|
'Getting
married in France'
This
issue of the week contains a rough outline of the process involved in
marrying in France and is particularly aimed at UK nationals. Specific
information and instructions should always be sought from the French
authorities to verify precisely what is required.
If
you wish to get married in France, the first thing that you need to be
aware of is that it is a legal requirement to marry at the local town hall
('mairie'). It is of course possible to have a church service but for the
marriage to be legally recognised you have to pass in front of the mayor.
The
first step is therefore to contact your local 'mairie'. You can marry in
that commune provided that one or both of you have resided there for at
least one month. You will be provided with a booklet which contains
essential forms for you to complete and submit to the mayor.
The
forms which you need to complete are as follows:
1)
You will each need to have a medical with a doctor. It should be noted
that the blood test is only obligatory for women of child bearing age. The
doctor needs to complete the certificate in the aforementioned booklet;
2) You will need to fill out the forms in the booklet which provide the
town hall with the personal details of each spouse as well as a list of
witnesses (minimum of two, maximum of four).
In
addition, you will need to provide a full birth certificate (detailing the
parents) issued within three months of the date of the intended marriage.
If you were born in Great Britain, the local registry where you were born
will issue this certificate in return for a fee (about £7). It will be
necessary to provide a translation of this certificate and this
translation must be done by a sworn translator ('traducteur assermenté').
A
foreigner must also supply a certificate of law ('certificat de coutume')
and celibacy certificate ('certificat de célibat'). For a British
citizen, the certificate of law can be obtained from the British consulate
in Paris. You need to send them a form which can be downloaded from their
website along with your original birth certificate and passport and the
fee (currently 50 Euros). As for the celibacy certificate, this does not
exist under British law. Therefore, you can obtain an official attestation
from the consulate confirming this.
Finally,
you will also need to produce identification e.g. passport.
Once
all of the above documents are produced at the town hall, the banns can
then be published. They must be published ten days prior to the wedding
ceremony.
During
the ceremony, the mayor will read out the legal texts governing marriage
in France, verify whether an ante nuptial agreement exists (if there is
one, a certificate issued by the notaire must be provided to the mayor
beforehand) and ascertain that the parties consent. The couple will sign
the marriage act along with their witnesses. You will then be issued with
a 'livret de famille' which contains a copy of the marriage act.
If
you are French residents or intending to become French residents following
the marriage, it is very important to give consideration to your
'matrimonial regime' as you may wish to marry under a regime other than
the standard default regime. This can be of particular importance in
relation to inheritance. If you wish to marry under a different regime,
you will need to sign an ante nuptial agreement with a notaire prior to
marrying. It is advisable to organise this a couple of weeks beforehand.
If you wait until after your marriage, you will be precluded from making a
change of matrimonial regime for two years and it is then much more
costly.
23/12/2004
- Issue of the week
BACK
TO NEWS
|
