Automatic delivery of the family record book at the wedding

Verified 21 April 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Are you going to get married and want to know the rules for issuing the family record book? They differ depending on whether the marriage takes place in France or abroad. We present you the information to remember.

Marriage in France

Yes, a family record book shall be issued automatically if the marriage takes place in France, regardless of the nationality of the spouses.

The family record book is then given to the spouses, at the end of the ceremony, by the civil registrar of the town hall of the marriage.

FYI  

If the spouses have common children at the time of marriage, the family record book given at the birth of 1er child is completed by their marriage certificate extract.

The family record book, given at the time of the marriage, contains the following elements:

  • Extract from the marriage certificate spouses
  • Information on family law (marriage, parentage, adoption, parental authority,...).

Yes, the family record book given at the wedding is free.

Any modification related to the civil status of the persons registered in the booklet (separation, birth, adoption, divorce, death, change of sex,...) must be the subject of a update.

Marriage abroad

Noin this situation, the family record book is not not delivered automatically. The steps to be taken vary according to the country where the marriage was celebrated:

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Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia

If the Marriage was celebrated in one of these countries, and that one of the spouses is of french nationality, the latter must request the transcript of the foreigner marriage certificate to obtain a family record book.

The transcription consists in recording in the French registers the information contained in the marriage certificate drawn up by the foreign authority that married you.

You can download the following documents from the relevant consulate in the country concerned:

  • Transcript Request Form
  • List of documents to be provided.

You must send your request, only by postal mail, to the Maghreb Transcript Office (BTM) of the Central Civil Registry Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Who shall I contact

  • By mail

    bta.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr

    By post

    Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    Central Civil Registry Service

    Bureau of Transcripts for the Maghreb (BTM)

    11 White House Street

    44941 Nantes Cedex 9

    By fax

    02 51 77 28 05

The transcription of the marriage certificate is accompanied by the issuance of a family record book by diplomatic and consular agents.

Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Poland, Switzerland

If the Marriage was celebrated in one of these countries, and that one of the spouses is of french nationality, the latter must request the transcript of the foreigner marriage certificate to obtain a family record book.

The transcription consists in recording in the French registers the information contained in the marriage certificate drawn up by the foreign authority that married you.

You can download the following documents from the relevant consulate in the country concerned:

  • Transcript Request Form
  • List of documents to be provided.

You must send your request, only by postal mail, to the Transcript Bureau for Europe (BTE) of the Central Civil Registry Service of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Who shall I contact

  • By mail

    bte.scec@diplomatie.gouv.fr

    By post

    Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    Central Civil Registry Service

    Transcription Bureau for Europe (BTE)

    11 White House Street

    44941 Nantes Cedex 9

    By fax

    02 51 77 28 05

The transcription of the marriage certificate is accompanied by the issuance of a family record book by diplomatic and consular agents.

Other country

If the marriage is celebrated abroad and that one of the spouses is of french nationality, the latter must request the transcription of the foreigner marriage certificate to obtain a family record book from the civil status of the embassy or consulat of France from the wedding venue.

The transcription consists in recording in the French registers the information contained in the marriage certificate drawn up by the foreign authority that married you.

You can download the following documents from the relevant consulate in the country concerned:

  • Transcript Request Form
  • List of documents to be provided.

The transcription of the marriage certificate is accompanied by the issuance of a family record book by diplomatic and consular agents.

The family booklet shall contain the following:

  • Extract from the marriage certificate spouses
  • Information on family law (marriage, parentage, adoption, parental authority,...).

Yes, the first family booklet given to the spouses is free.

Any modification related to the civil status of the persons registered in the booklet (separation, birth, adoption, divorce, death, change of sex,...) must be the subject of a update.

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