Wedding in France - registration at the city hall. Features of family life in France Where to get married in France

Despite the fact that the French are quite religious, a marriage in France is considered official only if it is concluded in the city hall, that is, a secular marriage. A church marriage is a beautiful ceremony or an important ritual for believers, but it does not carry any legal consequences.

Visit to the mayor's office and obtain permission

Getting married in France is a serious matter; it is not enough just to want to get married; there are a number of conditions. In order for your application to be accepted at the mayor's office, one of the future spouses must continuously reside in the district where they are going to get married for at least the last forty days at the time of marriage. If those getting married lived in different districts, but each of them, at the time of submitting the application to the mayor’s office, had lived in their district for the last thirty days in a row, then the application can be submitted to any of these two departments.

Marriage in France takes place no earlier than ten days after submitting an application to the mayor's office and publishing an announcement about the marriage, this causes a slight discrepancy in the numbers. That is, at the time the application is submitted, the period of continuous residence in one district of France must be at least thirty days, and at the time of marriage registration - at least forty days.

When the application has already been submitted, the mayor's office issues a special brochure, which will contain a list of all the documents, certificates and certificates necessary for your marriage to be registered in France. The brochure, of course, will be in French. There is no dubbing in English. Please note that in order to enter into a marriage in France, documents are only needed in the original; if a copy is submitted, it must be notarized. If you have documents not in French (most often a birth certificate), they must only be translated by a sworn translator. If you do not know where to find a sworn translator, ask the city hall directly. In addition, contact details of sworn translators can be found at any police station.

By law, marriage in France takes place only after public notice. This means that ten days before the wedding is registered, a message about the upcoming marriage will be published in the local newspaper. The advertisement is submitted to the newspaper by the mayor's office, but before applying for publication, officials from the mayor's office must familiarize themselves with some of the required documents and approve them. Some counties may require a complete set of documents to issue an alert. All details should be clarified with the city hall itself, preferably in advance, so that there are no unpleasant surprises. Since France recognizes civil marriage as the only legally authorized one, a wedding in a church is possible only if you have an official marriage certificate - you will definitely be asked to show it, and will be refused if you do not have one.

Required documents

The required documents for registering a marriage in France are:

ID card (passport);
birth certificate. It must be issued no later than three months before the registration date if issued in France, or no later than six months if issued abroad. In the latter case, confirmation of its legality in France will be required (for example, an apostille);
proof of residential address (for example, a rental agreement);
confirmation of citizenship;
proof of civil status. You need to obtain a special certificate from the embassy - Certificat de Capacité Matrimoniale. And if you were already married, also provide divorce papers or a death certificate of the previous spouse;
notarial certificate (only for marriage contract);
family book (Livret de Famille). This is usually required if you have already had a child in France;
information about future newlyweds from four people.

Since 2013, a medical certificate is no longer required for registration.

If you are not a French citizen, you may additionally need a Certificate de Coutume from your embassy. It guarantees that the marriage will be valid both in France and in your home country.

Marriage to a French citizen will not automatically grant you French citizenship. We'll have to wait another two years.

Where to get a certificate of civil status

In Russia

A certificate of civil status for marriage is issued by a Russian notary. It must be affixed with an Apostille by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

In France

A certificate of civil status for marriage is issued by the Russian Consulate in France by appointment. An apostille is not required. The document is issued in French.

Remote method of obtaining a certificate: A certificate of civil status for marriage can also be issued by lawyer Alupova Vonnio. The document is issued in French. An apostille is not required.

You can order a certificate from lawyer Alupova Vonnio using feedback. Upon your request, the lawyer will send you complete information about the necessary documents.

Making a decision

Entry into the country by marriage was quite often used by various kinds of scammers who, once in France, underwent legalization there and then got divorced. Identification of fictitious marriages is carried out by migration service employees who monitor a family in which one of its members is a foreigner. They find out whether the spouses live together, whether they have joint property, etc. If suspicions arise that the marriage is fictitious, obtaining citizenship will be problematic. Practice shows that many questions are resolved if spouses have children together before applying for citizenship.

