Getting married in France: the town hall paperwork, deadlines and pitfalls

Every year, couples from the UK, the US or Spain book a château, a bastide or a vineyard in France and assume they can get married there. Then they find out, sometimes a few months before, that French law doesn’t work that way: a legal wedding in France happens at a town hall, and only in a town you have a real connection with.

None of this is a problem once you know it. Here are the general rules. Each town hall then has its own habits, and its own list of documents is always the one that counts: contact it as soon as your date is set.

Can you legally marry in France?

A civil wedding is held in the town where one of you has their home, or has lived continuously for at least a month. It can also take place in the town where one of your parents has their home or residence. That’s what allows a couple living in London to marry in the village where one of them grew up, if a parent still lives there.

The venue gives you no rights at all. If your château is in a town where neither of you nor your parents live, you can’t marry legally there. Many foreign couples therefore marry at a register office at home a few days before, and hold a celebrant-led ceremony at their venue in France.

The documents a town hall asks for

The list varies from one town to another, but the same elements come up almost every time. Start gathering them as soon as the date is set: some documents take weeks to obtain from abroad.

• The town hall’s marriage file, filled in and signed by both of you
• A valid passport or identity card for each of you
• Proof of address or residence in the town, for the one who qualifies
• A full birth certificate showing your parents’ names: less than three months old if issued in France, less than six months if issued abroad
• A sworn translation into French of any foreign document, and an apostille or legalisation where required
• Often a certificate of custom and a certificate of no impediment, issued by your embassy or consulate
• The list of witnesses, with their details and a copy of their ID

The validity of the birth certificate is counted from the day you file the marriage file, not from the wedding day. Order it too early and it will have expired by the time you file.

The timeline to follow

1. As soon as the date is setContact the town hall: available Saturday slots, the list of documents, the deadline for filing, whether an interpreter is needed. Summer Saturdays go early in popular towns.
2. Two to four months beforeGather the documents, starting with those that come from abroad, and have them translated by a sworn translator.
3. One to three months before, depending on the townFile the complete marriage file, usually in person. The town hall may interview you, together or separately: it’s a formality provided for by law, not a suspicion.
4. At least ten days beforeThe town hall publishes the banns: a public notice announcing your wedding. The ceremony can’t take place before those ten days are over.

On the day of the civil ceremony

It usually lasts fifteen to thirty minutes, in French. The registrar, often the mayor or a deputy, reads the articles of the Civil Code on the rights and duties of spouses, asks for your consent, then you, your witnesses and the registrar sign the marriage certificate. You’re given a family record book at the end, the official booklet in which your marriage, and later your children’s births, are recorded.

If one of you doesn’t speak French, expect the town hall to ask for an interpreter, so that your consent is clearly understood. Arrive early: town halls often hold several weddings on a Saturday. And make sure your guests can find it and park: the exact address and the nearest car park on the wedding page will save you twenty phone calls that morning.

What often surprises foreign couples

• A religious wedding can only be held after the civil wedding, never before
• The civil wedding is free: the town hall charges nothing for the ceremony
• Published banns are valid for a year: after that, they must be published again
• Neither of you changes name automatically: each keeps their own and may use the other’s as a usual name
• A marriage celebrated in France may need to be registered or recognised in your home country afterwards: ask your consulate