France is surrounded by an aura of romance. Sunny Beaches, European standards of living and cities that are centers of art and culture are attractive and offer a lot of opportunities for development. It is not surprising that so many people dream of finding their soul mate here and starting life from scratch. But an official marriage in France is a serious event that requires careful preparation.
How and where to obtain a certificate of civil status
Confirmation of the civil status of a foreign national can be issued both in the country of residence and in France.
If you decide to marry a French woman or marry a French man, contact a Russian notary in advance. Be sure to get an apostille on the completed civil status certificate at the local branch of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
The finished document must be translated by a sworn translator. If you are running out of time and need to travel abroad, you can order the translation of the certificate and its delivery to your address in France online.
Having planned a wedding in France, you can obtain a certificate of civil status abroad. For this purpose, you must contact the Russian consulate at your place of residence. Reception is by appointment. In this case, an apostille and translation will not be required - the certificate is issued in French.
How to get married in France
Currently, many girls from Russia and the CIS countries are thinking about going for permanent residence in France
, getting married there. France is a country where a large number of young, loving and successful men live, so it is quite possible to find happiness there, and many have actually succeeded. Not only a loved one, but also a beautiful civilized European country, a new standard of living, which is much higher than in other countries - all this awaits a girl who decides to get married in France and go there for permanent residence.
At the same time, while indulging in dreams of a wedding, great love and a future life together in a happy country, we must not forget about the formalities, otherwise they will remind themselves of themselves. Naturally, there are a lot of formalities that have to be observed here, especially regarding the preparation of documents. If you decide to go to France for permanent residence
, then we will consider for you all those moments that you will probably have to face on your path to your happiness.
Types of marriage contract
To prevent divorce from becoming a problem in France, it is customary to sign a prenuptial agreement in advance, which may consist of several types of property and legal agreements.
Agreements can be like this:
- Agreement on joint ownership of acquired property. After signing, all debts and things acquired during marriage are considered joint. In case of divorce, they are divided in half. In addition, when making large transactions or applying for a loan, the signature of both spouses is required.
- Agreement on separate ownership of property. After the wedding, each spouse owns only what is registered in his name. Separate liability for loan obligations is provided. After a divorce, everyone receives what is registered in their name.
- Agreement on participation in the ownership of property acquired during marriage. Allows the husband and wife to independently manage their income/expenses. However, after a divorce, according to the law, all assets are recalculated, and the one who is the loser receives compensation from the second spouse.
- Agreement on common ownership of property. According to it, not only property acquired during marriage is recognized as common, but also that which the spouses owned before it.
To conclude a marriage contract in France, you will need a notarial certificate.
Features of a wedding ceremony in France
In modern France, there are the following wedding traditions:
- Wedding dresses: it is customary to select them at least six months before the wedding date.
- At a bachelor/bachelorette party, friends of the bride and groom receive a wish list for future gifts.
- Wedding rings are usually worn on the ring finger of the left hand.
Typically, a French wedding consists of four parts: engagement, official state registration, wedding and banquet.
The article “How to organize a wedding in Paris” will tell you how to prepare and hold a wedding in the most romantic place in the world.
Engagement
Even before the official wedding procedure in France, an engagement ceremony takes place.
It is held at the house of the bride's parents or in a restaurant. Appointed at least one year before the expected date of marriage. May be terminated. This implies an announcement in the press about the couple getting married and the chosen date, and the drawing up of a marriage contract.
Marriage registration at the mayor's office
As a rule, registration is a modest and strictly regulated procedure. Only close family members and friends are invited to attend.
The ceremony is carried out by the deputy mayor or an authorized employee: the articles of the French Family Code are read out, the consent of the bride and groom to marry is confirmed, and the signatures of the newlyweds and two witnesses are placed on official documents.
Upon completion, the newlyweds are given a family book confirming the fact of marriage. The duration of the entire procedure is about 30 minutes. It is not mandatory for the bride to change her surname, but usually the husband's surname is added to her maiden name.
