Automatic delivery of the family record book at the wedding

Verified 17 June 2026 - Public Service / (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.

At the end of the ceremony, the family booklet is handed over to the spouses by the registrar of the marriage council.

FYI  

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

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

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

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

Any change related to the civil status of the persons listed in the booklet (separation, birth, adoption, divorce, death, change of sex,...) must be subject to 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 place where the wedding was celebrated:

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Afghanistan, Algeria, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Palestine, Republic of Northern Cyprus, Western Sahara, Somalia, Sudan, Switzerland, Syria, Golan Territory, North Korea, Tunisia, Yemen

If one of the spouses is of french nationality, the latter must ask the transcript of the foreigner marriage certificate to obtain a family record book.

The transcription consists in recording in the French registers the particulars 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 mailin the Transcription Department of the Central Civil Registry Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Who shall I contact

  • By post

    Central Civil Registry Service

    Transcript Department

    11 rue de la Maison Blanche

    44941 Nantes Cedex 9

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 ask 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 particulars 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 of the marriage certificate of the spouses
  • Information on family law (marriage, parentage, adoption, parental authority,...).

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

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

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