Marriage and civil partnership
Fees
Please note we have now moved to online payments for applications for a Certificate of Freedom to Marry*. Please have your debit/credit card details and the required supporting documents ready before you begin your application. Further information can be found under the Supporting Documents section below.
You should expect to receive your Certificate of Freedom for your marriage abroad within 8 weeks of the date of marriage if submitted within the correct timeframe.
Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS)
If you are entering into a Civil Union in France (PACS), please go to the section Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS) below for more information.
Making an application
Online questionnaire
To apply for a Certificate of Freedom to Marry, you must complete an online questionnaire about yourself and your upcoming marriage or civil partnership.
Statutory declaration
Based on this questionnaire, you’ll be presented with one or more statutory declarations to complete and a checklist of supporting documentation you'll need to submit with your application.
You need to:
- Print and sign your questionnaire.
- Print out a copy of each statutory declaration.
- Print out your checklist.
- Complete the declarations and have them witnessed.
- Post them to us with your supporting documentation, signed questionnaire and fee.
- Print off or save each form right after your online questionnaire, as you won't be able to retrieve them later.
When to apply
Submit your application a minimum of four months before the date of your marriage or civil partnership.
Your witnessed statutory declaration(s) cannot be dated more than six months before the date of your marriage.
Your application is not complete until we get hard copies of your questionnaire, statutory declaration(s), and all supporting documentation.
Supporting documents
Your checklist will tell you exactly what supporting documentation you'll need for your application, which may include:
- Your original long-form birth certificate
- A court order, if you are under 18 years
- Death certificate of your previous spouse, if widowed
- Petition and final decree of your divorce, if divorced
- A photocopy of your current Irish passport (passport card not accepted)
- Your original naturalisation certification, if naturalised
Translating your documents
You'll need to submit certified translations of these documents, if the originals are in a language other than English or Irish.
Getting replacement documents
We need original documents (except for the photocopy of your passport) to process your application.
If you don't have the original certificates, you must get replacements from the General Register Office which issued your certificate.
Ordering certificates - HSE.ie
Getting your documents back
We will return all your original documents to you after we inspect them.
Remember...
If you haven't included all the necessary documents, your application will be returned to you.
Please note that the Embassy does not have a role in issuing copies of birth, marriage or death certificates. To obtain an Irish birth, marriage or death certificate, please visit the General Register Office.
Please note that French authorities will often ask for you to submit a certificate that was issued within the past six months so you may find need to request replacement certificates - check with the authority requesting the certificate in case of doubt.
For births, marriages or deaths in France, the town hall "mairie" of the area where the event occurred will issue the appropriate certificate. In some cases, you may need to prove that you have the right to obtain the certificate. For example, for a death certificate, you may need to show that you are a relative of the deceased. The local town hall will advise you of its specific requirements.
Fees
Certificate of Freedom to Marry (Certificat de Coutume/Nulla Osta)
Per Irish applicant: €60
Non- refundable postage and handling fee: €8
Total per Irish applicant: €68
Fee for witnessing at the Embassy: €40
Late fee
If you submit your application 28 days or fewer before the date of your intended marriage you’ll have to pay an additional fee of €60 by French cheque payable to Ambassade d'Irlande.
Payment methods
For Certificates of Freedom to Marry, payment is made online as part of the application process. Only this method is accepted. For PACS, only payment by cheque is accepted.
Apply now
We strongly encourage you to gather all the required documents prior to completing the online form – incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Send your completed application to:
Embassy of Ireland/Ambassade d'Irlande
Consular Section
4 rue Rude
75116 Paris
Pacte Civil de Solidarité (PACS)
The Embassy can issue a "Certificat de Célibat" to Irish citizens who wish to enter into a Pacte Civil de Solidarité, commonly known as a PACS, in France.
Applications for PACS are not submitted online. For each Irish person entering into a PACS, please instead submit the following documents by post to:
Consular Services (Ambassade d’Irlande)
4 rue Rude
75116 Paris
- Questionnaire to be signed and completed
- If you have never been married or in a civil union please fill in form MP2S
- If you were divorced in Ireland please fill in form MP2E
- If you were divorced abroad or in a previous civil union please fill in form MP2B
- Original long form birth certificate
- Copy of Irish passport (passport card not accepted)
- Fee of €60 Euro (cheque made payable to 'Ambassade d'Irlande')
- Please indicate your daytime phone number.
If you wish to have your Certificat and documents returned by registered post, please enclose a self-addressed envelope plus fee of €8.00.
The statutory declaration form must be completed in person either at the Embassy or before a French notary public.
If you wish to have your form witnessed at the Embassy, please contact us for an appointment. If you choose to have your statutory declaration witnessed at the Embassy, there is an additional €40 fee (payable by cash or French cheque) for this service. For your appointment at the Embassy, you should bring your original passport and birth certificate with you at your appointment time. You may be asked for a second form of ID.
If you choose to complete the statutory declaration with a notaire, you can complete the rest of the process by post.