Updated on: February 07, 2025 | By: @rprasanth_kumar
This article is about the personal experiences of pregnancy and childbirth in France, shared by “Vaibhav”. The article has been published with his permission, along with some important additional information. In this example, Both parents have been living in France for the last 4 years. They are a working couple and have Passeport Talent resident permits.
If you would like to share your personal experiences, feel free to write to me via Contact. The articles will be published with credits or anonymously.
Medical Procedures
- As soon as one is sure about the pregnancy, it is advised to meet your GP (medecin traitant) or a Sage-femme (midwife). You can also find them here annuairesante.ameli.fr. They will prescribe further tests and upon their results, will prescribe any vitamins/nutrient supplements you need to start taking. I would recommend a GP and then choosing a sage-femme of your choice.
- Remember, it’s a 1-year process (pre-natal and post-natal) and the to-be mother must be comfortable with the sage-femme. The sage-femme my wife opted for, didn’t have the ultrasound machine. So we had 2 sage-femmes, but would only see the other one for each trimester scan.
- The sage-femme will declare your pregnancy to Ameli, upon which you will receive a pregnancy calendar. This pregnancy calendar will be required to be submitted at the mother’s workplace when she decides to let the employer know.
Choosing a Hospital
- Then, you need to figure out the hospital of your choice. Your sage-femme can recommend some. Also, there could be monthly doctor visits throughout the pregnancy (case-to-case basis).
- There is no restriction on choosing your hospital, it could be in your area or far from home. Do remember, the good hospitals are pretty booked, and you might even have to wait 3-4 months to get a first RDV. So, plan quickly and schedule the first appointment as early as possible. After that, the hospital takes care of every following RDV.
Cost of Childbirth
- The costs of childbirth are covered 100% by the French Social Security. You can also benefit from a medical follow-up at the maternity hospital, and then support at home. However, it can cost around 2500€ without social security coverage. Some things that are deemed not obligatory but for comfort like belly support belts, compression socks, etc. may not be reimbursed by Social Security.
- Concerning scans, social security only covers a total of 4 scans (0, 3rd, 6th, 8th, or 9th-month scans), unless more are asked by the doctors/sage-femme depending on the case.
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Procedures at Workplace
You are obliged to inform your employer about the pregnancy before going on maternity leave. The declaration must be accompanied by a Medical Certificate. However, it is highly recommended to declare it in advance and benefit from certain rights available for pregnant employees, such as,
Maternity Leave
The to-be mother gets 16 weeks of maternity for one child pregnancy and 36 weeks in the case of twins. You can find more details in the table below.
But, if the working mother is fit to work, with a doctor’s attestation she can delay the pre-natal leaves by a maximum of 3 weeks. These 3 weeks will be added to the 10 weeks post-natal totalling 13 weeks. To avail of this, you need to send the doctor’s attestation attached with a request application to your CPAM and inform your workplace.
Paternity Leave
Fathers get 28 days of paternity leave of which 7 are to be mandatory taken from the next day of birth, 21 at your convenience within 6 months of birth, maximum 2 times).
Father needs to inform the employer at least 1 month in advance as well. Notify the employer very soon after the birth too, because they need to process your salary with Ameli (in case your company pays you full salary during your paternity leave).
Procedures after childbirth
After the birth, the attending nurse gives the father/accompanying adult a declaration of birth, which mentions the birth date, time, place, and baby’s details. Save this document safely. It will be needed at the Mairie to collect the birth certificate.
The hospital informs the local Mairie about the birth. The Mairie calls the mother’s contact number within 2 working days of the birth to give an appointment for the birth certificate. This appointment is usually within 5 working days of the birth. The spokesperson from Mairie will tell you about the documents to bring along for both parents like Passports, resident permits, marriage certificate (apostilled and translated into French), and address proof.
Declaration of a newborn child to CPAM
The child’s birth must be declared to CPAM as soon as possible via:
- Your own Ameli.fr account (under mes démarches)
- Calling 3646 on your phone.
- Post by completing form S3705 – Demande de
rattachement des enfants mineurs à l’un ou aux deux parents assurés, available on ameli.fr website.
Attachment of a newborn child to Parents’ Carte Vitale
- The child can be added to both parents’ Carte Vitale, regardless of their family situation. Dual attachment makes healthcare access easier and allows the parent taking the child to a consultation to use their Carte Vitale.
- Reimbursement is made to the account of the parent whose card was used. The request can be made via the Ameli account or by Post by completing form S3705 – Demande de rattachement des enfants mineurs à l’un ou aux deux parents assurés.
Birth Certificate from Mairie
Go to the Mairie to get the birth certificate. You should make sure that you have chosen the name of the baby before its birth. If you have a surname change needed for the baby, you need to get the Certificat De Coutume For A Newborn Child In France document from the Indian Embassy. Ideally, this must be done before the birth of the child.
You can ask for as many copies of birth certificate as required and there is no limit. Mairie will also ask you if you need a multilingual version. Please don’t confuse it with a translation. It will have an English version too. You can get as many copies as you want of this as well. Get it apostilled.
