Certificate of common life or cohabitation
Verified 10 May 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You live in a common-law relationship and you need to prove it to certain organizations in order to benefit from rights or benefits? Some mayors establish a certificate of common life (or cohabitation). But they are not obliged to deliver it.
Common-law relationships (cohabitation with a person of a different sex or the same sex) are common-law relationships. It is characterized by common, stable and continuous life.
The certificate of common life or cohabitation allows you to prove that you live in a common-law relationship.
It is requested by some organizations to allow you to benefit from certain rights or advantages.
The cohabitation certificate is issued by the city hall, but it is not obliged to do so.
FYI
The cohabitation certificate has no legal value (unlike a marriage certificate, for example).
Check if your city hall is issuing this certificate.
You can request a certificate from the mayor's office where you live, regardless of your nationality, if you live in France.
The supporting documents to be provided vary by town hall.
In general, you should submit the following documents:
- Identity documents (ID card, passport)
- Proof of domicile (electricity bill, rent receipt, etc.) to your 2 names at your common address (or 2 individual documents bearing the same address).
Your presence at all 2 may be required.
Certifications from major witnesses (non-relatives of cohabiting partners) are sometimes required.
The certificate is free.
The delivery period varies according to the municipalities.
You must present organizations with a declaration of honor.
You can use the following document template:
Warning
The declaration of honor must be signed by the two concubines.
No, no action is required to have the cohabitation certificate canceled.
Definition of cohabitation
Justification of identity, marital status, family status, French nationality and domicile