Birth Certificate Translation for France

Which procedures call for it

In France the birth certificate is requested for residence permits, family reunification, marriage and naturalisation; the bodies concerned are the état civil service and the préfecture. The French état civil sometimes expects a current copy issued after a particular date, and an older copy may have to be renewed however faultless its translation. The document is read together with the parents’ documents and the marriage certificate, and the names must be consistent on every document and in the passport.

A difference in the spelling of the mother’s or the father’s name makes the chain of parentage harder to prove. The translation carries names across in a way that is consistent with the official documents, without interpretation.

The order of apostille and translation is often overlooked in French files. The correct sequence is to obtain the official copy of the document, complete the apostille certificate where required, and then translate the document including the apostille. A translation made before the apostille is left incomplete afterwards, because the apostille certificate is part of the document too, and it usually has to be redone. Leaving the translation until last is therefore the safest course for a birth certificate destined for the état civil, in terms of both time and cost; where the document has to be recently dated, that order matters all the more.

Event annotations and completeness of the fields

Alongside the birth details, a Turkish civil registry extract may carry annotations of recorded events such as marriage, divorce or a change of name, and the French état civil wants to read the document as a whole. The translation carries every field and annotation across in full; leaving out a field breaks the integrity of the document. Empty fields are marked [blank], and seals and signatures are shown in square brackets. Because acceptance of the multilingual (formula A) copy varies from office to office, where a translation is needed it follows either the listed sworn translator route or the Türkiye chain.

The consulate and transcription route

A Turkish citizen’s procedure in France sometimes runs through a French consulate rather than directly through the préfecture, and where a birth has to be entered in the French civil status register (transcription) the process works differently. On that route, which document is wanted, in what form and in which language can vary with the office approached: some registries accept the multilingual copy, while others ask for a sworn translation. The translation carries the document across with its identity as a Turkish birth record, without making it resemble a French civil status document. Finding out at the start whether the consulate or a body inside France will handle the matter prevents time lost on a document issued in the wrong place. Since the document may also be expected to be recently dated, having the translation done while it is fresh is the most practical route.

A multilingual (formula A) copy is sometimes accepted as it stands

France is a party to the conventions of the International Commission on Civil Status (CIEC), so the multilingual (formula A) birth registry extract issued by Turkish civil registry offices may be accepted by some French registries without a separate translation being requested, since it shows the standard fields in several languages. This is not guaranteed with every office, however; some préfectures will still ask for a sworn translation. The safest step is therefore to ask the receiving body in advance whether the multilingual copy is accepted. If it is not, a sworn translation of the standard document is made.

The court of appeal (Cour d’appel) list requirement

Where a translation is needed, a document submitted to an official body in France must be produced by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) on the list of a court of appeal. Where the translation is produced in Türkiye, a sworn translator signs it, it goes through notarisation and an apostille is added. Confirming which route is required with the receiving body prevents time lost on a translation by someone who is not on the list.

Transliteration of names, date and place formats

The spelling of the given name, the surname and the parents’ names must match the official spelling in the passport; the translator does not apply a transliteration of their own choosing. Spelling the month out prevents confusion in the date of birth. The place of birth (province, district) is kept under its original name and is not translated. This consistency speeds up the identity check at the état civil service and reduces the likelihood of further documents being requested.

The order of certification, and common mistakes

The order runs: official copy of the birth certificate, apostille where required, then translation including the apostille. Common mistakes:

• Not asking the receiving body whether the multilingual copy is accepted.
• Working with a translator who is not on the list.
• Obtaining the apostille after the translation.

France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position on the official HCCH list. You can see the level of certification required for other documents on our document types page, review the cost on our pricing page, and upload your document for a quote. Details vary from one procedure to another; check with the institution before you apply.