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Marriage certificate apostille for France: weddings and transcription

By Frank MetayerUpdated November 12, 2026

A U.S. marriage certificate headed to France needs an apostille from the Secretary of State of the state where the marriage was recorded. It does not come from the state you live in now, and it does not come from the U.S. Department of State. Most French offices then want a French translation by a traducteur assermenté (a translator sworn in by a French court). The French consulates in the U.S. are the main exception: for recording a marriage, their checklist accepts records written in English.

France and the United States both belong to the Hague Apostille Convention, so one apostille is the whole authentication. You can skip the French consulate stamp entirely. The apostille itself is a certificate confirming that the signature and seal on a public record are genuine. For birth certificates, diplomas and other papers, see our broader guide on U.S. documents for France. Details are current as of 2026; the French office receiving your file has the final word.

Key takeaways

Marrying in France and recording a U.S. wedding in France are two separate files with different document lists. Work out which one you are building first.
A U.S. marriage certificate is apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the marriage was recorded. Some states want a county certification first.
Order a certified long-form copy. A ceremony keepsake, a short abstract, or a photocopy will be refused.
Most French offices want a translation by a traducteur assermenté, made after the apostille so it covers the apostille too.
Recency rules come from the French office, not from the apostille. A mairie usually wants a birth certificate issued within the last six months.

Two different files, two different document lists

Couples who need this usually fall into one of two groups, and the paperwork barely overlaps.

The first group plans to marry in France, at a mairie (town hall). There is no U.S. marriage certificate yet. What France wants from the American partner is proof of identity and proof of being free to marry: an apostilled long-form birth certificate, a French translation, and a statement of single status.

The second group already married in the United States. Now the marriage has to count in France, usually because one spouse is French, or because the couple is moving there and a French office asks for proof of the marriage. Here the U.S. marriage certificate itself is the key document, and it is the one that needs the apostille.

Getting married at a French mairie

Each mairie publishes its own list, so ask for it before you order anything. For the American partner it usually includes a long-form birth certificate (the version that names your parents) apostilled by the state where you were born, a French translation of it, and proof that you are free to marry.

France normally asks foreigners for a certificat de coutume and a certificat de célibat. No U.S. office issues either. The U.S. Embassy in France publishes a bilingual attestation that takes the place of both, which you fill in and sign. If your mairie asks for a U.S. single-status affidavit instead, that affidavit is notarized in a U.S. state and apostilled by that state's Secretary of State. Our guide on how to get a single-status affidavit walks through it.

Previously married? Bring proof of how that marriage ended, such as a divorce decree or a death certificate, apostilled by the state that issued it and translated into French. Also plan around the French timing rules: one of you, or a parent, must live in the town, and the banns (the public notice of the marriage) stay posted for 10 days before the wedding can take place.

Recording a U.S. wedding with the French consulate

When one spouse is French and the wedding took place in the U.S., the French spouse can ask the French consulate to transcribe the marriage, which means copying it into French civil records. As of 2026, France's official guidance calls transcription recommended, not mandatory. Without it, though, the marriage has no effect toward third parties in France. In practice that means the non-French spouse generally cannot get a residence permit as the spouse of a French citizen, and the couple misses the tax treatment of married couples.

As of 2026, the French consulate in Los Angeles handles marriages from the Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco consular districts. The consulate in Washington, D.C., handles Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Washington. Requests go by mail. The consulate asks for the long-form marriage record with its apostille, plus the non-French spouse's full birth certificate, issued within six months and apostilled. It may also interview the couple.

Some U.S. weddings stall at this stage. Self-solemnized marriages, Texas informal marriages, and weddings held by video call can be put on hold or turned down for transcription. Our France guide explains those cases and the certificate of capacity to marry that the French spouse can request before the wedding.

Where the apostille on a U.S. marriage record comes from

Marriage records belong to the states, so the apostille is a state apostille. Married in Las Vegas, living in Chicago? Nevada issues it. The Secretary of State, or the office that state has designated, checks the signature of the county or state official on your certified copy and attaches the apostille.

Order a certified copy from the county clerk, county recorder, or state vital-records office that holds the record. Ask for the long-form or full version that lists both spouses, the date and place of the marriage, and the officiant. A French civil registrar copies those details into French records, and a short abstract can leave them out. French consulates generally won't accept a photocopy, even a notarized one.

Some states, New York among them, want a county clerk certification on locally signed records before the state will apostille them. We check those steps for each state and then submit the certificate to the correct office for the apostille. Our marriage certificate apostille service can also order the certified copy for you.

