Get a marriage certificate
What is it?
The marriage certificate is an official document that proves the union between two people.
It is a civil status document (identity and situation in society) made and sent by OFPRA (Office Français de Protection des Réfugiés et des Apatrides).
OFPRA is responsible for several civil status documents for beneficiaries of international protection (refugees, stateless persons and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection): the birth certificate, the family record booklet, the death certificate.
Also read our Refugees.info file on the birth certificate
The marriage certificate issued by OFPRA is an authentic (official) document and is essential for certain administrative procedures (application for a family record book, naturalisation, divorce, etc.)
You can request a marriage certificate for yourself or for a member of your family (your spouse, your parents or grandparents, your children or grandchildren).
The marriage certificate request can be made online on the OFPRA website.
Who is it for?
France entière
France entière
What to do?
Wait for the OFPRA to reconstitute the marriage certificate
To draw up your marriage certificate and "reconstitute" your situation (name of the husband or wife, your dates and place of birth, the date of the marriage), OFPRA uses the administrative documents from your country of origin (if you have any) and the statements made during your asylum application interview.
If there is any doubt about the authenticity of certain documents, or if there is any inaccuracy or absence of documents, OFPRA may ask the French embassy or consulate in the country of origin to carry out an investigation.
Good to know: Reconstituting a marriage certificate can take time. There is no need to go to OFPRA or follow up to obtain the document more quickly.
Apply for a marriage certificate on the internet
Once your marriage certificate has been reconstituted, you can request it on the OFPRA website.
There are three different documents:
- a full copy: i.e. the entire marriage certificate
- an extract with filiation: information on the person concerned (surname, first name(s), date and place of birth) and information on his parents
- an extract without filiation: only the information on the person concerned by the marriage certificate.
Good to know: First you need your OFPRA file number . It is a 9-digit number of the XX-XX-XXXXX type written at the top left of each letter sent by OFPRA.
Then, you can apply on this link: https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/demander-un-acte
- Click on "Marriage certificate", then on "Next".
- Then on "Me" or "Someone in my family".
- Complete the forms.
Good to know: After registering the request, you will receive a tracking number : you must keep it to be able to follow the progress of the request.
And after?
Track your request
To find out how your request is progressing, go to the online procedures page and write your tracking number in the “Track my request online” section.
Contesting information on the marriage certificate
If there is an error or omission in your marriage certificate , you can dispute the information (say that you do not agree).
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
Good to know: You must write your OFPRA file number on each letter.
For other disputes, you must send a letter to the Court of Paris at this address:
Court of PARIS
court forecourt
Section AC1 - Marital status
75 859 PARIS CEDEX 17
Inform OFPRA of a change of address
If you change your postal address, telephone number, or e-mail address (contact details), you must send your new contact details to OFPRA in order to receive the marriage certificate.
To read: the Refugees.info sheet "Inform OFPRA of a change of contact details "