Many French people live abroad. Various life events can thus take place outside French territory, such as birth and marriage. To prevent the civil status documents of these individuals from being managed by multiple different administrations, a specialized central service has been created. The individuals concerned must submit their requests to this service for any procedure. Do you want to know more about the Central Civil Status Service of Nantes or SCEC? Discover everything you wish to know on this topic in this article.
What is the Central Civil Status Service of Nantes?
The main role of the Central Civil Status Service is to manage the civil status registers of civil events that occurred in another country or in territories that were under French administration.
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As a reminder, the SCEC of Nantes was created in 1965 to centralize all civil status registers scattered across different services and administrations in one location. When you search for information about the Central Civil Status Service of Nantes, you will see that this service is reserved for French nationals. Individuals who have acquired French nationality can also use its services.
This service falls under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Millions of documents established in various countries around the world are stored there. The documents registered include:
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- duplicates of documents registered in consulates and embassies,
- documents issued to individuals who acquired French nationality by decree or naturalization,
- registers from countries that were previously under French sovereignty, namely Algeria, Morocco, or Tunisia.
Note that the SCEC only registers civil status documents that are less than 100 years old. Since the applicants are often abroad, the SCEC does not welcome the public. After a request, the service sends the corresponding documents to the recipients.
French citizens abroad: for what requests should you contact the SCEC?
As we saw earlier, the SCEC issues all civil status documents. You can thus make a request for all significant events in a person’s life, from birth to death. Here are some examples of requests for which French nationals can contact the SCEC.
Copies of birth certificates
The issuance of full copies or extracts of birth certificates is one of the tasks for which the SCEC is most frequently requested. These documents are indeed in high demand as they are essential for various everyday procedures such as schooling, work, official exams, etc.
The marriage certificate
The marriage certificate is also a document issued by the SCEC. To obtain this document, the applicant must be the holder of the certificate if they are an adult. The request can be made by parents, children, a representative, grandparents, a spouse, or a legal representative for emancipated individuals.
The death certificate
The death certificate can be issued upon request by any applicant, provided they indicate the identity of the deceased person as well as the date and place of death. As with all civil status documents requested from the SCEC, it is possible to make the request remotely, even if you reside abroad.
How to contact the Central Civil Status Service of Nantes?
Even though the SCEC does not welcome the public, there are still several ways to contact it. First, it is possible to get in touch with this service by mail. Requests from abroad can be made by sending a letter to the address of the SCEC in Nantes. To obtain the document, you must ensure that your letter contains all the necessary information, such as the name of the holder, the precise date, and the location where the event took place. Additionally, applicants can also contact the service by phone.
You can make your requests through the Pastel Diplomacy portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once logged into the site, you need to fill out a form that will guide you to the dedicated page to make your request. When the document is available, it will be sent to you by the service.
Finally, it is also possible to contact the Central Civil Status Service via a private administrative assistance service. Note that the administrative assistance platforms available online specialize in supporting applicants in various administrative procedures, including those carried out with the SCEC. It is thus entirely possible to obtain their assistance to obtain the civil status document you need from the SCEC. The advantage of going through these providers is that the procedures are simplified. Generally, simplified forms are made available to users. Explanations are provided for each step of the request. When the corresponding form is filled out, you just have to wait for the document to be issued to you. It is the platform’s team that takes care of the other procedures.
French citizens abroad: other institutions to contact for your requests
If you are abroad, note that there are a few institutions where you can make your requests. First, there is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It keeps all civil status documents (births, marriages, acknowledgments, and deaths) that occur abroad. It also updates these documents and issues copies and extracts upon request. You can thus approach embassies and consulates to request an extract or copy of a civil status document.
However, note that for events that took place in Algeria, Morocco, or Tunisia, the transcription of civil status documents is carried out at the Central Civil Status Service in Nantes. If you find yourself in this situation, you must necessarily make your requests to the SCEC in Nantes.
Finally, for French nationals residing in a country where there is no French embassy or consulate, it is also necessary to make the request to the SCEC.