How is the child's right of access and accommodation organized in practice?
Verified 11 May 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The right of access and/or accommodation must be applied by separated or divorced parents as agreed amicably in an agreement or by a court decision. The exercise of this right may, however, raise questions of interpretation or practice. We answer those questions.
The rules differ according to the days on which the right of access and accommodation is exercised:
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The right of access and accommodation is exercised on the 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends
On 1er weekend of the month starts on the 1er Saturday of the month even if your right of access and accommodation is exercised from Friday at the school exit.
It happens that the beneficiary parent can have the child 2 weekends in a row when there are 5 weekends in the month: the 5e weekend of the month and the 1er weekend of the following month.
If the last day of the month is a Saturday, it is considered the last weekend of the month.
The right of access and accommodation is exercised on even or odd weekends
The calendar year is divided into 52 weeks. The numbering of the weeks is fixed by the calendar. On 1er weekend of the year is an odd weekend.
The right of access and accommodation is exercised during the week
A day in the middle of the week can be planned in addition to the visiting rights and accommodation of the weekends.
When there is no provision in the judgment or agreement, your right is exercised as soon as you leave the classroom. It could be Tuesday night to Wednesday night, for example.
Visitation and accommodation weekend is Mother's Day or Father's Day
The judgment or convention may expect your child to be at her mother's house for Mother's Day weekend and at her father's house for Father's Day.
If nothing is planned, you can agree amicably that your child is at his mother's house for Mother's Day and vice versa for Father's Day, whatever the schedule of alternating weekends.
For same-parent families, the decision is made on a case-by-case basis.
If a public holiday or unemployed falls before or after a weekend when you have your child and if nothing is specified in the judgment or convention, it is customary for this day is part of the weekend.
General case
Legal holiday | Date |
|---|---|
New Year's Day | Thursday 1er January 2026 |
Easter Monday | Monday, 6 April 2026 |
International Workers' Day | Friday 1er May 2026 |
Victory 1945 | Friday, May 8, 2026 |
Ascent | Thursday 14 May 2026 |
Whit Monday | Monday, May 25, 2026 |
National Day | Tuesday 14 July 2026 |
Assumption | Saturday 15 August 2026 |
All Saints | Sunday 1er November 2026 |
Armistice 1918 | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
Christmas | Friday 25 December 2026 |
Alsace-Moselle
Legal holiday | Date |
|---|---|
New Year's Day | Thursday 1er January 2026 |
Good Friday (in municipalities with a Protestant temple or mixed church) | Friday, April 3, 2026 |
Easter Monday | Monday, April 6, 2026 |
International Workers' Day | Friday 1er May 2026 |
Victory 1945 | Friday, May 8, 2026 |
Ascent | Thursday 14 May 2026 |
Whit Monday | Monday, May 25, 2026 |
National Day | Tuesday 14 July 2026 |
Assumption | Saturday 15 August 2026 |
All Saints | Sunday 1er November 2026 |
Armistice 1918 | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
1er Christmas Day | Friday 25 December 2026 |
2e Christmas Day | Saturday 26 December 2026 |
Overseas
Legal holiday | Date |
|---|---|
New Year's Day | Thursday 1er January 2026 |
Easter Monday | Monday, April 6, 2026 |
International Workers' Day | Friday 1er May 2026 |
Victory 1945 | Friday, May 8, 2026 |
Ascent | Thursday 14 May 2026 |
Whit Monday | Monday, May 25, 2026 |
National Day | Tuesday 14 July 2026 |
Assumption | Saturday 15 August 2026 |
All Saints | Sunday 1er November 2026 |
Armistice 1918 | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
Christmas | Friday 25 December 2026 |
In addition to the national legal holidays, the day of commemoration of the abolition of slavery is a public holiday in the Drom: titleContent, in Saint Barthélemy and in Saint Martin. The date varies according to the department, under the following conditions:
Dom concerned | Date |
|---|---|
Guadeloupe | May 27 |
French Guiana | June 10 |
Martinique | May 22 |
Mayotte | April 27 |
The Meeting | December 20 |
Saint Bartholomew's | October 9 |
Saint Martin | May 27 |
School holidays begin after the last class of the days indicated in the official calendar. The resumption of classes takes place on the morning of the days also indicated in the official calendar:
Know the school holidays calendar of your department
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During the holidays of the school year
In case of alternating custody
If the judgment or convention there are no other provisions, the usual alternation of weeks continues.
The judgment or convention may provide for an alternation for the Christmas holidays: your child will spend these holidays one year out of two with you.
In case of visiting rights and accommodation
The exercise of the right of access and accommodation during school holidays is independent of the rules of alternation of weekends: the weekend system no longer applies.
The judgment or convention may provide for alternating weeks (for example: the first week of the father's holiday in even years and the second week in odd years).
The first week of the holidays starts on the first day of the holiday indicated by the academy on which your child's school depends.
Example :
If the first day of vacation is a Saturday, the parent exercising his right must have the child from Saturday to the following Saturday included. The transfer of residence (arm passage) takes place on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. The other parent will exercise their right until the following Sunday.
During the summer holidays
Whether you are in the situation of alternating custody or visiting and accommodation rights, the summer school holidays are organized in a special way.
The judgment or convention may provide that each parent has custody of the child in accordance with one of the following divisions:
- Half the school holidays
- July or August
- Alternation per period of 15 days (if the child is young for example).
The first week of the summer holidays starts on the first day of the holiday indicated by the academy on which your child depends.
The holiday calendar is necessary (not the weekend calendar). For example, your child must pass 1er weekend with you, but this weekend is part of the holiday period assigned to the other parent. In this case, your child goes on vacation to this parent. You do not take into account the calendar of weekends during the holiday period.
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