Which of the guests is invited to the official registration of marriage at the mayor's office is indicated in the wedding invitation.
Church wedding ceremony
A wedding in a church is not obligatory, but a very beautiful ceremony. To make the ceremony possible, you must provide a specific package of documents:
- copies of identity cards;
- birth certificates/extracts from them, not older than six months;
- baptismal certificates;
- a written statement of desire to get married.
Foreign citizens are required to provide documents with a translation into French and an apostille.
Before the wedding, the newlyweds attend several lectures on religious topics. During the ceremony, there must be two or more witnesses from the bride and groom.
The groom arrives first at the church, accompanied by his mother. He waits for the bride at the altar, where her father accompanies her. On average, the ceremony lasts about an hour.
It should be noted that the wedding ceremony is possible only after registering the marriage at the mayor's office.
Gala wedding banquet
As a rule, the organization of a banquet is entrusted to restaurant professionals.
All dishes are served in strict sequence: aperitif, cold appetizers, hot dishes, fruit and cheese. The apotheosis is bringing out the wedding cake.
After the banquet, the start of the dance evening is announced, which usually opens with a waltz between the bride and her father.
Any person, with or without French nationality, who meets the following requirements may marry under French law:
- age: 18 years for men, 15 years for women. Special permission can be obtained in certain cases (pregnancy, in particular); To obtain permission, you must contact the prosecutor of the republic (by presenting a certificate of pregnancy)
- lack of close family ties, the presence of which may interfere with marriage
- no obstacle to the “post-marriage” period for those who were previously married: at least 300 days must pass after the divorce for women (or a certificate of absence of pregnancy must be submitted)
Getting married in France has several stages: First stage: engagement
Betrothal in France is of a serious nature (publication in the press, setting a specific wedding day, drawing up a marriage contract, etc.).
Second stage: marriage
A civil marriage in France is a legal act from the point of view of the law. It is carried out by an employee of the civil status department and in the vast majority of cases at the mayor's office. There is a large list of conditions and documents that must be submitted to the mayor’s office within the time frame specifically determined by it in order to make it possible to officially register the marriage. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in the annulment of the solemn ceremony followed by a petition for reappointment to the mayor.
If you intend to marry a French citizen, you must:
1. Consult with the French mayor's office regarding the package of documents (concerning the future spouse from Belarus) necessary for the publication of the announcement and registration of the upcoming marriage.
2. Prepare a dossier of the Belarusian bride/groom, necessary for the publication of an announcement about the upcoming marriage. An apostille must be affixed to the documents that make up the dossier at the Ministry of Justice or at the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. Make the translation from an official translator and have it certified by a notary.
3. Send all these documents to France to the bride/groom.
4. The future French spouse takes the documents to the mayor's office at his/her place of residence. The mayor's office will publish an announcement about the upcoming marriage. After 10 days, the mayor’s office issues a certificate (original) about the publication of the marriage announcement and the absence of obstacles to marriage.
Marriage can be postponed for up to a year from the date of publication; after this period, the procedure must be repeated.
5. Receive from the mayor's office the original certificate of publication of the marriage announcement and the absence of obstacles to marriage and attach the necessary documents.
6. Send the dossier to the Belarusian bride.
7. Information regarding obtaining a visa for the purpose of marriage in France is located on the following website: https://www.ambafrance-by.org/spip.php?rubrique870
Medical certificate (certificat medical prénuptial)
When getting married, the bride and groom must have a health certificate. The results of a premarital medical examination are confidential and are given only to the person examined. To obtain a certificate, you must first take a blood test for antibodies to rubella, toxoplasmosis, blood type and Rh factor.
Certificate of competence to marry (certificat de coutume)
Officially, it must be obtained from the Belarusian consulate in France. Certificat de coutume is required if, in addition to registering at the city hall, you want to get married in a church.
When marrying a French citizen, you must keep in mind that a family book must be drawn up at the mayor's office, in which a record of the marriage and the conclusion of a marriage contract between the spouses, if one has been drawn up, must be made.
Spouse visa to France
After marrying a French citizen, a foreigner is entitled to a spouse visa. This is a type of long-term residence permit category D. It allows you to stay in the country for 12 months. The main condition for obtaining such a visa is the successful passing of two exams: knowledge of the French language and traditions.
The article “Applying for a national visa D” will tell you about the important features of obtaining a long-term visa.
Please keep in mind that a spouse visa is not the same as a French fiancé (or fiancé) visa. The first is issued after marriage, the second - even before marriage, for the purpose of staying in the country for its registration, but after submitting an application to the mayor's office.
To apply at the City Hall, a standard C tourist visa for a foreign citizen is requested.
If your spouse's visa expires, you will have to leave the country. Current requirements and package of documents for different types of visas can be clarified by visiting the website of the French consular service in your country. In Russia, all information is available via .
Immigration through marriage
What should you do if the years go by, your love for a foreign country grows stronger, but there has never been any love with a foreigner? Getting abroad is as easy as shelling pears; it’s difficult to gain a foothold there legally. Having gone through the legal methods of immigration, individual citizens choose the least expensive path, which is completely reliable, although not without risk. We are talking about a fictitious marriage with a foreigner. True, in recent years such a marriage is more often called commercial or business. The same terminology is used on countless websites and forums in the classified ad sections. A typical example: I am looking for a woman 23-45, a German citizen, for a business marriage. Often the advertisement also indicates the amount that the potential marriage partner is willing to part with. Depending on the chosen country, the cost of a commercial defect ranges from 5 to 30 thousand USD.
The most graceful way to immigrate to almost any country is through marriage to a citizen of the destination country. If we are talking about a real marriage, concluded, say, for love, then no matter how many bureaucratic obstacles stand in the way of the newlyweds, sooner or later the hassle of preparing marriage documents ends and a happy life together begins. And if one of the spouses is a citizen of, say, Canada, and the other lives in Russia, with a high degree of probability it can be assumed that the newlyweds will live in Canada. To obtain Canadian citizenship, you must live in this country for 3 years. In other countries, for example in France, citizenship can be obtained only 4 years after marriage.
Is it possible to obtain French citizenship through marriage?
You can apply for citizenship only two years after an official civil marriage was concluded in France at the city hall. In this case, you must continuously remain in the country for two years. In addition, the consent of the spouse who is a French citizen will be required.
Another prerequisite: successful passing of tests on knowledge of the language and national French values. If you took these tests when applying for your visa, you will still need to take them again.
The required package of documents for applying for French citizenship includes documents about the place of actual residence and registration, employment and open bank accounts.
The period for consideration of the application is up to 1.5 years. During this time, the spouses will also be checked to determine whether the union concluded between them is fictitious.
All options for applying for citizenship are described in the article “Citizenship for foreigners in France: what you need to know.”
French citizenship through marriage
Find out more about the cases in which Brazilians are entitled to Italian citizenship. This is when all direct eminences of the applicant's Italian side are male, such as great-grandmother, grandmother, father, etc. if it's your business, you have the right. However, if this is your case, you can make a judicial referral to try a solution.
When you have the necessary ancestor documents it is much faster and within a few months you can obtain citizenship, otherwise it will require some costs, mainly in obtaining copies of documents directly in Italy. All descendants of Italians on the male side are entitled to Italian citizenship, that is, all children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, trinets, great-grandchildren of Italians, always holding the paternal line. Which increases, in the case of very distant ancestors, the number of documents that must receive copies.
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Divorce procedure in France
There are several types of divorce proceedings in France:
- By mutual agreement of the parties without division of property. The fastest and easiest way to get a divorce. However, in this case, it is necessary that the spouses agree in advance not only on the division of property, but also on the procedure for raising / place of residence of joint minor children, if any.
- Divorce on the initiative of both parties with division of property / determination of the order of upbringing or place of residence of joint minor children, alimony. Decisions on controversial issues are made by the court.
- Divorce of marriage due to the fault of one of the spouses. In this case, proof of behavior incompatible with the continuation of the marital relationship is required: infidelity, domestic violence, alcoholism and other reasons.
- Divorce due to separation of spouses. The court takes into account evidence of separation of spouses for a period of 2 years or more.
Prices for the services of a lawyer in divorce proceedings start from 200–300 euros per hour of work in court.
Where to apply for divorce and what documents are needed for this
To apply for divorce in France, you must contact a lawyer, after which the petition will be submitted to the Supreme Court of the country.
The list of required documents includes:
- application of the established form;
- passport (foreign and French citizen);
- permission to stay in the country (long-term visa category D);
- family book (livret de famille);
- property division agreement, if any;
- marriage contract, if signed;
- information about the income and property of both spouses;
- documents for common children.
Is it possible to stay in France after a divorce?
A foreign citizen can remain in France after a divorce only if he has been married for more than 5 years and has managed to apply for citizenship. Otherwise, he must leave the country.
The only way to avoid this is to enter into a long-term contract with a French employer or purchase property in the country.
Registration and receipt of French citizenship
You can also provide a certificate of completion of special language courses. The certificate of the company that provides training must comply with international standards. In addition, you will have to undergo an oral interview at the consulate with a specialist who will assess your knowledge of the language.
- a certified copy of the birth certificate;
- statement;
- a copy of the marriage certificate;
- if the marriage took place outside the state where the petition is being submitted, then an extract from the consulate of the country that registered the union;
- documents for children, if any;
- providing proof of French citizenship of one of the spouses;
- a certificate of no criminal record issued in the place where the applicant has lived for the last ten years;
- a document confirming that the applicant did not violate the terms of his stay in France and was not deported;
- state duty stamp worth 55 euros.
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Fictitious marriage in France
Family law in France recognizes “simulated” or fictitious marriages as unions that are not based on the real desire of people to be spouses, as well as unions concluded under coercion by one of the parties.
The grounds for recognizing a marriage as fictitious may be:
- closed family relationships;
- lack of common property;
- separate living;
- lack of knowledge of spouses about each other’s personal lives and preferences;
- testimony from neighbors;
- data of migration service employees.
If a fictitious marriage has been proven, the union is declared invalid. The spouse who is a foreign citizen will be forced to leave the country as his visa will be cancelled.
A wedding in France is a fairy tale for lovers
If you are a potential newlywed and desperately want to avoid the usual formulaic wedding, the best option is to have a wedding abroad, and what better way than to have a wedding in France - the most romantic country in Europe.
♥ ♥ ♥
An event such as a wedding always remains in the memory for a lifetime, which means everything in these memories should be beautiful and romantic.
You will be amazed by the beauty of the magnificent landscapes and landscapes, your imagination will be amazed by the numerous ancient castles and ancient estates, and at the same time, literally at every step, you will be accompanied by real European service and genuine hospitality of the local residents.
From the streets of Paris to Haute Normandy or the magnificent Cote d'Azur, you will have the opportunity to see truly unique and incredibly beautiful and romantic places that will positively influence your hearts to merge together here and in France.
Summarizing
Creating a family with a French citizen is a complex procedure that includes several stages.
It all starts with collecting documents, a tourist visa and a visit to the mayor's office. After this, a special visa is issued for the bride/groom, and after all the ceremonies, a spouse visa is issued.
The official confirmation of the union is the family book - a marriage certificate in France.
The celebration itself consists of a civil ceremony at City Hall, a wedding and a banquet. In this case, a wedding is possible only after the official signing of documents at the mayor's office and receipt of a family book. In addition, future spouses must provide a specific package of documents to the church and undergo conversations and classes with a priest.
Official registration of marriage in France for citizens of the Russian Federation and other countries can become the basis for obtaining French citizenship under a simplified scheme.