Prenuptial agreement and other prenuptial agreements

In France, as in many other European Union countries, it is customary to conclude a prenuptial agreement before getting married. And this is done not because couples are initially preparing for divorce, but in order to protect themselves from many possible problems in the future.

Types of marriage contracts in France:

Agreement on joint ownership of acquired property. In this case, the spouses manage money and other things at their own discretion, but for large transactions or taking out a loan, the signature of both spouses will be required. Debts are also considered general. In the event of divorce, everything that was acquired for the family is divided in half.
Agreement on separate ownership of property. In this case, each spouse owns what is registered in his name. This applies to real estate, cars, and other things. In addition, everyone is responsible for their own credit obligations and debts. In the event of a divorce, both parties receive their property.
A document confirming participation in the ownership of property acquired during marriage. This is not a very popular form of agreement. In a marriage, everyone manages their own income. But in the event of a divorce, a recalculation occurs. And the spouse whose property turns out to be greater must pay compensation to the second family member.
An agreement regarding the common ownership of property. In this case, not only what was acquired during marriage is considered joint, but also what each spouse had before the wedding. This option is extremely rare.

How does the ceremony take place?

Official ceremony

Usually the main ceremony is considered to be the wedding, to which all guests are invited. Registration at the city hall takes place in the first half of the day and is attended only by close family members and friends.

The invitation must indicate which of the guests are invited to the mayor's office, and which only to the church. Ransoms and similar traditions do not exist in France. All guests immediately go to the mayor's office. Very often, for a wedding in the city hall, the bride buys a special, more formal dress or suit, and leaves the traditional wedding dress for the ceremony in the church.

The ceremony is conducted by the city's deputy mayor and other city hall employees. They read out articles from the French Family Code, the rights and responsibilities of future spouses in relation to each other. After the cherished “Yes” said by both spouses, they begin to sign the documents.

During registration, the presence of two witnesses is required, who also sign the documents. The ceremony lasts about 30 minutes, at the end of which a so-called Family Book is issued, confirming the marriage.

Wedding and festive banquet

This part of the ceremony is optional. It all depends on the financial capabilities of the newlyweds.

Spouse visa

After marriage in France, the immigrant is entitled to a spouse visa. This is one of the options for a long-term D visa, allowing you to stay in the country for one year. The main condition for applicants for a long-term stay in the country is passing exams in the French language and knowledge of national traditions. The test is carried out in oral and written form.

In case of a fiasco, the applicant will be offered to improve his missing knowledge in courses for two to three months, of course, in his homeland. The number of retakes is not regulated by migration legislation.

Therefore, in order not to live in separation, it is worth taking the exam question seriously.

Citizenship by marriage

Having lived as a spouse for two years gives the resident the right to obtain French citizenship. Submitting documents is possible with the permission of the husband (wife). The applicant needs to collect a package of documents established by migration legislation, which includes information about place of residence, employment and availability of bank accounts.

Among the main conditions is continuous stay in the country for the last two years on a national visa D. The applicant for citizenship will have to retake an exam on knowledge of the language and cultural values of France. The application for citizenship status is examined by the French Tribunal. The total inspection period reaches 1.5 years.

From the moment of application, the identity of the applicant will be carefully checked. Particular attention is paid to marriage, since fictitious unions are quite common in France. Based on the results of a personal check and the results of exams, the commission makes a decision whether or not to grant the applicant French citizenship.

Divorce

Types of divorce

There are several types of divorce:

by mutual agreement of the parties. This type of divorce in France is considered the fastest and easiest to implement. In this case, the parties will incur a minimum of costs and will be able to get a divorce as quickly as possible. This procedure applies only if the spouses have fully agreed on the division of property, determining the place of further residence of the children, etc. on one's own;
voluntary divorce on the initiative of both parties, but with the division of property or determination of the place of residence of children with the help of the court. This procedure is applied if the parties believe that divorce is inevitable, but cannot independently resolve property issues and problems related to minor children;
divorce due to the fault of one of the spouses. A very complex procedure that involves proving the fact of infidelity, alcoholism, domestic violence and other characteristics of the behavior of one spouse that pushed the second to divorce;
divorce due to the separation of spouses, which has led to the fact that the restoration of family relationships is no longer possible. This reason is rarely used in practice, although it is possible to use it in cases of proven separation of spouses for a period of two years or more.

