Access to administrative documents
Verified 08 October 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Do you want to consult an administrative document, for example a {circumflex over (x)} or a school file? We tell you how to make the request and how to enter the Canada: titleContent in case of refusal.
Step-by-step approach
An administrative document is produced or received by a State Service, a local authority, one public institution or a private body entrusted with a public service mission.
For example, a prefecture, a town hall, a social security fund, France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi).
These may include: file, report, study, report, minutes, statistics, directive, instruction, circular, ministerial note and response, opinion, source code, decision.
An administrative document can take a form written, of registration sound or visual or in form digital or computer science.
FYI
A document with character judicial (for example, a judgment), a document private (for example, a notarial deed), or a the National Assembly or Senate are not administrative documents.
One online service check the communicability of an administrative document:
Verify the communicability of an administrative document
The communication of following administrative documents is not possible where is subject to conditions :
- Unfinished document
For example, a draft.
A document can only be communicated in its final form. - Preparatory document for a decision
A document preparatory to a decision may be communicated only when the decision it is preparing has been taken. - Document with sensitive content
For example, the instruction document of Defender of Rights, a document whose consultation or disclosure would endanger public safety.
However, partial disclosure is possible if the sensitive information can be hidden or isolated from the rest of the document. - Document about a person
A document concerning a person may be communicated only to that person or his agents taking into account the right of each person to medical confidentiality, respect for one's privacy, and business secrecy.
However, the document is communicable if the administration can preserve the confidentiality of the information by hiding the personal information. - Public archive covered by a protected secret
Secrecy can be protected between 25 and 100 years.
For example, access to a birth register of civil status is possible after 75 years.
FYI
The administration is not obliged to disclose the documents that you can obtain by your own means given their public dissemination.
Who to contact?
Address yourself to the administration or to the body which holds the document.
In some jurisdictions, a person is responsible for access to administrative documents (Prada)
Who shall I contact
If the desired document is placed in the public archivesYou can also contact the relevant public archives department.
Consult the directory of public archival services:
Find an archive service that welcomes the public
If necessary, the archive service will tell you how long the archived document can be communicated.
It also tells you if it is possible to request early access to the archived document.
How to make the request?
Your request may be oral.
However, it is recommended to send a letter or an email and keep a dated copy in the event of no response from the administration.
You do not have to justify (i.e. justify) your request.
Your request must be precise for the administration to identify the desired document.
Indicate if you wish consult the document on-site or receive it by mail or e-mail.
FYI
The administration is not obliged to respond to a abusive request. For example, an application whose purpose is to disrupt the proper functioning of the administration requested.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
General case
The administration must provide you with the document in a one month delay following receipt of your request.
In the absence of a response within 1 month upon receipt of your request, this means that your request is refused (tacit refusal).
The administration may also refuse your request for access by reasoned decision.
Your request is for a medical record
The response time depends on the age of the medical file:
- If the medical record is less than 5 years old, the administration shall respond in the 8 days following receipt of your request.
- If the medical record is 5 years old or older, the administration shall respond in the 2 months following receipt of your request.
In the absence of a response within these deadlines, this means that the administration refuses your request (tacit refusal).
The administration may also refuse your request for access by reasoned decision.
What mode of communication?
You choose the method of communication of the document within the limits of technical possibilities of the administration.
The communication of the document shall not affect its preservation and to its good conservation.
Thus, according to the document, the administration may propose:
- On-site consultation
- Reproduction
- Sending by email
If you asked to many documents, the administration has the right to offer you to consult them on site.
The administration may also spread over time your access to documents.
FYI
An administration may also communicate the document by posting it on the internet, provided that it can be communicated to any person and that it is anonymised if necessary.
What cost?
The on-site consultation is free of charge.
Sending by email of a copy of a document in digital format is free of charge.
The reproduction is fee-based. Depending on the communication medium of the document, the cost may not exceed the following rates:
Support | Maximum rate |
|---|---|
Paper | €0.18 per A4 page (black and white) |
CD-ROM | €2.75 |
In what time frame?
Referral of the Canada: titleContent is done within 2 months following the notification the written decision or tacit refusal of the administration.
Please note
It is mandatory to enter the Canada: titleContent before you make a contentious remedies. However, this principle has exceptions, for example in the case of referral to the judge hearing the application for interim measures.
What cost?
Referral of the Canada: titleContent is free of charge.
How?
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General case
You can enter the Canada: titleContent by online form, by letter or email.
