How to update French civil status documents following a divorce pronounced abroad?

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

You must contact the registrar or the Prosecutor of the Republic depending on whether the divorce has been granted within l' (excluding Denmark) or not. We present you the information to know.

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To have divorce mentioned on your civil status documents (birth, marriage), you must send a request to the registrar.

The registrar responsible for receiving your application depends on your situation:

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You are French and the wedding took place in France

You must present a written, dated and signed request.

This application must specify the civil status documents that must be updated and be accompanied in particular by the following elements:

  • Certificate of the foreign authority or jurisdiction that granted the divorce. This certificate is issued by the court or authority that granted the divorce. It contains an extract from the original divorce and certifies that it can be executed.
  • Full Copy or extract from civil status records (birth, marriage) which you are requesting to be updated.

You must submit your request to the registrar of the town hall of the place of celebration of the marriage.

Who shall I contact

You are French and the wedding took place abroad

To have your divorce recorded in the civil registry, you must present a written, dated and signed request.

This application must specify the civil status documents that must be updated and be accompanied in particular by the following elements:

  • Certificate of the foreign authority or jurisdiction that granted the divorce. This certificate is issued by the court or authority that granted the divorce. It contains an extract from the original divorce and certifies that it can be executed.
  • Full Copy or extract from civil status records (birth, marriage) which you are requesting to be updated.

You must submit your request to the Central Civil Registry of Nantes.

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:

If your wedding celebrated abroad has not been transcribed in France, you must first do transcribe this marriage celebrated abroad in the French civil status. It is only after this transcript that you can have the divorce mentioned on your marital status.

FYI  

If the marriage was celebrated abroad before the 1er March 2007, you do not have to have your marriage certificate entered in the French civil registry before you mention your divorce. You can send your update request directly to the registrar who holds your birth certificate.

You are a foreigner and the wedding took place in France

You must present a written, dated and signed request.

This application must specify the civil status documents that must be updated and be accompanied in particular by the following elements:

  • Certificate of the foreign authority or jurisdiction that granted the divorce. This certificate is issued by the court or authority that granted the divorce. It contains an extract from the original divorce and certifies that it can be executed.
  • Full Copy or extract from civil status records (birth, marriage) which you are requesting to be updated.

You must submit your request to the registrar of the town hall of the place of celebration of the marriage.

Who shall I contact

You are a foreigner and the wedding took place abroad

If you and your ex-husband or wife are both foreign nationals and you married abroad, you can't have it mentioned divorce in France.

Denmark or other State

Divorce pronounced outside and in Denmark must be the subject of a verification of third-party effectiveness from public prosecutor before being mentioned on the french civil status documents.

The purpose of this procedure check that foreigners divorce may have an effect on the civil status of France.

The prosecutor mainly controls that divorce is not not against the rules of public order (for example, a repudiation judgment) and respects fundamental principles (for example, respect for the rights of the defense).

To make your request, you must write a free paper query in verification of third-party effectiveness. You can use the following template:

Model of request for verification of the third-party effectiveness in France of a divorce decision pronounced abroad (excluding

Your request must in particular be accompanied by the following:

  • Copy of divorce in original or certified true copy
  • Proof of the finality of the divorce (certificate of no appeal, act of acquiescence, certificate by a lawyer...).,
  • Translation into French documents drawn up in foreign languages. This translation is done by a certified translator. You have to pay the translation fee.
  • Copy of the application to the foreign court if the divorce does not indicate the grounds (this is the case if the reasons for the decision are not explained).
  • Proof of domicile and nationality of the spouses at the time of the application for divorce if this is not indicated in the decision.
  • Deeds of civil status (marriage, birth) on which must be applied the mention of divorce foreigner.

You can have a lawyer to carry out this process.

You must send your complete request to the prosecutor of the Republic with territorial jurisdiction.

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You got married in France

You must send the request to public prosecutor of the judicial court of the place of marriage.

You got married abroad

You must send the request to Public Prosecutor of the Nantes Court of Justice.

Who shall I contact

Warning  

If your marriage has not been transcribed in France, you must first do transcribe this marriage celebrated abroad in the French civil status. It is only after this transcript that you can have the divorce mentioned on your marital status.

The request for verification of third-party effectiveness may be accepted or rejected by the public prosecutor.

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If the request for third-party effectiveness is accepted

The public prosecutor instructs the civil registrar concerned to mention your divorce on your civil status documents.

If the request for third-party effectiveness is refused

Your divorce is not mentioned on your marital status.

You can refer the matter to the court by a assignment directed against the public prosecutor, in order to request the updating of your civil status.

The assistance of a lawyer is mandatory. If your resources are not sufficient, you can apply for legal aid to cover all or part of these costs.

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