List of documents

Required documents for divorce:

Application for divorce.
Passport (foreign, French citizen).
Permission to stay in the country (visa category D).
Family book (livret de famille).
Property division agreement.
Marriage contract (upon its conclusion).
Information about income and property.
Documents for the child.

Possible difficulties

The most unpleasant aspect of this situation is the cost of a lawyer. The price for an hour of work of a lawyer in court starts from 200-300 euros.

It is also not uncommon for a hearing to be postponed. Basically, this is done to ensure that the spouses make peace. This process can take from 2 months to several years.

Is it possible to stay in France after a divorce?

If the spouse has been married for less than 5 years and has a temporary residence permit for a year, then as soon as it expires, they will have to leave the country.

In this case, you can only stay in France by concluding an open-ended contract with an employer or purchasing housing.

Conclusion

Considering all of the above, we recommend that you seek help from qualified specialists, as well as pay maximum attention to even small details when applying for a visa of the appropriate category, in order to eliminate further unnecessary financial costs, as well as loss of time that you could use for more best goals.

Despite the religiosity of the inhabitants of France, getting married within the walls of a church is simply a beautiful tradition that many French residents revere. Only secular marriages, that is, those concluded in the mayor's office, have legal force.

Visit to City Hall

To get married, a woman must be fifteen years old and a man eighteen. Concluding a marriage in France is not easy; for this you need to fulfill several conditions. To submit an application to the mayor's office, any of the future newlyweds must live in the district where they want to get married for at least 40 days. If future newlyweds live in more than 30 different districts, then they are allowed to submit an application for a marriage union to any city hall of each district. The wedding ceremony takes place at least 10 days after submitting the application. That is, to apply for a marriage union, you need to live in the district for thirty days, but the marriage can be concluded only after forty days.

Once you have submitted your application, the mayor's office will issue a separate brochure containing all the documents required to register an official marriage in France. The brochure is not translated into other languages; it only uses French. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that you need to submit original documents, and when submitting copies, they need to be notarized.

All documents must be submitted in French, otherwise you need to hire a sworn translator who will translate and certify the necessary documents. The mayor's office will assist you in finding a sworn translator. Also, contacts for a sworn translator can always be found at the local police station. The union is allowed to be concluded only after the publication of information on the conclusion of a marriage union in the local newspaper. The announcement will contain the following information: place and time of marriage registration, full names of the future newlyweds and their addresses.

Information on marriage is published by the mayor's office, but before publication, the mayor's office must check and approve some documents. In some districts, the mayor's office requires all documents at once.

Any city resident can protest a marriage if he has information and reasons why marriage is impossible. You can get married in a church only after a secular wedding. At the church you will be asked to present a marriage certificate certified by the mayor's office; if you do not have it, you will be denied a wedding. It is also worth noting that upon marriage, the surnames of the spouses do not change. On all of the wife's documents, the husband's last name appears as the "last name used."

List of required documents for marriage

To get married, you need to go through a rather difficult process of collecting the necessary documents. For foreign women who wish to enter into an alliance with a resident of France, it is necessary to submit the following documents to the district mayor's office:

