# Archives and sources: France (FR)

Where records created in France are held, whether they can be found online, and the archives and providers EasyPassport has vetted for them. The list is keyed on the country where the record was created, usually the ancestor's birthplace, which is not always the country the user is applying to. For an ancestor born elsewhere, ask for that country's list. For the office, request channel, apostille authority and translation rules, use the "country record playbook" guide for FR.

## Can these records be found online?

Yes. Records are name-searchable online or digitized, so a careful search is worth it.

Records are held at the DÉPARTEMENT level — one archive per département, on its own domain; there is no national portal that serves images (FranceArchives only links out). Identify the département FIRST, then use its own archive site (nearly all ~100 are digitized, free, no login; online delays ~100y births / 75y marriages-deaths). We list the current host for every département, but FranceArchives' own link list isn't reliable — some of its links are dead or PARKED (e.g. the real Yonne archive is archives.yonne.fr, not the for-sale yonne-archives.org). For an ancestor from Algeria or another former colony, the records are free at ANOM (recherche-anom.culture.gouv.fr). Note we can only LINK you to the record: French law requires a licence to store/index/re-display état-civil images, so you view and save it yourself.

## Where the records are held or ordered

- **FranceArchives — État civil numérisé** (official): https://francearchives.gouv.fr/fr/article/38170
  National archives portal's gateway to the départemental digitized civil-registration (birth) records of a French ancestor; French-language, 75-year delay so 100+ year records are open.
  Access: open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it.
- **Apostille — notaries (France)** (official): https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1400
  Since 1 May 2025 French notaries (chambres interdépartementales) issue the apostille legalising a French-issued document for use abroad. French-language.
  Access: open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it.

## Vetted providers

- **RushTranslate** (commercial service): https://rushtranslate.com/?ref=ciq
  Certified translations accepted by consulates, courts, and USCIS — turnaround in 24 hours.
  Access: open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it.
- **FamilySearch** (official): https://www.familysearch.org/
  Free digitized civil and church records for most European countries — start here before paying.
  Access: open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it.
- **Ancestry.com** (commercial service): https://www.ancestry.com/
  Largest commercial genealogy database; 30B+ records from US and European archives.
  Access: open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it.
- **Certificat de nationalité française (CNF)** (official): https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1051
  French nationality certificate from the competent tribunal's greffe; for a deceased ancestor obtainable via ayants droit, with historic naturalization decrees held by the Archives nationales.
  Access: open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it.

## Access notes

Every link in a country's list carries one of these:

- **open this yourself; do not have your agent fetch it**: the site forbids automated access, needs a login or written permission, or has not been cleared for agents. The user opens it in their own browser and shares what they find with you.
- **your agent may open this page for the user's own family research; record images are for the user's private use only and must not be republished**.
- **openly licensed; your agent may open this page**.

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General guidance, not legal advice. EasyPassport is a document-organization tool, not a law firm. Confirm your own case with the relevant authority or a qualified professional.