Citizen Services
Notarial Services
Notarial services in Paris are available without an appointment at the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Paris.
Office hours for this service are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, except on French and American holidays.
Notarial services are provided for documentation for marriage in France, powers of attorney, affidavits of support, sworn statements and other documents.
For U.S. notarial services outside of Paris please click here.
On the day of your visit, you should queue outside the consular section. The Embassy guards and local police will guide you through a series of security checks. When you arrive in the consular waiting room, you will have to take a number for notarials at a kiosk (the ticket will show the letter D followed by a number). You should then sit in the waiting room until the number is called. You should plan to spend about an hour at the Embassy once you are admitted.
Notarial and Authentication services (legalization of documents) are currently available to all U.S. passport holders. Foreign nationals with documents destined for use in the United States may also use this service.
Consular Officers perform notary services customarily provided by Notaries Public in the U.S. Please note that a consular officer cannot witness a will, validate that a document is genuine, or that statements made are true. The officer can only attest to the oath taken by the person making the statements or presenting the documents.
For payment for the services rendered you may use credit cards issued by American Express, Visa, Mastercard, or Discover, or cash in Euros or Dollars, or travelers checks. We do not accept any personal checks. See current exchange rates.
The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Paris can provide notarial services for the following types of documents.
Please bring
- A valid passport or form of identity issued by a government agency — a U.S. driver's license is acceptable;
(For identification purposes, we do not accept student ID or a French drivers' licenses.) - the document to be notarized;
- $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.
- If your document requires the presence of a witness, please bring these persons at the time of signature. Consular officers and staff may NOT be witnesses for notarial purposes.
What is Authentication
An authentication is the placing of the consular seal over the seal of a foreign authority whose seal and signature is on file with the American embassy or consulate. A consular authentication in no way attests to the authenticity of the contents of a document but merely to the seal and signature of the issuing authority.
Examples of Notarial/Authentication Acts
- Acknowledgment: To "acknowledge" is to admit, affirm, or declare; to recognize one's acts, assuming obligation or incurring responsibility. For example, if you sign a deed before a notarial officer, you acknowledge your signature.
- Oath: Any form of an attestation by which a person signifies that he or she is bound in conscience to perform an act faithfully and truthfully. A person who intentionally makes false statements under oath before a U.S. consular official is punishable for perjury (22 U.S.C. 4221).
- Affirmation: A solemn and formal declaration that an affidavit is true, that the witness will tell the truth, etc.
- Affidavit: A written or printed declaration or statement of facts, made voluntarily, and confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the person making it, taken before an officer having authority to administer such an oath.
- Attestation: The act of witnessing an instrument in writing, at the request of the party executing the document, and subscribing it as a witness.
Corporate Acknowledgment: Officials of corporations who desire to execute an instrument in their capacity as corporate officials before a consular notarizing officer must present adequate proof of their corporate identity.
The American Embassy does not make true copies or translations of academic credentials, college transcripts or diplomas.
Please refer to the travel.state.gov webpage for further information.
For more information on notarial and authentication services please refer to the Department of State’s website.