Passport. To get married, your passport must be valid; in other cases, you will be denied marriage registration. If desired, the passport can be replaced with a residence permit.
Birth certificate. This document must be certified and translated by a sworn translator. In some states, instead of a birth certificate, they provide a certificate that is issued at birth in a maternity hospital. In France, this system does not work and you need to provide an official birth certificate, that is, provided at the registry.
Confirmation of residential address. To confirm the fact that you live at the address you indicated, you need a bill you paid for any of the utilities. In addition, a certificate of payment for insurance, rent or communication services can be used as evidence. It is best to take 2-3 pieces of evidence.
Certificate of absence of obstacles. This document is required only from residents of other countries who wish to enter into a marriage. This document can only be issued by a lawyer who practices both in France and in the home state of one of the future newlyweds. You can usually contact the embassy for this document.
Certificate of legal capacity. This document confirms that you are not currently married. This certificate has its own “expiration date” – three months. At the end of the period, you need to replace the certificate with a new one. This certificate must only be provided by citizens of other countries.
A copy of the divorce certificate or death certificate of the previous spouse. These documents need to be provided only if one of the future newlyweds has already been in a marriage union. If you had children in a previous marriage, then you need to add a birth certificate for each child to the previous documents.

To get married, you do not need a medical examination certificate. When entering into a remarriage, at least three hundred days must pass after the divorce; if this period has not passed, then you must provide a certificate of absence of pregnancy.

Wedding ceremony in France

The marriage ceremony takes place at the mayor's office. Marriages in small towns are performed by the mayor himself, but in big cities he performs the ceremony very rarely and the marriage is registered by his deputy. During the wedding, the mayor reads articles from the family code, the rights of spouses and their marital responsibilities. After this, he inquires about the existence of a marriage contract and writes down this information in a special act.

The wedding can be celebrated in the presence of witnesses. For an ordinary union, two witnesses are enough, but if the spouses wish, they can invite more. More than four witnesses cannot be invited. Each of the witnesses is required to prove their identity and appear at the ceremony itself. Witnesses do not need French citizenship; the main thing is that they must know French at least at an intermediate level. This rule was introduced so that witnesses understand the essence of the ceremony without an interpreter.

The mayor or his deputy has the right to remove witnesses who do not speak French at the appropriate level and cancel the wedding.

At the end of the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds are given a “marriage book”, confirming the fact that the marriage has been concluded. This book will record all important events related to marriage, namely: change of name, birth of children, death of one of the spouses, divorce, etc.

Classmates

Galina (Ukraine): Marriage to a Frenchman. After the wedding all hell broke loose.

In the summer of 2007, I married a French citizen P. Before that, we met several times, traveled 3 times: to Leningrad, Prague, Istanbul. From the very first time we communicated, I noticed that something was wrong with P.: in Prague, he brushed his teeth with my toothbrush, dried himself with my towel, and while having sex, he quietly took off the condom and pushed it inside me. I walked around with this object inside for a day, as a result of which bleeding began. When I told my assumptions to the director of a marriage agency (Ukraine), who introduced us and asked her for a certificate about P.’s mental state, she refused. I really wanted a family and a child and didn’t dwell on it.Before the wedding, P. demanded that I sign a marriage contract, which he and his lawyer drew up. I believed him and signed it in France before the wedding. I had not studied French before and could not know how a marriage contract was drawn up. The girl who translated for me works at his company and does not have a special legal education to translate such documents. Now that the transfer was made to me, I understood that this contract testifies against me, because... I have nothing after the divorce.Before the wedding, I asked P. to enter into an agreement, which was signed by the director of the marriage agency, me and P., in which he undertakes to give me pocket money, and if he wants to get a divorce, he guarantees me the purchase of a home in France in A. Now he says that he entered into this contract to lure me into marriage and refuses to fulfill any obligations under this contract. For 8 months he never gave me the promised amount. He gave me a credit card that I can’t even pay in an ordinary supermarket. And he said that he wants me to beg him for money whenever I need it. And he will decide whether to give them to me or not.After the wedding, all hell broke loose. P. bought a house 1.5 hours away from the city by car. In the forest. He left and locked me up in the morning and came back in the evening. I couldn't go anywhere. He didn’t give me a car so I could go anywhere. He climbed onto the roof and peeked at me from the windows, rummaged through my bags, things, phones. This really scared me.Every day for the first 3 months I asked him to help me learn French. To which he replied that he did not want to, because... afraid that I will be able to communicate with French citizens. He didn't want my mom to be able to come. He constantly promised, and didn’t even invite her to the wedding. He was probably afraid that my mother would see how he treated me and wouldn’t want to leave me with him.He constantly made scandals for me because I called my mother too often, saying that it was expensive.P. forced me to have sadistic sex: he bit my intimate areas until they bled, scratched my body, stuck his fingers into my anus, which caused numerous tears. He forced me to insert 2-3 fingers into his anus. It was terrible! I cried and asked to stop, to which he said: that’s it, that’s it, next time I won’t do this. This went on for six months while I lived with him in France.Now I managed to leave for Ukraine. But it didn't end there. He hired people to follow me, stalk me and try to intimidate me. When I asked him if it was him, he answered that no. I contacted the police, but the investigator said: the one who is watching you is my good friend, and I will not investigate this case. And I advise you not to write anywhere else, because... all the same, all cases will come to me, and I will not consider them.Now P. is blackmailing me. If I don’t return, he will convict me of fraud and divorce me, leaving no money for subsistence. He demands that I return all the money that he spent on me, knowing in advance that I sold my business in Ukraine and cannot give anything back. He demands that my mother and I sign the following contract: if I do not return, then all our property goes into his use. He said that he had a lot of money and the owner of the agency, who used to work in the police, would help him. He said that he knows how in Ukraine, with the help of large bribes, big issues can be resolved even in court.When I lived in France, a woman whom my husband hired came to see me. And she saw the bruises on my body. She also saw a recent sexual correspondence in a perverted form between my husband and his ex-girlfriend. I have this photographed.I complained to my Russian girls friends. One of them has a lawyer husband who recommended going to the doctor to get her injuries treated. Because my husband didn’t let me go anywhere alone, I was able to see a doctor only after arriving in Ukraine. 4 doctors made a conclusion.But I don’t know what to do next. Help, please. Where and who should I contact to end this nightmare?With great respect and hope. Thank you in advance.Galina

