Getting Married in France

[kevinskip2007]

Hello,

I wonder can someone help me. 

Friends of mine are coming to France soon and would like to marry (each other) whilst here.  They are not French.  Can anyone offer advise as to what paperwork (will it need to be translated) they will need to bring and to whom they must apply.  I presume the legal side can be done in some form of regestry office proceedure and then the ceremony side as they wish (maybe in a local church or garden etc....) 

Any advise would be much appreaciated.

Thank you.

Kevin

[Sunday Driver]

You can find information about getting married in France on the [url=http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1139993196508]British Embassy website[/url].

As you will see, it's not a "pop over and get married" matter:

Three important points:

1. A religious ceremony cannot be performed until AFTER the civil marriage.

2. A French civil authority (Mairie, adjoint, or conseiller municipal) performs the civil ceremony in the town in which one of the parties to be married has resided for at least (40) days immediately preceding the marriage.

3. Publication of the banns in the town hall (Mairie) where marriage will take place is compulsory in France. Most Mairies take approximately 4 –6 weeks to process an application. Requirements will vary for each Mairie, therefore, it is essential that you first meet with them in order to determine their exact documentary requirements and terms of validity (documents may need to be issued less than 3 months prior to date of marriage or publication of banns).

 

[Charlotte3]

My OH and I have looked into this with a view to getting married next summer (if I'm not married by my 50th birthday I reckon it's probably too late!!). We do live in France.

As Sunday Driver says, the most important thing is to visit your Mairie. The rules vary greatly depending on your local committee's attitude towards the rules. (Some will be prepared to bend the rules about residency but others will not.)

We got a really helpful leaflet from ours detailing everything we need and then I phoned the consulate in Paris who were able to put my mind at rest about all the legal documents needed. They do have to be applied for within 3 months of the proposed marriage because in France this is the maximum length of validity for many legal documents in France. 

At first it seems impossible, but when you actually get to grips with it, it really isn't so bad. (Mind you, at my age  I do resent a medical exam from the doctor to ensure that if I got pregnant the baby would be Ok!!!)

It will be a bit expensive, and only you will know if they can stand being married by your local Mayor in the committee chamber of your commune....definitely not glamorous!

Good luck,

Aly

 

[Charlotte3]

Sorry,  forgot to say that some communes demand that documents be translated, ours doesn't.

Aly

[Bob T]

We were going to get married here back in May 05. It turned out to be a pain in the backside. We had all the documents translated at a cost, the guests invited etc, then the British consul decided that they needed more time to do their bit. That meant that all the documents would need re translating (nothing has changed on my birth certificate for 47 years!) and the guests would have to postpone.

In the end we popped back to the UK to tie the knot, much easier.