Important information
Proposed by
Target audience
Price
Requirements
Where is it?
Asking for a birth certificate
What is it?
The birth certificate is an official document that proves the date and place of a person's birth.
It is a civil status document (identity and situation in society) made and sent by Ofpra (French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons).
Ofpra is responsible for several civil status documents for beneficiaries of international protection (refugees, stateless persons and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection): birth certificate, marriage certificate , family record book and death certificate.
The birth certificate given by Ofpra is an authentic (official) document, and essential for certain administrative procedures (marriage, naturalization, identity papers, etc.).
But for a marriage or PACS, you must get a birth certificate less than 3 months old (sent by Ofpra less than 3 months ago).
How to do it?
After receiving the positive response from the Ofpra, giving refugee status, stateless person, or subsidiary protection, you can request a birth certificate.
To draw up your birth certificate and "reconstitute" your situation (parents' names and dates of birth, your date and place of birth), the Ofpra uses the administrative documents from your country of origin (if you have any) and the statements made during your asylum interview.
Reconstituting a birth certificate can take time. There is no point in going to the Ofpra or calling again to obtain the document more quickly.
Once your birth certificate has been reconstituted, you can request a birth certificate for you, or for a member of your family (spouse, parents or grandparents, children or grandchildren) directly on the Ofpra website.
There are 3 different documents:
- A full copy: that is to say the entire birth certificate
- An extract with filiation: information on the person concerned (surname, first name(s), date and place of birth) and information on the parents
- An extract without affiliation: only information about the person concerned.
It is a 9-digit number like XX-XX-XXXXX written at the top left of each letter sent by Ofpra.
Then, you can make the request on this link: https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/demander-un-acte
- Click on “Birth certificate”, then “Next”.
- Then, on “Me” or “Someone in my family”.
- Complete the forms.
What happens next?
To find out how your request is progressing, go to the online procedures page and write your tracking number in the “Suivre ma démarche en ligne” section.
If there is an error or oversight on your birth certificate, you can dispute the information (say that you disagree).
You must send a letter with an explanation of the error or omission to this address:
Ofpra
201 rue Carnot
94136 Fontenay-sous-Bois Cedex
Don't forget to write your Ofpra file number on each letter.
If the identity on your residence permit and your birth certificate are not the same, there is no need to dispute, as this will not be considered an error. You will then need to modify your residence permit.
The “certificate of equivalence” document allows you to justify differences between the identity retained by Ofpra and the identity with which you were previously known in France. You received this document with your first birth certificate. It should be preserved carefully, in particular by making a photocopy.
In certain cases, Ofpra will refer you to the Paris Court if your request cannot be processed by its services.
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