Marriage process in France is determined by the provisions of the country's Civil Code (Articles 144-228). Despite a strong social security system, particularly for families, the institution of marriage in France is in decline. Traditional marriage often gives way to informal cohabitation.

The lower age limit is set at 18 years for men and 15 years for women. However, if there are compelling reasons, the Public Prosecutor may decide to marriage younger people. But for minors, formal consent of the parents or at least one of the parents is required.

First stage: engagement. Betrothal in France had legal force until the beginning of the 19th century, but after the revolutionary period, starting in 1838, French law no longer recognized betrothal as a legal agreement. Since then, the betrothed bear only moral responsibility to each other. The boy and girl remain free to make the final decision until the last minute before the wedding.
The engagement process is currently quite simple and does not involve any more special procedures. The young man usually gives the girl a ring, offering to get engaged and marry him in the future.
The ring is worn on the right hand, and in marriage - on the left. Modern youth carry out this tradition rather out of inertia, under the influence of the older generation. Engaged people take the possibility of ending the relationship calmly. Based on existing laws, engaged people have certain rights. For example, if a young man left a girl, having previously promised to marry her, then the latter can, in principle, go to court and demand compensation for moral damage.
If the engagement was of a more official nature (publication in the press, setting a specific wedding day, drawing up a marriage contract, etc.), then the process of breaking up becomes more complicated and can be protracted, with recourse to lawyers and the court.

Second stage: marriage. A civil marriage in France is a legal act from the point of view of the law. It is carried out by an employee of the civil status department and in the vast majority of cases at the mayor's office. The personal presence of only those getting married is not a sufficient condition for marriage. There is a large list of conditions and documents that must be submitted to the mayor’s office within the time frame specifically determined by it in order to make it possible to officially register the marriage. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in the annulment of the solemn ceremony followed by a petition for reappointment to the mayor.
Conditions for marriage in France. Marriage can be entered into by persons of different sexes - men and women, of different nationalities and nationalities, with different civil statuses. After the publication of the law of December 11, 1992, persons of the same sex can enter into marriage, but with the obligatory conclusion of a medical commission on this matter.

