Covering letter for a change of first name (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 a person asking to change their first name, or that of a minor over whom they exercise parental authority. The application itself is made on Cerfa form 16233 (adult) or 16234 (minor), free on service-public.gouv.fr: you do not need DocMuse for it. This French letter goes with the form: it sets out the legitimate interest the civil registrar weighs (article 60 of the French Civil Code) and lists the proof enclosed. It is filed at the town hall of residence or of the place of birth, often by appointment.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You are applying to change your first name in France and want a letter explaining why to go with the form.
- You have always been known by another first name and want to explain this to the civil registrar.
- You want to change your child’s first name and need to set out the reasons and the proof enclosed.
- You want a covering letter for your change of first name request that lists the documents attached.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Applicant
- Applicant's address
- Civil registrar: town hall of residence or of birth
- Town hall's postal address (street, then postcode and town)
- City
- Date
- Whose first name is to change
- Surname of the person concerned
- Current first names, in register order
- Date of birth
- Place of birth (town and département, or country)
- First names requested, in the order wished
- Legitimate interest: the facts behind the request (in French)
- Attachments
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Where and how is a change of first name requested in France?
- At the town hall of the place where you live or where your birth certificate was drawn up, usually by appointment, with the civil registrar (article 60 of the French Civil Code). The request is made on Cerfa form 16233 for an adult or 16234 for a minor, with a full copy of the birth certificate less than three months old, an ID document, proof of address and proof of the interest relied on. Since loi n° 2026-667 of 27 July 2026, an adult or a minor over thirteen also encloses bulletin n° 3 of their criminal record and a statement on the judicial registers (article 60-1). The procedure is free.
- What counts as a legitimate interest for changing a first name in France?
- The civil registrar weighs it case by case. Often accepted: a first name used for a long time in daily life that differs from the registered one, a ridiculous name or one that invites mockery, the wish to give a name a French form or to take back an original name, bringing the name in line with one's lived identity. The letter sets out the facts; enclose dated proof: letters, statements from people close to you, school or work documents.
- What happens if the French civil registrar refuses the change?
- If the registrar considers the request is not in a legitimate interest, they refer it without delay to the public prosecutor (procureur de la République), who may oppose the change. If the prosecutor opposes it, the applicant, or the child's legal representative, may apply to the family judge. If the request is accepted, the decision is entered in the civil register and the birth records are updated.
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.
Related documents
- Witness statement for court, model to copy by hand (France)
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.
- Referral to the CADA after a refused document request (France)
For someone to whom a French administration refused a document, or did not answer within a month. The Commission d'accès aux documents administratifs (CADA) is approached free, preferably through the online form on its website. This letter, in French under French law, refers the matter by post: it names the administration, the date of the request, the documents and the answer received, and asks for a favourable opinion. Referral within two months of the refusal is compulsory before the administrative court.
- Sworn statement — attestation sur l’honneur (France)
For declaring in writing, on your own responsibility, a fact about yourself when an administration, employer, school, bank or landlord in France asks for it: family situation, lack of income, residence, a lost document, the accuracy of information. In French under French law, the statement identifies the declarant, sets out the facts, names the recipient if you wish and recalls the penalties for a false statement (article 441-7 of the French Criminal Code). For evidence in court, use the witness statement instead.
- Power of attorney for a specific act (France)
For asking someone to do one specific thing in your place when you cannot be there: collect a document, sign a lease or a contract, sell or buy a vehicle, represent you at an appointment. You describe the act, and the power covers that act only, until the date you choose (articles 1987 and 1989 of the French Civil Code). A voting proxy is made free on maprocuration.gouv.fr, and, for an act before a notary, the notary provides the power of attorney required. Signed by the principal, with a copy of their ID.
- Designation of a trusted person — personne de confiance (France)
For any adult who wants to name a relative, someone close or their GP as their trusted person: that person accompanies them in their dealings and medical appointments if they wish, and is consulted if they can no longer express their will (article L. 1111-6 of the French Public Health Code). The designation is written and co-signed by the person named; hospitals offer their own free form on admission. This French document is sold blank, filled in by hand, and revocable at any time.
- Revocation of a power of attorney, with notice to third parties (France)
For ending a power of attorney, general or for one act, given to a relative or anyone else. The French document holds two letters, sent the same day by registered post with proof of receipt: the revocation to the agent, asking for the original back and an account of what was done (articles 1993 and 2004 of the French Civil Code), and the notice to the bank or body that knows of the power. Without that second letter, third parties unaware of the revocation may still rely on the power (article 2005).