Chapter III: The civil register

The civil register consists of all the extracts of applications, deeds and judgments which, by virtue of the specific texts referring to this register, must be filed and kept at the registries of the judicial courts. The extracts are entered in a register, day by day and in numerical order.

The extracts are filed and kept by the registry of the judicial court in whose jurisdiction the person concerned was born and by the central civil status department for persons born abroad. .

Publicity of applications, acts and judgments is effected by an entry in the margin of the birth record of the person concerned. This entry is made at the behest of the clerk of the judicial court or, where applicable, at the behest of the central civil status department. It consists of the indication “RC” followed by the reference under which the application, the record or the judgment has been kept….

The entry made in the margin of the birth record, of judgments which reject an application or terminate a measure appearing in the civil register, is automatically supplemented by the indication that it entails the cancellation of previous entries. The indication of cancellation may also be made following the entries provided for by articles 1292 and 1300-4 where the interested party has provided proof that the proceedings have been extinguished.

Copies of extracts kept in the civil register may be issued to any interested party. They may only be issued with the authorisation of the Public Prosecutor where an indication of cancellation has been entered in the margin of birth certificates pursuant to the preceding article.