- The original birth certificate « Acte de naissance » can be used for the all purposes in France.
- The apostilled multilingual birth certificate «Extrait d’acte de naissance plurilingue » can be used abroad. It is required for Indian Passport application via VFS too.
Good to know: Declare birth of the child with every concerned authority – CAF, Ameli (both parents’ accounts), Mutuelle, Impots, Assurance Habitation, etc
Apostille of Birth Certificate
- Get the birth certificate apostilled from a court in your vicinity (Cour d’appel). It’s free, you just need to apply to the court. The process is online, fill out the form Demande d’apostille (Formulaire 15703*01), take printouts, and send it to the court’s address with an empty envelope addressed to yourself (need to pay for it yourself).
- When the apostille Birth certificate is available, you should get it translated into English via a sworn translator in France. You can find them from the city-wise official list Experts agréés par les cours d’appel.
Baby’s Photographs
- Get passport-size photos clicked for the baby conforming to standards mentioned by the Indian government for Indian passports and the French government for DCEM. It is difficult because the baby shouldn’t be crying, shouldn’t be laughing, and should have the eyes open.
- We waited a month to get the photo while our little one could open his eyes and went to a professional studio that is also registered with the French govt to provide photos with QR codes/serial numbers accepted online for DCEM application. He took many shots and we finally got 1 as per the required conditions.
Registration of Birth at Indian Embassy
- Apply for the registration of birth with the Indian Embassy. Fill out the online form on indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in, under Registration of birth of a minor child at an Indian Consulate Under Section 4(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
- Within 20 days of doing the above, visit the VFS center, and submit your application in person, with the baby. The VFS people do check the presence of the baby. This process will cost about 50-55€ for the delivery of the certificate. You can find the complete details on the VFS website. For VFS appointments, select Indian Service.
Indian Passport Application
- After receiving birth registration certificate (typically 2-3 weeks), you should complete the Indian passport application online form from our Embassy’s website.
- Then, you should submit an application for the baby’s passport at the VFS Global office. The documents required and other relevant information are available on the VFS Global website. For VFS appointments, select Indian Service.
- The baby may or may not be required to be present depending upon your appointment for the birth registration. VFS charged around 80€ for the home delivery of the passport.
Good to know: As explained earlier, Multi language Birth certificate can be submitted only with the apostille from cours d’appel or tribunal. A separate translation isn’t required for the Indian passport application at VFS.
- The passport usually arrives in 2 to 4 weeks. For a fresh passport of the newborn, police verification happens in India. So, if you have given your Indian address and phone, you should ensure that someone is present at the address. I am not sure, but I was told by VFS staff that we could have written a French address for the baby’s passport and they do accept it. But, I am not sure about the police verification process.
DCEM Application
Once you get the baby’s passport, you should change your family status via the ANEF website “Je déclare un changement de situation“. Then, add your baby’s information including the new passport details. Once it’s approved you will get notified.
Then, apply for the baby’s resident permit known as Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM)via the ANEF website. One or more of the following documents can be submitted as proof of the child’s address,
- French Birth certificate
- Attestation des droits from Ameli website.
- Carnet de santé with vaccination information.
- Housing insurance attestation
- Crèche or school certificate
- CAF attestation
You will receive a confirmation of application’s submission and the process usually takes 2 to 4 months to complete.
When it is ready, you should take a RDV from your local prefecture’s website and collect the DCEM. The baby must be present for the fingerprints along with the new passport, parent’s resident permits and a 50€ Timbres Fiscaux: Tax stamp for French resident permits.
Sources & References
- What happens during childbirth?
- Difficulties in childbirth
- French maternity guide – Ameli
- Childbirth and return to home: support – Ameli
- What is the cost of childbirth and what is covered by the mutuelle?
- The 7 essential steps during a birth – Service Public
- Application for attachment of minor children to one or both insured parents
- From 0 to 3 years, the first steps of my child
- Follow-up of the mother after childbirth
- Follow-up of the child after childbirth
- Is a pregnant employee obliged to disclose her pregnancy to her employer?
- Maternity leave for a private sector employee
- Paternity and childcare leave for the child of a private sector employee
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Thanks for sharing .. very precise n helpful information in a single article.
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Thanks Prashant & Vaibhav for sharing the details. I have a doubt, I just read in one of the FB post that the «Extrait d’acte de naissance plurilingue » can not be used without translation in VFS. Can you please confirm?
Hello,
I have already mentioned this in the article “As explained earlier, Multi language Birth certificate can be submitted only with the apostille from cours d’appel or tribunal. A separate translation isn’t required for the Indian passport application at VFS.“
You saved my 50€, thanks a lot 😉
Thanks Prashant & Vaibhav for sharing the details. I have a doubt, I just read in one of the FB post that the «Extrait d’acte de naissance plurilingue » can not be used without translation in VFS.
