Getting married in France to a foreign national: documents for the town hall and translations

By Keran Chaussard, administrator of the Directory of Sworn Translators of France — updated on 11 October 2026

To marry at a French town hall (mairie), the foreign partner must provide the original of a birth certificate extract showing parentage issued less than six months earlier, an identity document, proof of address and, in most cases, a certificate of custom (certificat de coutume) and a certificate of no impediment or of capacity to marry issued by their consulate.

Every document written in a foreign language must be translated by a sworn translator, meaning a translator registered as a court-appointed expert with a French court of appeal. Depending on the country, the certificate must also be apostilled or legalised: this is the first step, because the apostille must be translated together with the certificate.

The documents to provide to the town hall

The marriage file is submitted to the town hall of the chosen municipality, which must be where one of the future spouses, or one of their parents, has their home or residence. The town hall requires the original of every document. Each future spouse provides:

an identity document (original and photocopy): identity card, passport, residence permit or any official document with a photograph
proof of address or residence: energy bill, rent receipt, tax notice… Mobile phone bills and bank details slips (RIB) are not accepted
a birth certificate extract showing parentage, unless the town hall can consult the civil records of the place of birth directly (the case for many people born in France)
details of the witnesses: identity, date and place of birth, occupation, address and a copy of their identity document

The foreign partner may also have to provide:

a certificate of custom, usually issued by their embassy or consulate, setting out their country's rules on marriage and confirming that they are free to marry
a certificate of no impediment (certificate of celibacy) or of capacity to marry, proving that they are not already married, particularly when their country does not issue updated civil status records
if divorced: the final divorce decision, if the divorce is not recorded on their birth certificate
if widowed: the death certificate of the former spouse, or a birth certificate bearing a note of the death
if there is a marriage contract: the notary's certificate

Requirements may vary slightly from one town hall to another: use the official Service-Public simulator and ask the town hall for its list before ordering your documents.

Foreign birth certificate: less than six months old when the file is submitted

The birth certificate extract showing parentage must be less than six months old if issued abroad, and less than three months old if issued in France. The period is counted from the date the file is submitted, not from the date of the ceremony.

If the country of birth does not update its civil status records, no time limit applies, but you must then provide a statement from the embassy, consulate or an authority of the country of origin confirming this.

In practice, a certificate obtained too early and then apostilled and translated may have expired by the time the file is submitted. Plan the steps backwards from your town hall appointment.

Which documents need translating?

Every document written in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation by a sworn translator. The documents most often concerned are:

the foreign birth certificate, together with its apostille or legalisation
the certificate of custom and the certificate of no impediment or capacity to marry, if they are not written in French
a divorce decision issued abroad
the death certificate of the former spouse, for a widowed person
where applicable, the statement from a lawyer or legal expert on the marriage rules of the country of origin, when that country does not issue a certificate of custom

Two situations often make a translation unnecessary:

a multilingual birth certificate extract, whose headings are already translated into several languages, including French
the European multilingual standard form, for certificates issued in an EU country

A certificate of custom issued by a consulate in France is often written directly in French: check before having it translated.

Apostille or legalisation: before the translation

Depending on the issuing country, the certificate must be apostilled (countries party to the Hague Convention), legalised, or it is exempt from any formality under a bilateral agreement or EU law. The country-by-country table shows the applicable rule.

The order of the steps matters:

obtain a recent birth certificate in the country of origin or from its consulate
have it apostilled or legalised if the country requires it
have the certificate and the apostille or legalisation translated by a sworn translator
submit everything to the town hall within the six-month period

A translation made before the apostille means the apostille has to be translated separately, or the translation redone.

Interview, publication of banns and interpreter

Once the file has been submitted, the registrar interviews the future spouses, together and sometimes separately, unless they consider the interview unnecessary. If one of them does not understand French, the registrar may require a translator or interpreter to be present, at the couple's expense if paid. If the foreign partner lives abroad, the interview may take place at the French consulate.

The banns are published for ten days at the town hall of the marriage and at that of the future spouses' home. The marriage may be celebrated from the tenth day after publication, and no later than one year afterwards.

On the day of the ceremony, a translator-interpreter may also be present, at the couple's expense, so that the partner who does not speak French understands the commitments they are making. An interpreter registered as a court-appointed expert with a court of appeal is the safest choice.

Mistakes that delay a wedding

A birth certificate that has expired at submission: more than six months between issue and submission of the file, often because of apostille and translation times.
An untranslated apostille, or a translation made before the apostille.
A translation that is not sworn: made by a relative, by an agency without a court-appointed translator, or by machine translation.
Names spelt differently on the passport, the translated birth certificate and the certificate of custom, particularly for names transliterated from a non-Latin script.
A photocopy instead of the original: the town hall requires the original of every document.
A non-resident foreign couple: two foreign nationals who do not live in France cannot marry at a town hall in metropolitan France, only at their country's consulate or in certain French overseas territories.

Finding a sworn translator for a marriage file

The Directory of Sworn Translators of France lets you search for a court-appointed translator or interpreter by language, département, region and court of appeal. The translation has the same value whichever court of appeal the expert is attached to: for a rare language or a tight deadline, widen your search to the whole of France or use the express file submission service.

Entrust all the documents to the same translator and tell them how the names are spelt in the passport: you will obtain consistent translations, with no discrepancies that could hold up the file.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do you need to marry a foreign national in France?: For the foreign partner: an identity document, proof of address, a birth certificate extract showing parentage issued less than six months earlier and, in most cases, a certificate of custom and a certificate of no impediment or capacity to marry. If they are in a foreign language, these documents must be translated by a sworn translator and, depending on the country, apostilled or legalised.
Does a foreign birth certificate need translating for a marriage in France?: Yes, if it is written in a foreign language, unless it is a multilingual extract or a European multilingual standard form. The translation must be made by a sworn translator and include the apostille or legalisation, if the certificate bears one.
How long is a foreign birth certificate valid for a marriage in France?: Six months, counted from the date the file is submitted to the town hall. No time limit applies if the country does not update its records, provided a statement from the consulate confirming this is supplied.
Does the certificate of custom need translating?: Only if it is not written in French. When issued by a consulate in France, it is often written directly in French.
Do you need an interpreter on the wedding day?: If one of the future spouses does not understand French, the registrar may require a translator or interpreter, both at the interview and at the ceremony. Their fees are paid by the couple.
Can two foreign nationals marry in France?: Yes, if at least one of them has their home or residence in the municipality, or if one of their parents lives there. Two foreign nationals who do not live in France can only marry at their country's consulate or in certain French overseas territories.

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