Learn how to request an apostille in France in 2025. Step-by-step online and in-person application guide, fees, processing time, and official support contacts.
If you need to use an official French document abroad, you will often be asked to provide either a legalisation or an apostille. These certifications do not validate the content of your document they simply confirm the authenticity of the signature, the authority of the issuer, and when applicable, the official seal or stamp.
In France, an apostille appears as a formal stamp added to your document, and since recent reforms, it is issued only in electronic format by the French notarial authorities.
This clear guide explains:
What an apostille is
How to request one (online or in-person)
Processing times & fees
Official contacts for help
Both legalisation and apostille are international authentication procedures used to confirm that a French public document is genuine. They do not verify the accuracy or truth of the document’s content.
Required when the document is meant for a country outside the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961
This is the standard authentication method
A simplified alternative used for countries that are members of the Hague Convention
Faster, standardized, and widely accepted
Confirms:
âś” Authentic signature
âś” Identity and authority of the signer
âś” Any official seal or stamp used
Both appear as an official digital stamp and allow French documents to be recognized internationally.
Since 1 May 2025, the responsibility for issuing apostilles has moved from French Courts of Appeal to the Notaries of France, via 15 regional or inter-departmental notarial chambers.
You can choose two ways to apply:
You can submit your request through the official online portal:
👉 apostille.notaires.fr
Create your apostille request on the official website and upload your documents.
Choose the apostille center (or let the system assign the nearest one).
Send your original documents by post to the selected apostille center.
Only fully digital documents with verified e-signatures are exempt from postal submission.
Receive a confirmation email summarizing your application.
Pay the apostille fees online once your document is ready.
Download your authenticated (apostilled) document from your online account.
Even with an online application, physical documents must be mailed for the apostille stamp to be applied—except when the document is 100% digital and already electronically signed.
If you prefer face-to-face support, you can visit one of the 15 Apostille and Legalisation Centers managed by the Regional Councils of Notaries.
These centers will:
Receive your paper documents
Guide you through the process
Issue your apostilled or legalised document after authentication
The processing time begins only after your document’s signature is verified in the national signatures database.
Payment is required only when the document is successfully apostilled. If rejected, you pay nothing.
If you do not include a prepaid return envelope or incorrect postage, the notarial center may add return shipping costs (capped at €5 before tax).
If you need assistance with the apostille or legalisation process:
📧 Email: apostille@notaires.fr
📞 Phone: 0800 711 102 (Free call, Monday–Friday, 8:30–18:00)
