Chapter II: Birth certificates.

Birth declarations are made within five days of the birth, to the local civil registrar. By way of derogation, this time limit is extended to eight days where this is justified by the distance between the place of birth and the place where the civil registrar is located. A Conseil d’Etat decree determines the communes where this paragraph applies. Where a birth has not been declared within the legal time…

The birth of the child will be declared by the father, or, in the absence of the father, by the doctors of medicine or surgery, midwives, health officers or other persons who attended the delivery; and when the mother is delivered outside her home, by the person in whose home she is delivered. The birth certificate will be drawn up immediately.

The birth record will state the day, time and place of birth, the child’s sex, the forenames to be given to him or her, the family name, followed, where applicable, by a mention of the parents’ joint declaration as to the choice made, as well as the forenames, surnames, ages, occupations and residences of the father and mother and, where applicable, those of the declarant. If the child’s father and…

When the civil registrar of the place of birth of a child mentions the recognition of the said child in the margin of the child’s birth certificate, he shall notify the other parent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. If this parent cannot be notified, the civil registrar shall inform the public prosecutor, who shall arrange for the necessary steps to be taken.

Any person who has found a newborn child is required to report this to the civil registrar of the place where the child was found. If he does not consent to take charge of the child, he must hand it over, together with the clothing and other effects found with it, to the registrar. A detailed report shall be drawn up which, in addition to the information provided for in…

In the event of a birth during a sea voyage, a record will be drawn up within three days of the birth on the declaration of the father, if he is on board. If the birth takes place during a stopover in a port, the record will be drawn up under the same conditions, when it is impossible to communicate with the land, or when there is no French diplomatic…