Updating of the family record book following a change of marital status (birth, divorce, etc.)

Verified 06 November 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

You must update your family record book following a change in your marital status (for example, marriage, birth, divorce). We present you the information to know.

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You must update your family record book if your family situation or marital status changes.

Change in family situation:

  • You're getting married
  • You're divorcing
  • You're changing your marital regime
  • You're separating
  • A new child is born (married or not)
  • You adopt a child
  • You are a father and recognize a child who is already registered on a family record book of his mother
  • You obtain, lose or regain French nationality
  • There is a death of a person listed on the booklet: spouse, parent, child

Change of marital status:

  • You change your name
  • You change your first name
  • You change sex (gender)

The update of the family record book must be made at the town hall to have the registrar fill out your booklet, the date, sign it and affix the stamp of the town hall.

The following changes are usually made to the town hall where the event was recorded : birth, marriage, death.

If you live in a place other than the place where the event occurred, you can ask the town hall where you live to forward the request to the competent town hall. However, not all town halls agree to act as intermediaries for these steps.

Warning  

For the French living abroad, the booklet shall be updated by the Central Civil Registry Service or by the embassy or consulate who holds the deed in his records.

Approach

In the event of a change in the surnames or forenames of a person whose act appears on the booklet, a second booklet may be requested from your town hall in exchange for the previous one.

To do this, you must surrender on-site with your identity card and the court decision justifying the change(s).

Who shall I contact

FYI  

You must return the first booklet to the registrar.

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

Approach

A new family record book may be issued in the event of a change in the given name(s) of a spouse or parent, at the same time as the application for a change in the sex in the civil status.

However, you will have to make an explicit request, by going to the town hall with your identity card and the court decision(s) justifying these changes.

If you are married or entered into a civil partnership and/or have children, the spouse, partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent, the adult child (or his legal representatives, if he is a minor) must have given their consent updating the acts concerning them in the family record book. Such consent shall be obtained either:

  • When sending your file to the judge, in writing in the form of testimony
  • During the hearing organized by the judge, to hear you and the people concerned.
Who shall I contact

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

The information on the acquisition, loss of French nationality or reintegration into this nationality may be entered on the family record book, at your request.

In case of loss or forfeiture of French nationality and that this was mentioned on the booklet, it is mandatory request the update of the booklet.

Approach

The process varies depending on whether you obtained the family booklet after the marriage or at the birth of your 1er child:

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Marriage

The approach varies depending on whether the marriage was celebrated in France or abroad:

In France

You must contact the town hall of the wedding venue.

Who shall I contact
Abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The request must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Birth of the 1st child

The approach varies depending on whether your child was born in France or abroad:

In France

You must go to the town hall of the child's place of birth.

Who shall I contact

To facilitate your procedures, you can go, with your credentials, to the town hall of your home. The latter may be responsible for forwarding the booklet to the authorities concerned.

Abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The request must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

The parents' marriage certificate is entered in the family record book that they had been issued at the birth of their first child.

Approach

The process varies depending on whether the marriage was celebrated in France or abroad:

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Marriage in France

You must contact the town hall of the wedding venue.

Who shall I contact

Marriage abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The request must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

Married parents who have changed marriage contract called matrimonial regime (community reduced to gains, universal community, separation of property...) must also update their family record book.

Approach

The notary who made the change of marriage contract sends the necessary documents to the town hall where the marriage was celebrated to update the marriage certificate.

Once the marriage certificate has been amended, you must go to the town hall with this document justifying the change and your identity card.

Who shall I contact

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

The references to divorce and legal separation appear on the booklet with the mention of the marriage certificate extract.

In the event of divorce or separation, a second booklet may be given to those who do not have the original booklet.

Approach

The process varies depending on whether the marriage was celebrated in France or abroad:

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Marriage in France

You must go to the town hall where the marriage was celebrated with your identity card and the divorce judgment.

Who shall I contact

Marriage abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The request must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

The arrival of each child in a married or unmarried couple, at birth or adoption, must be recorded in the family record book.

Approach

The approach varies depending on whether the birth or adoption took place in France or abroad:

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Birth or adoption in France

If you are not married, the booklet will be given to you at the birth of your 1er child.

In any case, you must go to the town hall of the child's place of birth with your identity card, birth certificate and/or adoption judgment.

Who shall I contact

Please note

The indication of the lifeless child, the date and place of delivery may be affixed to the family record book, at your request.

Birth or adoption abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The request must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Please note

The indication of the child, the date and place of delivery may be affixed to the family record book, at the request of the parents.

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

If a father recognizes a child after the family record book has been issued, the information concerning him (surname, forenames, date and place of birth) is included in...) it.

When other children are already on the family record book but they have no parentage together with the person making the recognition, the family record book must be returned. Two other booklets are then issued:

  • The 1er booklet mentions the common child(ren) of the mother and father who made the recognition.
  • The second booklet mentions the child(ren) not recognized or recognized by another father.

Please note

In the event of a change in parentage (e.g. challenge of filiation), a new booklet may be given on request, in exchange for the previous one, without reference to the old entries.

Approach

The approach varies depending on whether the birth took place in France or abroad:

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Born in France

You must go to the town hall of the child's place of birth with your identity card and, possibly, the decision of recognition of paternity.

Who shall I contact

Birth abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The request must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

The death of a spouse, parent or minor child must be recorded in the family record book.

The extract of the death certificate transcribed in the booklet mentions only the place and date of death.

Approach

The approach varies depending on whether the death occurred in France or abroad:

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Deaths in France

The approach varies according to the place of death:

General scenario

You must go to the town hall of the place of death or the deceased's home with your identity card and the death certificate.

Who shall I contact
Paris, Lyon or Marseille

If the deceased lived in Paris, Lyon or Marseille, to update the booklet, you must contact the town hall of the place of death.

Who shall I contact

Deaths abroad

You must contact the Central Civil Registration Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

The application to the Central Civil Registry Service must be obligatory addressed by post on free paper.

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:

Deadline

The law does not impose a specific time limit.

However, you must update your family record book in the shortest lead time.

Cost

The process of updating the family record book is free of charge.

Penalties

If you use a falsified (i.e. false) or unupdated family record book, you may be punished.

You may be sentenced to a fine of €1,500, or €3,000 in case of recidivism (i.e. if the facts recur).

If there is a second booklet, it must be updated in the same way as the original booklet.

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