Call Us + 33 1 84 88 31 00

Article 1055-5 of the French Code of civil procedure

An application for a change of gender and, where applicable, forenames in civil status records, shall be brought:

1° Either before the court within whose jurisdiction the person concerned resides;

>or
2° Or before the court within whose jurisdiction the birth certificate of the person concerned was drawn up or, in the case of a birth abroad, the court within whose jurisdiction the central civil status department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs holding the birth certificate is located;

However, where the application is made by a person who is not a national of a Member State of the European Union, the court in whose jurisdiction the application is made will have jurisdiction to hear the application.
However, where the application is made by a refugee, stateless person or beneficiary of subsidiary protection who has a certificate in lieu of a birth certificate issued by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons, the Paris judicial court alone has jurisdiction to hear the application.

Original in French 🇫🇷
Article 1055-5

La demande en modification de la mention du sexe et, le cas échéant, des prénoms dans les actes de l’état civil, est portée :


1° Soit devant le tribunal judiciaire dans le ressort duquel la personne intéressée demeure ;


2° Soit devant le tribunal judiciaire dans le ressort duquel l’acte de naissance de la personne intéressée a été dressé ou, en cas de naissance à l’étranger, dans le ressort duquel est situé le service central d’état civil du ministère des affaires étrangères dépositaire de l’acte de naissance.


Toutefois, lorsque la demande émane d’un réfugié, un apatride ou un bénéficiaire de la protection subsidiaire disposant d’un certificat tenant lieu d’acte de naissance délivré par l’Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides, le tribunal judiciaire de Paris est seul compétent pour en connaître.

Need help with this article? Get help from a French lawyer

Our French business lawyers are here to help.
We offer a FREE evaluation of your case.
Call us at +33 (0) 1 84 88 31 00 or send us an email.

Useful links

You have a question in French Business Law?

Our French business lawyers are here to help.
We offer a FREE evaluation of your case.
Call +33 (0) 1 84 88 31 00 or send us an email.

All information exchanged through this website will be communicated to lawyers registered with a French Bar and will remain confidential.