Birth certificate

French woman married to two husbands for 17 years due to mairie error

While the correct name of her husband shows on the marriage certificate, the mayor was also listed as her husband on official papers

Checklist: 7 things new parents must do after giving birth in France

From registering the birth at the mairie to contacting CAF, see our quick-look checklist of what you need to do once the baby has been born

French group want law to give all newborns both parents’ surnames

An MP who is supporting the idea said it was an ‘important marker’ for women and that families could still choose to give one name if they preferred

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Why I love forever-changing French birth certificates

Regularly ordering new copies is a pain in the dossier - but there's smart method in French bureaucratic madness, and realising it changes the way you think about certificates forever, writes Samantha David

French dictionary in 50 year ‘life-changing word' game

What era-defining, “life-changing” words appeared the year you were born? French dictionary le Petit Robert has created an online game revealing exactly that, in celebration of 50 years of the publication.

Why was I asked for a ‘recent’ birth certificate copy?

Why do officials ask to see a birth certificate less than three months old? R.G.

Birth certificate problem for nationality

My application for French nationality has been held up because my father’s birth certificate has his last name spelled with one letter difference to the spelling on mine. It is because he changed the way he spelt his surname during his lifetime. The prefecture wanted an ‘ attestation de concordance du consulat ’ but the British Embassy said they do not do this. What can I do? V.S.