Getting married in France starts with the organization of your civil ceremony. Whether you choose to marry religiously or secularly, the essential step will be the passage at the Town Hall in front of the Mayor so that your marriage is legal and officially recognized.

To help you with this organization, today we are giving you our advice for organizing your civil wedding.

Civil Marriage: Where to start organizing your civil ceremony?

To organize your civil ceremony, contact one of the following:

At the Town hall of your main residence of one of you two.
At the Town hall of your second home of one of you two.
At the Town hall of the main or secondary residence of one of your parents.

The marriage is celebrated in a municipality with which at least one of you has a lasting link.

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

Who can get married in France?

Two people, of different sex or of the same sex, must meet certain conditions to get married.

1. The age of the future spouses

You must be of legal age to get married, that is, at least 18 years old.

If you are a minor, you may, exceptionally, be allowed to marry.

You must obtain the following permissions:

Age exemption granted by the district Attorney for serious reasons
Agreement of at least one of your parents

2. The absence of family ties between the future spouses

Le marriage is prohibited when a very close bond exists.

3. Consent of the future spouses

Each of you 2 must give your free and informed consent for Marriage.

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

Administrative formalities for getting married in France

1. Preparation of the marriage file

Each of you 2 must provide the following documents:

• Pièce d'identité (original and photocopy). Depending on your situation, this may be an identity card, passport, driving license, resident card, residence permit or any other document with photograph issued by a public authority
• Proof of address or residence dated more than 1 month (rental lease, rent receipt, water, electricity or gas bill, tax notice or non-tax notice, France Travail certificate formerly Pôle emploi, employer's certificate, etc.)

You or your future spouse do not have to provide anybirth certificate if your municipality of marriage can directly access your civil status data from your municipality of birth.

In practice, before any appointment at the town hall, you must contact your marriage municipality to provide them with the following information:

Your name, first name(s), gender, date and town of birth
Your parents' first and last names

This information allows your municipality of marriage to verify your civil status data with your municipality of birth.

Documents to be provided by witnesses

For each of your witnesses, you must provide the following information:

Last Name
First Name
Date and place of birth
Profession
Home
Copy of identity document

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

2. Specific documents (if necessary)

• Marriage contract : If the future spouses choose to draw up a marriage contract, they must provide a certificate from the notary.
• Special cases : Additional documents may be required in certain situations (divorce, widowhood, foreigners).

We invite you to use the online simulator which will allow you to identify the documents essential to the constitution of your marriage file.

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

3. Filing of the marriage file

• deposit local : The complete file must be submitted to the town hall of the municipality chosen by the future bride and groom.
• Time limit : It is advisable to submit the application at least two months before the planned wedding date to allow the verification of documents and the publication of banns.

4. Hearing of the future spouses

Civil status officer audition you both together.

If he considers it necessary, he can ask also individual interviews with both.

This hearing is compulsory. But it does not take place in the following cases:

• Inability (for example, due to illness)
• The civil registrar does not consider it necessary

The officer may request the presence of a translator or interpreter (at your expense if paid) if you or your future spouse are in one of the following cases:

• Deaf, mute
• Does not understand the French language

If you or your future spouse reside abroad, the hearing may be conducted by the competent diplomatic or consular authority.

Before or after the hearing, the town hall cannot refuse a marriage application.

But she can ask the district Attorney to prohibit the celebration of the desired marriage (for example, in case of suspicion of a sham marriage).

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

5. Publication of banns

The marriage is announced by the publication of the banns.

Those are notices posted on the town hall door by the civil status officer.

They contain the following information:

• First name, last name, profession, address or residence of each of you 2
• Place where the marriage is to be celebrated

They are displayed during 10 days at the door of the following town halls:

• Wedding Town Hall
• Town hall where you or your future spouse have your residence

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

5. Wedding ceremony

The location of the civil ceremony

The marriage must be celebrated At the mayor, in a room open to the public.

The mayor may celebrate the marriage in any municipal building (for example, a village hall), provided that the building is located on the territory of the municipality. However, the public prosecutor may object.

In case of serious impediment of you or your future spouse, the civil registrar may travel at the request of the public prosecutor to one of the following locations:

Your home or residence
A hospital or healthcare facility

He can move without this request in the event of a life-threatening situation.

The course of the civil ceremony

The celebration must be done by the mayor or a deputy, in the presence of you 2 and your witnesses.

During the celebration, each of you confirms your commitment to respect the obligations of marriage.
A translator-interpreter may be present.
A family record book is issued to you.

In the following days, you can ask the town hall for an extract or a full copy of the marriage certificate.

Civil Marriage: administrative procedures © Thomas Bonnin

Note
If you and your future spouse had children before your marriage and already have a family record book, this booklet will be updated with the marriage certificate.

Once married, you can use your spouse's name as your common name.