In Benin, French civil status is handled by the consular section of the French Embassy in Cotonou, which receives the public by appointment and gives no information on files by telephone.
Birth and recognition
- Declaration within 30 days of the birth, by appointment made by email, in the presence of the child. After that, free transcription by post.
- Records required in original and in full version: neither extracts nor photocopies.
- A foreign father alone can only recognise the child once the maternal filiation is established, by proving the French nationality of the mother.
Marriage
- The CCAM file is submitted at least 60 days before the wedding, by appointment, by one of the future spouses; files submitted by third parties are refused.
- For the Beninese spouse: ANIP certificate of the “full extract” type and a copy of the CIP.
- Banns published for 10 days; an interview is possible, together or separately.
PACS, divorce and death
- A PACS requires two appointments (submission, then registration); the Beninese authorities do not recognise it.
- A Beninese divorce must be declared enforceable by the public prosecutor in Nantes; if the marriage was celebrated abroad since 1 March 2007, it must first have been transcribed.
- A death is first declared to the Beninese authorities, then registered without delay at the embassy.
Visa for France from Benin
- Applications are decided by the consular section of the French Embassy in Cotonou.
- Files are submitted by appointment at the Capago centre in Cotonou. The centre moves on 10 November 2026 to the Galerie de l’Aéroport building.
- A holder of a French residence permit carrying only a renewal receipt cannot board in Cotonou: a return visa is required.
If your visa is refused, the appeal is the same for every country: within 30 days, before the CRRV for a long-stay visa or before the Deputy Director for Visas for a short stay, then before the Administrative Court of Nantes. See our page French visa refusal lawyer and our pages on visas for spouses of French nationals, family reunification and students.
Source: France-Visas, accessed on 4 November 2026.
How we help
Legal Field Avocats advises families living in Benin or originating from the country in their civil status procedures with the French authorities: checking records, preparing files, follow-up with the consulate or the Central Civil Status Service in Nantes, and appeals in the event of a refusal or an objection by the public prosecutor. Our correspondent law firm in France, FB AVOCAT, takes over for proceedings before the French courts.
A civil status file in progress? Call us on +221 33 844 29 16.
Sources: French Embassy in Benin – birth, marriage, PACS, accessed on 4 November 2026 (in French).
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LEGAL FIELD AVOCATS
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Phone: +221 33 844 29 16
Email: contact@fbavocat-sn.com
Our correspondent law firm in France:
FB AVOCAT
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Phone: +33 9 85 40 18 64
Email: contact@legalfb-avocat.fr