It is first necessary to find and contact the local authority of the chosen country (French embassy or consulate) to find out the rules and procedures specific to the country for the marriage to be celebrated and recognized.

You can also contact a notary.

> To read: the Refugees.info sheet "Obtaining a travel document".

You must make an appointment or send an email to the French embassy or consulate of the country where the marriage will be celebrated.

Then, the two bride and groom are called for an interview.

You must bring these documents:

• ID (with photo): valid residence permit (refugee resident card, multi-year residence card for subsidiary protection), identity card/passport;
• proof of residence: rent receipt, electricity bill, telephone bill, etc.
• information sheet (given by the embassy or consulate) completed;
• copy of the birth certificate of each future spouse, less than 3 months old (6 months if the document was issued abroad, with its translation and legalization);

You can retrieve this document from the OFPRA website.

Other supporting documents may be requested depending on your situation.

This is an official poster that announces your wedding with this information:

• the first names, surnames, professions, domicile or residence of each of the future spouses;
• the place where the marriage is solemnized.

The publication of the banns is compulsory (unless dispensed) for several days at the French embassy or consulate in the foreign country, OR at your town hall in France.

After the interview and the period of publication of the banns, a "certificate of marriage capacity" is issued, if the conditions provided for by French law are confirmed.

Depending on the country where you are getting married, the marriage can be solemnized by one of the following authorities:

• state registrar;
• foreign consul;

After the ceremony, a marriage certificate is issued.

For your marriage to be recognized in France, you must request " its transcription" in the civil status registers of the French embassy or consulate of the place of your marriage.

The list of documents to be provided as well as the transcription request form can be downloaded from the website of the competent French consulate in the country concerned.

In all cases, you must present a copy of your marriage certificate and a valid residence permit.

The transcription allows you to obtain a French family booklet or to update the booklet you already have.

The spouse of a refugee can apply for a residence card after the transcription of the marriage in France. However, no long-stay visa is issued automatically in the context of a marriage abroad.

Good to know: Transcription requests for marriages celebrated in Algeria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, Monaco, Poland, Switzerland and Tunisia must be sent only by post to this address:

Service central de l'état civil
11 rue de la Maison Blanche
44941 Nantes Cedex

As soon as you return to France, you can apply to register your marriage with the OFPRA.

You must complete this form and send it with the following documents:

• the certificate of marriage capacity or the certificate of publication of the banns;
• the photocopy of the travel document with the entry and exit stamps of the country of celebration of the marriage and the photocopy of the plane or train ticket;
• the original or a copy of the foreign marriage certificate with a translation certified by a sworn translator, as well as the recto-verso photocopy of this certificate and its translation.

> To read: the Refugees.info sheet "Obtain an official translation of a document".

You must send your file by post to this address:

OFPRA

201 rue Carnot

94136 Fontenay-sous-Bois Cedex

It is advisable to make a photocopy of the form and send it with an acknowledgment of receipt.