For marriage A medical examination is mandatory. List of documents that city hall employees may require: an extract from a birth certificate (the date of issue should not exceed three months), a family record book, a certificate of residence, a certificate of good conduct, a medical certificate of health (on a special form and the date of issue should not exceed two months). When remarried, documents are added: an extract from the death certificate of the spouse, an extract from the marriage certificate with a note about divorce, an extract from the court decision on divorce. When marrying a foreigner, the following documents are also required: a certificate of civil status (issued by the consulate of the foreigner’s country of origin), a translation of the necessary documents into the language of the host country from the original, certified by the consulate of the foreigner’s country of origin.
After receiving all the documents, the civil status service of the mayor's office must publish an announcement about the upcoming marriage. The announcement shall indicate: surnames, first names, professions and places of residence of the future spouses, as well as the place and time when and where it will be marriage registered.

The announcement is posted for a period of 10 days, before which the marriage cannot be concluded. Marriage can be postponed for up to a year from the date of publication; after this period, the procedure must be repeated.
Marriage ceremony and its legal form. On the appointed day and hour, the newlyweds arrive at the city hall. The presence of 2 to 4 witnesses is required. It is possible that these could be the closest relatives. An employee of the civil status department of the mayor's office reads out the rights and obligations of the spouses (Articles 212-215 of the Civil Code). Then he asks the newlyweds if they have a marriage contract and, if the answer is positive, he enters in the civil register the date of the contract, the name and place of residence of the notary who received it. Then the official asks the newlyweds whether they want to get married, and, if the answers are positive, in the name of the law he proclaims them husband and wife. A marriage record is entered into the civil register, which includes: surnames, first names, occupation, age, dates and places of birth, home addresses of both spouses; surnames, first names, occupation and home addresses of parents; consent of parents or guardians in the event of the minority of one of the newlyweds; surnames and names of previous spouses, if any; marriage declaration of a city hall official; surnames, first names, occupation and home addresses of witnesses; a record of the existence of a marriage contract.

Modern realities of French marriage.
The wedding takes place at the place of residence of one of the future spouses on a predetermined day.
After the date, time and place of the wedding have been determined, the newlyweds send invitations to the guests in the form of a postcard indicating the name and surname of the invitee, as well as all the necessary information for the ceremony. In addition, the location where the so-called is located is reported. "newlyweds' wish list." It is a list of things and objects that future spouses would like to receive as gifts. The list is compiled and submitted approximately a month and a half before the ceremony to the wedding bureau. Here the responsible employee for this event is appointed. He negotiates with stores in advance and sets prices for each gift on the list.

After receiving wedding invitations, guests call or personally come to the wedding bureau, get acquainted with the list and, in accordance with their financial capabilities, choose any of the gifts. Then they write a check or pay cash for the value of the gift to the bureau employee. If the gift is too expensive, then it is possible for several guests to purchase it together (usually 500 francs per person). In this case, no prior agreement between the guests themselves is necessary; the employee does all this.
The employee attaches cards to purchased gifts with a mention of the authors of the gift. This procedure, typical of modern France, concerns not only certain things and objects. If they wish, the newlyweds can place their sheet in the travel agency, choosing as a gift a trip paid for by the guests.

On the wedding day(usually in France this is Friday or Saturday) everyone gathers at the city hall (at the request of the newlyweds, a wedding can be performed in a church, but it does not carry any legal force and there have been no entries in church books in France since 1954.
After the usual procedure in this regard, the civil registry office employee declares the newlyweds husband and wife. The newlyweds exchange rings. The ceremonial part ends with a walk around the city in loudly honking cars. For this occasion, cars are decorated with ribbons and flowers by the guests themselves or through specialized ateliers. After the wedding, the newlyweds usually have a white ribbon attached to the antenna on their car. This is done so that other drivers are more tolerant of the newlyweds’ car. In the evening, all guests are invited to a gala dinner. In the vast majority of cases, it takes place in a restaurant and very rarely at home. The cost of dinner per person reaches 1 thousand francs. At the appointed time, a car with gifts arrives from the wedding bureau. The newlyweds accept them and the festive evening continues until late at night. Guests are usually not invited the next day