Death certificate: request for full copy

Verified 13 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

You wish to request a death certificate and you want to know how to do it? The steps to obtain it depend on the place of death : in France or abroad. In any case, the request is free of charge. We present you the approach.

In France

Any person may apply for a death certificate, without specific justification and without having to prove his identity.

You can make your request online, by post or on-site :

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Online

You can apply using this online service:

Application for a death certificate (in France) - Free service

By post

You can submit your request by post with the town hall of the place of death.

Your free paper application must include the name and surname of the deceased person, the date of death and your contact information to receive the deed at your home.

Who shall I contact

Please note

The time limit may vary depending on the processing of your request by the services of the town hall and the delivery time of the mail.

On site

You can do that on-site request by going either to the town hall of the place of death or to the town hall of the last domicile of the deceased person.

Who shall I contact

You will have to indicate at the counter the name and surname of the deceased person and the date of death.

No documents are required.

The death certificate is given to you immediately.

Yes, the application for a death certificate is free of charge.

The full copy reproduces all the information contained in the death certificate entered in the civil registry.

It mentions the following elements:

  • Date, time and place of death
  • First names, surname, date and place of birth, occupation and domicile of the deceased
  • First names, surname, professions and domicile of parents
  • First names and surname of spouse or partner of Civil partnerships
  • First names, surname, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant (if applicable, his degree of kinship with the deceased person).

FYI  

The death is mentioned in the margins of the birth certificate of the deceased.

Abroad

Any person may apply for a death certificate, without specific justification and without having to prove his identity.

You can make the request online or by post :

Online

You can apply using this online service:

Application for a Death Certificate (Abroad) - Free Service

FYI  

Once the dematerialized document has been received, you can also request to receive the death certificate by mail.

By post

If you don't want to apply online, you can make your request by mail, on free paper, to the Central Civil Registry of Nantes (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Who shall I contact

  • Attention: the Central Civil Registry does not welcome any public.

    Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a French person abroad

    Only by mail to the following address:

    Central Civil Registry Service

    11 White House Street

    44941 Nantes Cedex 09

    You can apply for a civil status certificate via a online service.

    For further information, you can:

You must specify in your application the full name of the deceased person and the date of death.

The time limit for issuing a death certificate is approximately 30 days.

Warning  

To obtain a copy of the death certificate of a foreign person who died abroad, you must contact the authority that drew up the act in the country concerned.

Yes, the application for a death certificate is free.

The full copy reproduces all the information contained in the death certificate entered in the civil registry.

It mentions the following elements:

  • Date, time and place of death
  • First names, surname, date and place of birth, occupation and domicile of the deceased
  • First names, surname, professions and domicile of parents
  • First names and surname of spouse or partner of Civil partnerships
  • First names, surname, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant (if applicable, his degree of kinship with the deceased person).

FYI  

The death is mentioned in the margins of the birth certificate of the deceased.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • If the death occurred in France

    Town hall

  • If the death occurred abroad

    Attention: the Central Civil Registry does not welcome any public.

    Civil status (birth, marriage or death) of a French person abroad

    Only by mail to the following address:

    Central Civil Registry Service

    11 White House Street

    44941 Nantes Cedex 09

    You can apply for a civil status certificate via a online service.

    For further information, you can: