Consular Services
Notarial Services
Notarial Services are available to all U.S. passport holders and to foreign nationals with documents for use in the United States. They are executed by the Consular Officer and may include documents to be signed before them, statements made under oath, affidavits and acknowledgments.
To notarize a document, you must make an appointment at the Consulate and come in person to the office with the following documents:
- A valid passport or piece of identity (French driver’s licenses are not accepted) issued by a government agency.
- The document to be notarized. Do not sign the document.
- $30.00, or the euro equivalent per initial signature/seal; each additional signature/seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction will cost $20 or the euro equivalent. Payment can be made by credit card or mandat-cash available for purchase at the French Post Office (see exchange rate).
- If your document must also be witnessed, please bring your witnesses with you. Consular officers and staff may NOT be witnesses for notarial purposes.
We can also provide the following documents:
Attestation de célibat et d'identité: This affidavit (Certificate of Celibacy) is used in place of one's birth certificate when getting married in France.
First marriage : Attestation de célibat
Second marriage: Attestation de non-remariage
Certificat de coutumes:
The Consulate can provide you with a document called "attestation tenant lieu de certificat de coutumes" which can replace the actual "certificat de coutumes" for marriage purposes. Please note that there are two types of documents depending on whether it is a first or second marriage.
Translation of Driver's License (Attestation tenant lieu de traduction du permis de conduire): One must first contact their prefecture to see if they accept this affidavit. If not, a sworn translation of your U.S. driver's license is required.
Extrait de Casier Judiciaire
This document is sometimes required by French authorities. It is generally known as an equivalent to a police record in the U.S. This is accepted when applying for a carte de commerçant. It is not valid for people immigrating to Canada or as an FBI record when applying for French nationality. If you require an original police record from a police department in the U.S., please go to the Fingerprint page.
Change of residence (Attestation tenant lieu de fiche de changement de domicile): This is required by French customs for people moving from France to the United States or vice-versa.
Other Affidavits
• Sworn Statement (Attestation sur l'honneur)
• Power of Attorney (Procuration)
• Apostille for Documents: Both France and the U.S. are signatory to The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The purpose of the Convention was to abolish the requirement of diplomatic/consular legalization for public documents originating in one country for use in another. The Convention calls for the use of a single signature by a designated certifying official. Under the Convention, the standard certification is called the Apostille. To obtain the Apostille for U.S. documents to be used in France, you should send the document to the Secretary of State of the U.S. State where the document was issued. For more information, please read Apostille in the US or Apostille in France. Please note that the Consulate does not have the authority to affix an apostille to your American documents.