How to write your Civil partnerships?

Verified 09 November 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

The Civil partnership is a contract that allows you to organize your life together. You must write a Civil partnership agreement. You can do it yourself, using a standard form or on free paper. You can also call a notary. We guide you in writing your Civil partnerships if you choose to write it yourself.

By signing a Civil partnership, you take the reciprocal commitments following:

  • Living together
  • Material aid (participation in common housing expenses, food, etc.)
  • Assistance (e.g. sickness or unemployment).

The Civil partnership agreement allows you to organize your life together.

This is the contract you make with your partner.

The Civil partnerships agreement recognizes your commitment.

The Civil partnerships agreement must be written in French.

It shall include the following elements:

  • Your willingness to be bound by a Civil partnership
  • The identity of each future partner (surname, first name, date and place of birth, address)
  • Your two signatures.

The Civil partnership agreement must organize your life together and determine the ownership of the property that you will acquire, together or separately, during the Civil partnership.

You can choose the form of your agreement :

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You are using a standard Civil partnership convention form

You can use a standard convention (cerfa form n°15726):

Model Convention of a Civil Solidarity Pact (Civil partnerships)

You can customize only the following:

  • Material assistance (proportional to your respective income or fixed at an annual amount to be specified)
  • Property regime (separation or undivided, depending on the box ticked).

A single Civil partnership agreement must be written for you 2.

You do not use a standard form

You can write your Civil partnership agreement on free paper.

It can be handwritten or typed.

The agreement must acknowledge your commitment and willingness to be bound by a Civil partnership.

She must obligatory revert to the following text:

We, X and Y, conclude a civil solidarity pact governed by the provisions of the amended Law of 15 November 1999 and Articles 515-1 to 515-7 of the Civil Code.

The agreement specifies the conditions for everyone's participation from you two to living together.

You choose the regime of your property.

If the Civil partnerships do not specify otherwise, your assets are separated (this is the legal regime of separation).

You can also choose to share ownership of certain properties that you will acquire, together or separately (a indivision).

If necessary, you can inform yourself for free in a house of justice and law.

Who shall I contact

You can take the advice from a notary who may, if you wish, draw up a notarized Civil partnership agreement (fee-based approach).

Who shall I contact

You can also ask for advice from a lawyer.

Who shall I contact

FYI  

A single Civil partnership agreement must be written for you 2. Remember to sign it every 2.

Customizable Elements

You can customize rules that address the following:

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Participation in common expenditure

You can customize the following:

  • Contribution of each partner to common expenditure
  • Type of expenditure covered
  • Practical arrangements for care (distribution, etc.)
  • Taking into account the purchase of the dwelling (e.g. part of the loan repayment)

You can also make provisions in case of possible separation.

Regime of property of partners

You can choose the regime of your assets and the modalities of their management.

Separation of property

Each partner retains ownership of its property, both those that it held before the Civil partnerships were made and those that it acquires during the Civil partnerships.

This is the regime applicable in the absence of other choice (we speak of legal regime).

Please note

To avoid any further dispute, you can append to the Civil partnership agreement a list of the main assets owned by each partner (bank accounts, real estate, etc.).

Division of assets

Undividing applies to goods you buy, together or separately, from the registration of the Civil partnerships.

These goods belong to each of you 2 for half.

Some properties remain the exclusive property of the partner concerned:

  • Salaries and other income (retirement pensions, etc.)
  • Properties created by the partner
  • Personal property (clothing, etc.)
  • Goods received by gift or inheritance during Civil partnership.

Please note

To avoid any further dispute, you can attach to your Civil partnership agreement a list of the main assets owned by each partner (bank accounts, real estate, etc.).

Peremptory rules

Certain rules and obligations are established by law. Your Civil partnership agreement must respect them.

Your Civil partnerships agreement cannot delete mutual material assistance between the partners (participation in common expenditure) and the duty to assist.

You cannot delete the solidarity between you for the debts incurred by one of you 2 for everyday expenses.

You also remain united for your tax debts.

Your Civil partnership agreement cannot restrict the right to dissolve Civil partnerships which belongs to each partner.

The Civil partnership agreement may not contain a gift or bequests.

You cannot make testamentary dispositions in a Civil partnership agreement (you must writing a will).

The Civil partnerships have no effect on children, common or not, partners. The provisions concerning them therefore have no place in the Convention.

Please note

It is not possible to write a posthumous Civil partnership (after the death of a partner).

One person under guardianship or under curatorship may conclude a Civil partnership.

It must, however, be able to give its informed consenttherefore, be endowed with sufficient discernment.

The trusteeship partner must be assisted by their guardian to sign the Civil partnership agreement. The agreement must include the identity and signature of the guardian.

The curatorial partner must be assisted by its curator to sign the Civil partnership agreement. The agreement must include the identity and signature of the guardian.

The authorization of the Dispute and Protection Judge (former guardianship judge) is not necessary.

FYI  

Declaration of Civil partnerships before the registrar is done without assistance.

The registrar who registers your Civil partnership returns your Civil partnership agreement to you after you have signed it (i.e. after you have indicated the registration number and date of the declaration and affixed its signature and seal).

He don't keep a copy.

It is therefore up to you to store carefully your Civil partnership agreement.

Please note

If you opt for a notarial Civil partnership, the notary retains the original of the Civil partnership agreement.

You can change your Civil partnership agreement if you're both okay.

For clarity, better drafting a new convention.

It will take the place of the original convention.

You can write yourself your amending agreement.

You can also use thestandard amending agreement form :

Model amending agreement for a civil solidarity pact (Civil partnerships)

The amending agreement, drawn up in French, must contain the following elements:

  • References of the original agreement (registration number and date)
  • Date
  • Signatures of the 2 partners.

FYI  

You have to do save your amending agreement.

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