You must specify:
- Your identity
- Your address
- The purpose of your request
Attach a copy of the refusal decision or your request that has not been answered.
Who shall I contact
Commission for Access to Administrative Documents (Canada)
To inquire or request access to an administrative document in the event of an explicit refusal by the administration or if it has not responded for more than one month to a request for disclosure.
By phone
+33 (0)1 42 75 79 99
By mail
ASD 50730
75334 PARIS CEDEX 07
By email
cada@cada.fr
By online form
Series of 5 or more requests
From 5 requests of communication of documents sent to different administrations, and having the same object, you must group them together to enter the Canada: titleContent.
You can enter the Canada by form online, by letter or email.
You must specify:
- Your identity
- Your address
- The purpose of your request
- For each administration entered, its name, its email (in the absence of email, its postal address), the date on which you entered a request for communication and, if necessary, the date of notification the refusal to communicate.
Attach documents showing that at least one refusal has been made by one of the authorities seized.
Who shall I contact
Commission for Access to Administrative Documents (Canada)
To inquire or request access to an administrative document in the event of an explicit refusal by the administration or if it has not responded for more than one month to a request for disclosure.
By phone
+33 (0)1 42 75 79 99
By mail
ASD 50730
75334 PARIS CEDEX 07
By email
cada@cada.fr
By online form
Please note
Your referral to Canada for the series of applications is worth compulsory prior administrative appeal for each of the requests making up the series.
Acknowledgement of your request
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General case
If necessary, the Canada: titleContent invites you to complete your request.
La Cada recorded your application when complete.
She's accused then receiving without delay.
Series of 5 or more requests
If necessary, the Canada: titleContent invites you to complete your bulk application.
La Cada recorded your bundled application when complete.
She's accused then receiving without delay.
The acknowledgement of receipt shall indicate the list of applications in the series.
FYI
The Cada investigates the application in respect of a single jurisdiction whose refusal you have communicated to it.
Receipt of the Cada's opinion
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General case
The Canada: titleContent you notified his opinion by letter or by email in a delay of 1 month from the registration of your request.
The Cada notifies its opinion within the same period to the administration that refused your request for a document.
Series of 5 or more requests
The Canada: titleContent you notified his opinion in a delay of 1 month from the registration of your request.
Canada shall notify its opinion within the same time limit to each of the correctly identified jurisdictions.
Other jurisdictions will inform you of their decision to comply with the Canada Notice. They have a period of 1 month following the notification of the notice to do so.
FYI
The Cada investigates the application in respect of a single jurisdiction whose refusal you have communicated to it. However, it shall notify its opinion to each of the correctly identified administrations.
Please note
Even in the event of a favorable opinion from Canada, the administration to the right to confirm refusal.
If the administration maintains its initial refusal despite the favorable opinion of Cada, or if it confirms the unfavorable opinion of Cada, you can make a contentious remedies.
You can refer the matter to the administrative judge in the 2 months following the implied decision to refuse of the administration.
The implicit decision to refuse is made when the administration remains silent during 2 months from the registration of your application by the Cada.
Example :
If Canada registers your application on 1er october 2022, the implied refusal decision is made on 1er December 2022 in the event of no response from the administration. You then have until 1er February 2023 to file a contentious appeal.
The competent court is the one where the administration in question has its seat.
The judge may ask the administration in question to transmit to him all the documents necessary for the case, in particular the documents whose communication was refused.
If the judge considers that the refusal of communication is illegal, he can annul the decision of the administration refusing.
In this case, the judge may also, at your request, require the administration to communicate the document to you, possibly on a penalty (with late penalties).
If the judge's decision is unfavorable to you, you can challenge in cassation before the Council of State.
Verify the communicability of an administrative document
Referring the matter to the Commission d'accès aux documents administratif (Canada)
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
Commission for Access to Administrative Documents (Canada)
To inquire or request access to an administrative document in the event of an explicit refusal by the administration or if it has not responded for more than one month to a request for disclosure.
By phone
+33 (0)1 42 75 79 99
By mail
ASD 50730
75334 PARIS CEDEX 07
By email
cada@cada.fr
By online form
Documents protected by national defense secrecy (Article 413-9)
Silence of administration
Access to administrative documents
Scope of the right to communication
Conditions of the right to communication
Referral to the Cada before the exercise of the contentious remedy (Article L342-1)
Communication of public archives
Right of access to environmental information
FAQ
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Commission for Access to Administrative Documents (Canada)
Commission for Access to Administrative Documents (Canada)