by post only)
Tél : 0207 008 0186 (from 9.30am to 12.30pm)
or from the :
Consular Section of the British Embassy
16 rue d’Anjou
75008 Paris
Tél : 00 33 1 44 51 31 00
Declaration of forenames, surnames, occupation and residence of two witnesses,
*Divorce judgement for divorcees : For British nationals =>Decree Nisi Absolute with a translation in French (which can be legalised as well),
Death certificate of former spouse for widow or widower,
Certificate of capacity to marry = Certificat de célibat : This certificate is also known as "certificate of non-impediment". British nationals can obtain it from their town hall.