France Document Resources
Apostilles and Legalization
Regulatory provisions relating to the legalisation and apostille of French public documents - the decree defines legalization, apostille and public acts. Unless otherwise agreed by international commitment, any French public document intended to be produced abroad must be legalised. Legalisation is the formality by which the veracity of the signature of the author of the deed, the capacity in which the signatory of the deed acted and, where applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp with which the deed is affixed is attested.
This table concerns documents issued by French authorities which must be presented abroad. It lists, by country and document type, whether a French document requires an Apostille, Consular legalization or if the requirement for further authentication is waived by bilateral or international convention.
Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates
The process when a British national dies in France, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.
Corporate documents
The Kbis extract in France provides a certified identification snapshot of a French company. It is valid for 3 months from issue.
The Kbis confirms the identity and address of the company, its business activity, legal form, SIREN identification number, Directors etc. It also confirms whether or not insolvency proceedings have been brought against the company. A Kbis Extract can be certified for presentation abroad by Apostille at the Court of Appeal or legalized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Criminal Record Certificates
French National Criminal Record Certificate (Extrait du Casier Judiciaire Bulletin nº 3). Applications can be made online. May only be issued to the person concerned and may never be issued to a third party. French criminal record certificates are issued digitally and don’t need to be presented physically for apostille or legalization.
Notary Services
The French notaire is a legal specialist with a mission of public authority to draw up authenticated contracts on behalf of clients. They have the power to authenticate acts by affixing their seal and signature and issue notarial certificates in respect of documents and persons