Home / French Divorce Decree Translation

Certified French Divorce Decree Translation

eVerbary translates your French divorce decree into English for $24.95 per page with no word cap, by a professional human translator, with a signed certification. Most orders are delivered within a few hours. Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.

A judgment, or an agreement filed with a notary

Since 1 January 2017 a French couple who agree on everything can divorce without a judge. Each spouse has their own lawyer, the agreement (convention de divorce) is signed after a 15-day reflection period, and it is then filed with a notary (déposé au rang des minutes), who sends both spouses an attestation de dépôt giving the filing date. A judge is still needed if a minor child asks to be heard, or if a spouse is under guardianship or curatorship. Every other divorce is pronounced by the family judge in a jugement de divorce.

So a French divorce file holds either a judgment or a lawyers' agreement plus the notary's attestation. We translate whichever you have, in full, including the annexes on custody, support and the division of property. Service-Public itself advises checking whether a divorce not pronounced by a judge is recognised in the country where you will use it, so ask your attorney before relying on the agreement alone.

The marginal note that proves it

Whatever the route, the divorce must be noted in the margin of the marriage act and of each spouse's birth act. Many US offices therefore ask for a recent copy of the French marriage certificate showing that note, as well as the judgment or agreement. A copy ordered before the note was added still shows the marriage in force. The note is entered by the mairie where the marriage took place, on presentation of the judgment or the notary's attestation; for a marriage celebrated abroad and registered with France, the Service central d'état civil updates the record instead.

The judgment or agreement also says whether a spouse keeps the other's name as a usage name, and that line is translated exactly. Unlike a judgment, an agreement filed with a notary cannot be appealed, so there is no later stage to wait for. Divorces from Haiti, Cameroon, the DR Congo, Senegal and Guinea are also in French but follow other laws; see the Haitian, Cameroonian, Congolese, Senegalese and Guinean pages and our French page.

What USCIS requires

Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), a foreign-language document must be accompanied by a complete English translation and the translator's certification that it is accurate. Every seal, stamp and marginal note is part of the document, so every one is translated.

State agencies set their own rules — see government agencies — and what our certification states is on this page.

How it works

Upload a photo or a scan of your document, pick the language pair and check out online. You never have to mail originals: a legible copy is all we need.

A professional human translator, never machine translation, translates the document word for word and mirrors the layout of the original. Every certified translation ships with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy that meets the requirements of USCIS, courts and universities.

Your translation is delivered digitally, usually within 24 hours for documents of one to three pages, and same-day delivery is available. If anything needs adjusting, we revise it.

Certified vs. standard translation

A certified translation is a word-for-word translation accompanied by a signed statement attesting to its accuracy and completeness. It is what official bodies require: USCIS, courts, universities and government agencies. Certified translations are $24.95 per page, where one sheet of your document is one page, with no word cap.

A standard translation is the same professional human translation without the certificate, for when you only need to understand the content or for internal or informal use. It is billed at the same $24.95 per page with no word cap.

Frequently asked questions

Related services

For firms and institutions

From the blog