The PACS: France's civil partnership, and how foreigners conclude one

Service-public's fiche states the opening rule: you can conclude a Pacs whether of the same sex or different sexes, and whatever your nationality. Legally it is a contract, also called a convention, signed by the two of you, organising your common life — contribution to shared costs and the rest. The fiche's situation-driven flow covers the cases that complicate foreign files: one partner foreign, refugee status, prior marriages (divorced or widowed), and protection measures.

Source: service-public.fr — Se pacser (fiche F1618), read 10 September 2026.

Per the fiche: registration is free at the mairie — the one of your (future) common residence, with procedures varying slightly by commune; at a French embassy or consulate if you reside abroad; or through a notaire, which is the paid route. For mixed-nationality couples the file grows civil-status documents from the foreign partner's country — the place where apostilles and sworn translations enter, and where starting document collection early pays.

Source: service-public.fr — F1618, enregistrement du Pacs, read 10 September 2026.

The two institutions share an office and differ in law: marriage carries the full civil-status apparatus (and its own fiche family — our French marriage guide); the PACS is contractual, faster to conclude and to dissolve, with its own tax, property and inheritance consequences that differ from marriage's. Two boundaries worth naming without straying into advice: a PACS does not by itself confer French nationality or a residence right — the immigration effects run through the residence-permit rules — and inheritance positions differ sharply from marriage, which is succession-regulation territory and a notaire conversation.

Source: service-public.fr — Se pacser, read 10 September 2026.