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Where is it?
Have a family record book
What is it?
A family record book is an official document which is issued either by town halls, by Ofpra, or by the central civil status service .
The family record book contains extracts from birth, marriage or death certificates concerning members of your family. It is updated or corrected in certain cases.
In France, there is a family record book for each union.
For example, the family record book is not compulsory:
- In the context of family reunification
- To register your children at school
- To get a job
This article helps you know the different cases in which you will receive a family record book.
In some cases, you will not have a livret de famille. In these cases, you will need to produce a marriage certificate or your children's birth certificates.
How to do it?
Ofpra will automatically send you a family record book if you married before having your protection and Ofpra has created your marriage certificate.
Inside the family record book, the following names will be written:
- Your name
- The name of the person you are married to
- The name of the children born from this union and who are present in France
If a child is born in France from this union, it is the town hall of the place of birth which will write his name after his/her birth.
In certain cases, Ofpra will need additional information to write certain names in the family record book.
If you have children born abroad who obtained asylum at the same time as you, Ofpra will send you a family record book for single parents or cohabiting parents.
The following names will be written in the booklet:
- Your name
- The name of the other parent if they are protected by Ofpra
- The name of the children born from this union and who are present in France.
If a child is born from this union in France, it is the town hall of the place of birth which will write his name after his/her birth.
If your children are not present in France, you will not receive a family record book.
In certain cases, Ofpra will need additional information to write certain names in the family record book.
If your children arrive in France after obtaining your protection, you can request a family record book from Ofpra with the originals of their birth certificates and proof of their presence in France.
If you already have an Ofpra family record book, you can ask for it to be completed with the names of these children.
These documents must be sent by post to Ofpra with the form provided for this:
If you get married in France, and you do not yet have a family record book, it is the town hall where the marriage was celebrated which will give you this booklet, on the day of the wedding.
If you already had a family record book for cohabiting parents, the town hall will complete the family record book with the marriage certificate.
If you are not married and your child was born in France, the town hall where your first child born in France was born will send you your family record book.
If only your child is protected and not their parent, neither Ofpra nor the town hall will be able to issue a family record book.
There are cases where you do not receive a family record book.
There is no need to request a family record book from Ofpra or a French town hall in these situations:
- If you are single and have no children
- If you are not married and your children are not present in France
- If your marriage has not been recognized by Ofpra and you do not have children or they are not present in France
- If you married abroad after obtaining your status and the country where you married does not issue any family record book.
For more information on family reunification, you can consult this Réfugiés.info sheet.
It is possible to have a family record book, but not have your entire family listed in it.
There are several situations that explain this:
- Your children are not present in France
- If you have several spouses (polygamy is not authorized in France and only the first wife will be considered your wife)
- If one of your children died before the protection order
- If you had children with several people, you will have several family records.
What happens next?
If you have lost your family record book or if you need a second family record book (following a separation for example), it is possible to request a duplicate from the town hall of your place of residence.
They will contact the relevant authorities.
- If Ofpra has issued you with a family record book as a cohabitee and you decide to get married, the town hall of the place of marriage will issue you with a new family record book or complete the family record book previously issued by Ofpra.
- If Ofpra has issued you with a family record book and a marriage certificate and you decide to divorce, Ofpra will update your family record book.
- If you have a family record book issued by a town hall and you decide to get married, the town hall where you are to be married will issue you with a new family record book.
- If you decide to divorce, the town hall that issued your marriage certificate will update your family record book.
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