English translations of court, civil status and notarial documents from France, Africa, Canada and beyond, and Australian documents translated into French.
French documents reach us from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Lebanon, Mauritius and many countries in North, West and Central Africa. Each has its own courts and registries, but most share the civil law tradition, with civil status kept by an officier de l'état civil at the town hall (mairie) or equivalent.
The French distinction between a jugement from a first-instance court and an arrêt from a court of appeal or the Cour de cassation is kept in the translation, as is the name of each court. Court names differ by country, so a Belgian tribunal de la famille, a Quebec Cour supérieure and a Senegalese tribunal d'instance are each translated with the original name shown.
French birth records carry marginal notes (mentions marginales) recording marriages, divorces and changes of name, which are translated in full. In several African countries, a person without a registered birth may hold a supplementary judgment instead of a birth certificate; we translate it as a court document, which is what it is. Dates written out in words, such as le quinze mars mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix, are translated as written, and the surname is often in capitals before the given names.
We translate Australian documents into French for France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and francophone Africa: divorce orders, powers of attorney, statutory declarations, police checks and company documents. Tell us which country the document is for. French authorities often want an apostille or a sworn translator there, so check with the receiving office first.
A livret de famille has pages for the marriage, each child and later events, and only some may be relevant. Upload every page with an entry, or tell us which pages you need. Civil records from France can be ordered as a full copy (copie intégrale) or an extract (extrait); check with the body you are submitting to which one they want.
We translate what your documents say. We do not advise on their legal effect, and we cannot confirm whether a particular court or agency will accept them. Please check requirements with the receiving body or your lawyer.
Yes. We translate French documents from any country, keeping the names of that country's courts and registries.
It is a court judgment issued in place of a birth record. We translate it in full as a court document. For what it means legally, please ask a lawyer.
Yes. Every mention marginale is translated where it appears on the page.
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