Witness statement for court, model to copy by hand (France)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
For someone giving written evidence in a civil case in France: a dispute between neighbours, at work or in the family, an accident. Article 202 of the French Code of Civil Procedure requires the statement to be written, dated and signed in the witness's own hand, so this document is not the statement itself but a model in French, filled with your details, to copy by hand on plain paper or on the official form Cerfa 11527, which is free and optional. It holds every compulsory statement. Enclose a copy of a signed ID document.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You saw a dispute between neighbours in France and one side asks you for a written statement.
- A colleague in a dispute with the employer asks you to describe in writing what you saw at work.
- You saw an accident and the person involved needs your account for a civil case.
- You want a ready model of a witness statement to copy out by hand and sign.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Declarant
- Declarant's date of birth
- Declarant's place of birth
- Declarant's home address
- Declarant's occupation
- Link to the parties (family or in-laws, employment, working together, shared interest) or “none”
- The case you are a witness in (parties, court), if known
- What you yourself saw or heard (date, place, what happened)
- City
- Date
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Why must a French witness statement be copied out by hand?
- Because article 202 of the French Code of Civil Procedure requires it to be written, dated and signed in its author's own hand, with an official ID bearing the author's signature attached. A statement typed on a computer may be set aside by the judge, who freely weighs its value. This model gives you the full text with every compulsory statement: copy it on plain paper or on form Cerfa 11527, free on the public-service website.
- What must a French witness statement contain, and what should it avoid?
- Your names, date and place of birth, address and occupation, any link with the parties, an account of what you yourself saw or heard, and the statement that it is made for use in court and that a false statement exposes you to criminal penalties (article 202 of the French Code of Civil Procedure). Avoid opinions, rumours and what others told you. Making a false statement is punishable by one year's imprisonment and a €15,000 fine, and up to three years and €45,000 where it aims to harm another person's property (article 441-7 of the French Criminal Code).
- Who receives a French witness statement, and can the witness be heard in person?
- Give the handwritten original, with the copy of your ID, to the party who asked for it: that party produces it in the case, and the other side receives a copy. Keep a copy yourself. The judge may also decide to hear the witness in person at an inquiry. Nothing obliges you to write a statement, but if you do, it must be accurate.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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