Translation into French: when and by whom

A mairie, préfecture (regional government office), or notaire (a French notary) will usually want a French translation of an English record. Most accept only a traducteur assermenté: a translator registered as a court expert with a French cour d'appel (court of appeal). Every mairie can point you to the court's list. A translation certified by a U.S. agency is often refused, so ask before you pay for one.

Get the apostille first. Then the translator can render the certificate and the apostille together, which is what most French offices expect. Translate first and you may pay twice.

We are not traducteurs assermentés ourselves, but we can help you arrange a translation by one and time it after the apostille. Our certified translation page explains how we coordinate it.

How old can the documents be?

An apostille does not expire. The documents it sits on are another story. French rules cap a foreign birth certificate in a marriage file at six months old, counted from the day you file. There is an exception for countries that don't update birth records, and the U.S. Embassy publishes a statement saying U.S. birth certificates aren't updated that way. Some mairies accept an older copy with that statement; many still want a recent one.

For the marriage certificate, the consulate's main concern is that it is the full certified record with an apostille. Other French offices may set their own window. Order fresh copies close to your filing date, and confirm the limit with the office that will receive them.

Why French offices send marriage files back

Problems that come up again and again on files for France:

✕The decorative ceremony certificate or the marriage license went in instead of the certified marriage record.
✕A short-form abstract was used where the office needed the long-form record.
✕The certificate was sent to the state where the couple lives now, not the state where they married.
✕The translation was made before the apostille, or by a translator who isn't on a French court's list.
✕The birth certificate in a mairie file was older than six months and the mairie didn't accept the Embassy statement.
✕A name on the marriage record doesn't match the passport, with no name-change document to explain it.

For problems that apply to every country, see why apostilles get rejected.

After transcription: the French record and the livret de famille

Once the consulate transcribes the marriage, the couple receives a livret de famille (the French family record book), or an update to an existing one, and the marriage is noted on the French spouse's birth record. From then on, French offices will usually ask for the French marriage record rather than the U.S. certificate.

Copies of a marriage transcribed at a consulate are issued by France's Service central d'état civil (the central civil registry for French records created abroad) in Nantes, where you can request them online or by mail. That record is French, so no U.S. office can apostille it. If you ever need it in another country, French authorities handle that step.

Preparing a marriage file for France?

Send us the state where you married, or the state where you were born if the wedding will be in France. We order certified long-form copies if you need them, submit each one to the correct state office for the apostille, and help you arrange the French translation afterward. Prices per document are on our apostille pricing page.

Start an order Call 1-800-889-7850

Frequently asked questions

Which office apostilles a U.S. marriage certificate for France?+

The Secretary of State (or the office the state designates) of the state where the marriage was recorded, not the state where you live now. If you married in Nevada and live in Illinois, Nevada issues the apostille. The U.S. Department of State does not apostille state marriage records, and some states, such as New York, want a county clerk certification first.

Do I need a U.S. marriage certificate to get married in France?+

No. To marry at a French mairie, the American partner usually needs a long-form birth certificate apostilled by the state of birth, a French translation, and proof of being free to marry, usually the U.S. Embassy's attestation in place of the certificat de coutume and certificat de célibat. A divorce decree or death certificate is added if either partner was married before. Each mairie sets its own list, so ask for it first.

How does a French spouse record a U.S. marriage in France?+

The French spouse asks the French consulate to transcribe the marriage into French civil records. As of 2026, the Los Angeles consulate handles the Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and San Francisco districts, and the Washington, D.C. consulate handles Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Washington. The consulate asks for the long-form marriage record with its apostille and the non-French spouse's full birth certificate, issued within six months and apostilled. Transcription is recommended rather than mandatory, but without it the marriage has no effect toward third parties in France.

Does my marriage certificate need a French translation for France?+

For a mairie, préfecture, or notaire, usually yes, and most accept only a traducteur assermenté, a translator registered with a French court of appeal. Have the apostille attached first so the translation covers it. The French consulates in the U.S. are the exception: for transcription, their checklist accepts records written in English. Confirm with the office receiving your file.

How recent does my marriage certificate need to be for France?+

The apostille never expires, but French offices can set their own limit on the document. A mairie usually wants a birth certificate issued within six months of filing, and the consulate wants the non-French spouse's birth certificate under six months old for a transcription. For the marriage certificate itself, ask the receiving office and order a fresh certified long-form copy close to your filing date.

How much does a marriage certificate apostille for France cost?+

We charge a flat price per document, based on the document type and the state or agency that issued it. You see that price before you order, with no hidden fees.

Keep reading

Apostille for France: U.S. Documents Marriage Certificate Apostille Certified Translation Services How to Get a Single-Status Affidavit Marriage Certificate Apostille for Spain Apostilla de acta de matrimonio para Francia (español)