Marriage in France
Please note that marriages are not performed at Australian embassies or missions.
To be legally recognised, a marriage in France must take place at a Town Hall (Mairie).
We invite you to make direct contact with your local Mairie in order to obtain their requirements.
At least one of the applicants must be either a French citizen or a legal resident of France.
Please note that if two Australian citizens applying for a CNI are living in France, two separate applications will need to be completed.
Please visit our Notarial Fees page for information regarding payment for CNI applications and Appostiles.
The Embassy only provides the certificat de coutume. To obtain the certificat de celibat, please contact your Births, Deaths and Marriages registrars in Australia. (i.e.: bdm.nsw.gov.au for NSW)
Please Nominate the address in France where the Embassy can send you the certificat de coutume.
The document will be in French Language.
How to obtain a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage (Certificat de Coutume ou de non-opposition au Mariage):
1. If you are In France
a. CNI application by mail.
- complete the “Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage” Application
- sign the application in front of a Public Notary (Notaire)
- obtain from the notaire in the town where you reside:
a certified copy of your passport (for the Australian citizen)
a certified copy of your divorce papers (if applicable)
- send by mail to the Australian Embassy – Consular section – 4 rue Jean Rey 75015 Paris:
the application completed and signed
the certified copy of your passport
the certified copy of your future spouse’s passport
nb: we will send you a payment form once we have confirmed the application is complete.
b. CNI application by appointment at the Embassy:
Appointments for the CNI can be booked here.
- complete the “Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage” Application
- sign the application in front of an Consular Officer
- present your passport
- present also the certified copy of your future spouse’s ID
- pay the appropriate fee by credit or debit card at the Embassy counter.
2. If you are in Australia
- complete the “Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage” Application
- sign the application in front of a person listed on the application
- obtain from that person:
a certified copy of your passport (for the Australian citizen)
a certified copy of your divorce papers (if applicable)
- send by mail to the Australian Embassy – Consular section – 4 rue Jean Rey 75015 Paris:
the application completed and signed
the certified copy of your passport
the certified copy of your future spouse’s passport
nb: we will send you a payment form once we have confirmed the application is complete.
In case you have already obtained the CNI (in English version) from a DFAT office in Australia, you will need to get this document translated by a sworn translator either in Australia or in France. Meaning that you do not need to apply for the CNI in France.
3. If you are outside France and Australia
- complete the “Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage” Application
- sign the application in front of a consular officer at the closest Australian Embassy near your residence
- obtain from the consular officer:
a certified copy of your passport (for the Australian citizen)
a certified copy of your divorce papers (if applicable)
- send by mail to the Australian Embassy – Consular section – 4 rue Jean Rey 75015 Paris:
the application completed and signed
the certified copy of your passport
the certified copy of your future spouse’s passport
nb: we will send you a payment form once we have confirmed the application is complete.
The Embassy will then issue you the Attestation in French language that you will be able to collect from the Embassy a few days later or which can be sent by mail to the address of your choice in France or in Australia by standard mail.
For the mairie, please make direct contact with a sworn translator to get your overseas birth certificate translated into French.
To obtain a Single Status Certificate, a Birth Certificate, a Marriage Certificate, please contact the BDM registry in the appropriate state in Australia. (Please check with local authorities if the Birth Certificate has to be less than six months old).
The Embassy provides the delivery of Apostilles on original documents provided by Births Deaths and Marriages. Please refer to notarial services.
The estimated turn-around time for processing the certificate of No-Impediment to Marriage can be up to ten working days.
If your require the document to be delivered to you by secured mail or express post, you will need to arrange and pay for a courier service.
Under French Law THE CERTIFICATE (which is produced in FRENCH by the Australian Embassy in Paris) is valid for only 90 days after the date of issue.
For any further required information please send an email to [email protected]
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PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT PUBLISH THE BANS FOR A MARRIAGE IN FRANCE AND ARE UNABLE TO ISSUE A "CERTIFICAT DE CELIBAT" MENTIONING A PERSON'S MARITAL STATUS. PLEASE REQUEST A ''NO RECORD OF MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE'' FROM YOUR STATE REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES IN AUSTRALIA .