Getting Married in France
Symbolically the country of love and romance, it is a perfect way to celebrate and begin married life together. But for couples considering tying the knot here, the legal requirements can be quite complex and particularly difficult if you’re a non-resident.
As a result, this often gives couples two options to choose from:
- Legally marry in France through a civil ceremony, and then also hold a religious or humanist wedding ceremony on the same day or a couple of days later.
OR
- Legally marry elsewhere through a civil ceremony then come to France and choose a religious or humanist wedding ceremony.
Getting legally married in France is only possible through a Civil Ceremony, which is required to take place in a French Mairie (Town Hall). Once a French civil authority has performed the marriage, the couple can then follow this with a religious ceremony or a secular service in a location of their choice.
This is also the case for same-sex couples as same-sex marriage was legalised in France in 2013.
The residency requirements are slightly different to those in the UK. One of you will need to be a resident of France for 40 days immediately prior to a civil ceremony taking place. You will need to provide proof of address, and then submit an application to the city hall, which will also need to include a number of legal documents, such as a birth certificate and passport.
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If you choose to get legally married in France you shoud expect to need to provide:
- ID (e.g. passport)
- Birth certificate – this will need to have been issued within 3 months of the marriage date. It may need to be ‘legalised’ so that it is recognised in France.
- Justificatifs de Domicile – Proof of residence
- Proofs of civil status – if married previously, expect to provide a divorce or death certificate. Typically, this will only constitute a Certificat de Capacité Matrimoniale from your country’s Embassy.
- Certificat de Celibat – a certificate to state that neither party is already married, which must be sworn before a Consular official at your country’s Embassy in France. You will need to obtain an official attestation from your Consulate if this particular certificate does not exist under the law of your home country.
- Certificat de Coutume – this certificate ensures that the marriage will be legally recognised in your country of residence and certifies that you are free to marry.
- Certificat de Notaire- Prenuptial agreement, if you are planning on having one.
- Statement of identity and residence of four witnesses.
For any documents provided that are not in French, a notarised translation will be required. Foreign documents will also more than likely need authorisation with an Apostille stamp or the equivalent, whereby the issuing authority stamps a document with a unique ID to achieve international recognition.
The legal ceremony itself
The entire ceremony is conducted in French and it is strongly advised you have a translator present if you are not fluent in the language. If it is deemed by an official that you or your main witnesses’ understanding is insufficient, the Mayor can refuse to hold the ceremony.
A Short stay visa may be required for non-EU nationals (for a maximum of 90 days) which will need to be requested from the French Consulate, not the Embassy, prior to departure.
For more info:
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article387
https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/france/marriage