Will I get a 'livret de famille' after moving to France?

Reader Question: My husband and I are American and we have settled in France for work. We have two children, born in the US. Can we get livrets de famille for them? 

A livret de famille is a booklet given to couples who get married in France or (whether married or not) have a child in France.

It is a useful set of official ‘key information’ taken from birth certificates and other documents which relate to you, your partner and your children and that can be used for administrative processes in France. 

See below for more details of the information which can be found in the booklet.

Read more: What do I do with my French livret de famille?

If a couple do not already have one and get married in France, whether or not either of them are French, they can apply for the livret de famille at the mairie where their wedding took place. 

This is also the case for the birth of a first child – you apply to the local mairie of the child’s birth place. 

In the case of marrying a French citizen abroad (or if you are French and are getting married abroad), the livret de famille can be issued by a service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, based in Nantes.

In your case you state you and your family have moved to France, your children were not born here and nor were you married here.

This means neither you or your children are eligible for a livret de famille.

Note that children can only be included in a livret de famille if their birth certificate is held by a French registrar. 

Families of children born to non-French couples in France will, also, only receive a livret de famille if one of the parents’ birth certificates is held by a French registrar. 

Where one parent is French, their details are included on a dedicated page; details of a non-French parent can be noted in the margins of the child’s page.

Where a foreign person becomes French, they can apply to have this noted in the livret de famille.