The mairie and its services in France

France is divided into communes (about 35 thousand municipalities), and each commune has a municipal council (conseil municipal) elected by residents every six years which chooses the mayor (maire).

• In big cities (Paris, Lyon and Marseille) there are mairies d'arrondissement in the districts.
• Above the commune is the département (the county) for some services (social care, middle schools and roads) and the région (the region) for transport, high schools and development.
• And the state is represented by the préfecture (the prefecture) headed by the préfet for handling residence, licences and elections, and the sous-préfecture.
• To distinguish: the mairie is for proximity services, and the préfecture for residence cards, licences and driving, and CAF, CPAM, France Travail and impôts are national bodies with local branches.
• Find your mairie on service-public.fr by entering the address or postcode, and each mairie has reception hours and a website.

The mairie records birth, marriage and death (actes d'état civil) and issues copies: acte de naissance (birth certificate), acte de mariage and acte de décès.

• To obtain a copy (extrait) you often need proof of your identity, and it is requested free via Service-Public or the mairie where the event was recorded, and for those born abroad via the Service central d'état civil de Nantes (SCEC).
• Birth is registered within three days after delivery at the mairie by the declaration of the father, mother or hospital.
• The livret de famille, the family book, is handed by the mairie at marriage or first birth.
• The mairie holds the mariage civil (civil marriage) which is the only one recognised (preceding any religious marriage), and records the PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) and prepares the déclaration de naissance.
• And for foreigners with foreign documents a sworn translation (traduction assermentée) and an apostille or légalisation are requested.
• And it does not deal with residence cards.

The mairie enrols children in primary school (école maternelle from 3 years and élémentaire from 6) in your school's catchment (carte scolaire) by submitting the family book or birth certificate, proof of address and the vaccination record, then you register at the school itself after the mairie's acceptance.

• And the mairie runs the canteen (cantine), after-school activities, leisure centres, libraries (médiathèque) and nurseries (crèches).
• The services have prices according to the quotient familial (the family quotient) linked to your income, so bring the CAF or tax notice.
• Linked to the mairie are parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, concerts and festivals (fête de la musique and fête des voisins), and child protection (PMI).
• And the mairie handled the taxe d'habitation formerly and now the property tax.
• And some mairies offer a mairie de quartier and social centres.
• For registering for local and European elections it is submitted at the mairie (for European citizens).
• And attend to learn about available services.

The CCAS (Centre communal d'action sociale) or CIAS in every mairie offers social help to residents: support in housing and food (épicerie sociale and food vouchers), health (preparing C2S and AME files), the elderly (telealarm, home meals and home care), the disabled (MDPH files), the homeless (domiciliation and referral to 115), and families with emergency aid.

• It helps you fill in CAF, RSA and APL files and move through administration.
• And there are assistantes sociales (social workers) free.
• And in crises: the Secours populaire, Restos du Cœur, Croix-Rouge, Emmaüs, the Banque alimentaire and the Secours catholique provide food and help, and are open to all the needy regardless of origin and religion.
• And for those facing difficulties in French simplified files and volunteer interpreters.
• Request an appointment and bring your documents.

Most procedures have become electronic via Service-Public.fr with a FranceConnect account (login with an ameli, impots.gouv or La Poste account).

• You request on it birth certificates, change of address, election registration, identity cards (pré-demande), criminal record certificates (casier judiciaire) and others.
• And those unable to use the internet find help at France Services (unified centres grouping CAF, CPAM, France Travail and taxes) and in the mairie and libraries, and it is free and includes personal assistance.
• To contact the mairie: visit by appointment, phone, post or platforms.
• And to complain submit in writing to the mairie, then the médiateur or the Défenseur des droits (who may also receive complaints against the administration, free of charge).
• For participation: attending the municipal council (its sessions are public), taking part in conseils de quartier, volunteering in associations, and registering for local elections in the case of Europeans.

What is the mairie?