What are ‘long’ birth certificates French authorities ask for?

Reader Question: CPAM wants to see a ‘long’ version of my UK birth certificate. What’s the difference between long and short? I’ve seen websites offering them more cheaply than the gov.uk site, are they reliable?

To sign up to the French social security system, you will need to provide a long-form version of your birth certificate along with other documents such as a copy of your passport and proof that you have lived in France for at least three months. 

The difference between a short-form and a long-form birth certificate is that a long-form includes your parents’ details whereas a short-form only contains details about you. 

General Register Office

You can order your long-form birth certificate online through the General Register Office (GRO), which has all records of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and adoptions in England and Wales. If you were born in Scotland click here, and if you were born in Northern Ireland, click here.

Note that if you were born in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you will need to use a different website. 

When ordering the birth certificate, you will be asked for details such as your full name and date of birth, as well as your parents’ names.

To ship a birth certificate costs £14 for a standard delivery, dispatched 15 working days from receipt of order, or £38 for a priority delivery, dispatched the next working day after receipt of order. 

If you do not receive your birth certificate, you can use an online form for further information. 

 Read more: Do UK pensioners in France now have to use digital life certificates?

Beware of scams

You may find that other websites claim to deliver your birth certificate more cheaply than the official GRO. 

Remember, however, the GRO is the organisation with direct access to these documents. Therefore, other websites are likely to either be scams or simply going to the GRO themselves. 

While the price can at first seem cheaper you may see fees added afterwards. 

Looking at some of these websites, you will notice that they offer an ‘apostille stamp service’ so that it is valid for use overseas, which is your case. 

This service often adds at least £50 to an order, however an ‘apostille’ is not needed for UK documents.

There does not seem to be any reason to involve a third party service.

Read more: Is there a deadline to claim reimbursement of medical costs in France?