Getting married in the UK as a French citizen

A marriage in the UK is celebrated by the British authorities under British rules. French law adds a check before and after, mainly to verify that both spouses are present and consent. The steps are on the consulate's marriage page.

Before and after the wedding

Before, you ask the consulate for the CCAM. The banns are published for 10 days by the consulate of the place of the wedding and, where relevant, by the consulate or town hall where one spouse lives. If the marriage meets French law, the certificate is issued.

After, the French spouse applies for the transcription of the British marriage certificate in the French consular registers. The civil status service may call you in, together or separately, for a hearing.

The page warns that if the CCAM is more than a year old, the transcription file is closed and you must follow the longer procedure for a marriage transcribed without a CCAM.

Marriage contract, family book and custom certificates

Without a contract, you are married under the default French regime, the community of property. Another regime needs a contract made before the wedding, by a notary in France or the competent local authority.

The marriage gives rise to a livret de famille; if you already have one from a first child, send it with the file to be updated.

A certificate of custom (certificat de coutume), which states French law on a point, costs £25.08 (€30) for people on the Registre and their families, and £50.17 (€60) for others, on the consulate's fee table.

A transcribed marriage is also the starting point for a spouse's declaration of French nationality.

Official sources:

Last checked against uk.diplomatie.gouv.fr and the sources linked above on 10 November 2026.