What documents do non-French people require for a Pacs?

Reader Question: Can two non-French people get Pacsed? My partner and I want to do so but we are both British and only recently moved to France

Firstly, it is possible for two non-French people to have a Pacs (Pacte Civil de Solidarité), the French civil partnership, provided at least one person is a resident in France, and the couple is planning to live, or already lives, together.

There is no requirement for either person to be a French citizen. Note, however, that unlike a marriage, a Pacs is not always recognised abroad but it will be recognised in the UK as equivalent to a civil partnership.

A Pacs is open to all couples, and while it provides fewer benefits than a traditional marriage, the formalities to enter it and to end it are also lighter.

Read more: What is a French ‘Pacs’ civil partnership? 

You can make a request to get Pacsed via a notaire or, if you are outside France, at a French embassy or consulate, but in most cases the request is made through your local mairie.

This is the situation we are giving an overview of below. 

What are the requirements? 

The general requirements include not being currently married or in a civil partnership, plus being the age of majority to get married in your country of origin (in England and Wales, 18, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, 16). 

You must also not be closely related to the person you are entering into a Pacs with. 

You are not required to be living together at the time of getting Pacsed, but must commit to a shared address – which becomes the main residence of both parties – after signing the documents. 

For two non-citizens such as yourself, the following documents are required from both of you: 

• Valid ID document (one original and one photocopy). Acceptable documents include a passport, driving licence, or residency card. 

• A birth certificate, which should be no less than six months old if issued by a country that updates these with family changes, as France does (if not, you may be asked for an attestation from your country’s consulate or embassy confirming this). This should be translated by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) if it is not in French and in some cases non-EU certificates must be legalised or apostilled by the issuing country’s authorities. However, this is not required for British certificates.

• A ‘Certificat de coutume’ attesting you are not married or in a civil partnership. Britons can download an online attestation they can use here. Foreign people who were born abroad also need to provide a Certificat de non-Pacs, which you can order here. 

• Proof of address 

• Note that if either of you have previously been married you should provide a copy of the divorce decision (also translated if not in French).

In addition, you will need to jointly complete two documents: 

• A déclaration conjointe d'un Pacs (joint declaration of a Pacs), a document where you swear you are both not married or in a civil partnership to someone else, not related, and will live together. You can find it online here.

• A Pacs agreement, confirming your wish to get Pacsed and which fiscal regime you are signing up for. You can find it here.