I mean, there may be 2 possibilities :
1. Acte de naissance >> Apostille >> Translate >> Submit to VFS
OR
2. Extrait d’acte de naissance plurilingue >> Apostille >> Submit to VFS (No translation as it is already having English details)
Can you please confirm which one to follow ?
Hello,
Its, 2. Extrait d’acte de naissance plurilingue >> Apostille >> Submit to VFS (No translation as it is already having English details).
I have already mentioned this in the article “As explained earlier, Multi language Birth certificate can be submitted only with the apostille from cours d’appel or tribunal. A separate translation isn’t required for the Indian passport application at VFS.“
Thanks a lot Prashant for the clarification. You are doing an amazing job.
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Yes, already given. 🙂
Hi Prashant,
For the Passport police verification topic; on the passport application page the below note is mentioned.
Note:
1. Proof of address must be submitted along with the application form if the same is different from the address printed in the previous/latest held passport.
2. In case you are specifying a foreign address – please refer to the website of the relevant Embassy/Consulate/Outsourced Service Provider (OSP) to check your eligibility (and list of required supporting documents) to get foreign address printed on the passport.
3. It is mandatory to provide one Indian address in the form for police verification. You can give your parent’s or relatives Indian address in case residing outside India.
It seems, though you can provide French address but Indian address is mandatory for the Police verification.
Hello Rupam,
For the Passport and or PCC from Indian Embassy, police verification is done in India. So, they require a local Indian address, where the verification will be done by the nearest police station.
The French address is required, so the passport can be sent to the local address here by post.
Dear Prashanth,
Thank you very much for this wonderful post. I have a few questions regarding the newborn’s passport.
1. Is there any photo specification for uploading the photo of the newborn on the MHA website? Can we use the Indian passport size requirement?
2. Declaration of change on the ANEF website: We were asked to provide housing proof (Veuillez joindre une attestation de la CAF ou un certificat de scolarité au nom de l’enfant). Do you know which of the following I should provide: Attestation de paiement, Attestation de montant net social, or Attestation de quotient familial?
3. Can we change the situation now on ANEF and request the DCEM once we receive the baby’s passport?
4. I declared the change of situation to CAF & Ameli last week. Should I wait, or can I already download one of the attestations from CAF and provide it as proof?
5. Additionally, it was mentioned in the post that both parents should declare the newborn on the Ameli website. However, my wife has already declared our baby’s birth, and it’s awaiting approval. I tried to declare the baby’s birth from my Ameli account, but it’s not accepting the request. Should I wait until my wife’s declaration is accepted, or can I leave it as is?
6. Could you please list the documents required for birth registration on the MHA website?
7. The Extrait de Naissance was provided in French. Should we request the document in English and have it apostilled so that we can later use it for the passport application?
Thank you in advance.
Hello Soundar,
First, Congrats and my best wises.
1. AFAIK, its the same photo size.
2. The docs for address proof are already explained in the article.
3. You can do them together because its better to wait for the baby’s passport.
4. If your CAF file is updated correctly, you can start using the attestations.
5. Declaration of the newborn from one of the parent’s Ameli account is the first step. Wen its done, the other parent can be added by following this procedure https://www.ameli.fr/hauts-de-seine/assure/droits-demarches/famille/maternite-paternite-adoption/declaration-de-son-enfant#
6. For birth registration on the MHA website, please refer to Chapter 2 in https://www.eoiparis.gov.in/page/passport-services/
7. The details about the translations are already explained in the article. It was asked by so many people and so the article was updated multiple times about it.
Cheers,
Prasanth
Thank you very much for your response. I have few additional questions:
1. Should I select the option “Registration of a minor child under Section 5(1)(d) of the Citizenship Act, 1955” or “Registration of birth of a minor child at an Indian Consulate under Section 4(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955” for the birth registration?
2. I am currently based in Antibes (near Nice), and there is a cours d’appel available about 150 km from my house to obtain an apostille. Do you know where else we can get the apostille? If we only have the option to send the documents via post to the cours d’appel, should I send the original copies via post (LRAR) for the apostille?
3. My wife and I are working. We have already informed our HR departments about the conges maternité/paternité and declared the birth of our baby to ameli and CAF. The maternity and paternity leaves were initially planned to start in early February 2025. However, since the baby was born earlier, should we also write a letter to ameli informing them of the paternity/maternity leave?
Regards,
Hello Soundar,
1. The answer is in your question itself. It’s section 4. I have updated the article too and highlighted it.
2. I have clearly mentioned in the article that you don’t have to visit the Cours d’appel for the apostille. It’s done via post.
3. Declaring the child’s birth to CPAM does the job. I have added 2 more sub-sections in Chapter 3 regarding these questions.
Cheers,
Prasanth
Hi Prasanth,
One last question: As you know we normally receive one original copy Acte de naissance & 3-4 copies of Acte de naissance & Extrait de naissance from Mairie. Should we send the original copy of acte de naissance & Extrait de naissance to cours d’appel for apostille? Also, can we send more than one copy of acte de naissance for apostille?
Kind Regards