The Paris Notaries’ Chamber has published information on the certification of documents with an apostille under updated procedures in 2025. The information is available on the official website of the notaries’ chamber.
How the apostille reform took place in France
As previously reported by Schmidt & Schmidt, documents in France were formerly apostilled at regional Courts of Appeal. Each court could only certify documents issued within its respective region. Documents issued by nationwide authorities were legalized by the Paris Court of Appeal.
In 2020, a phased reform of the apostille procedure began in France. A key decision was made to transfer the functions of document legalization by apostille to the notarial system to simplify the process.
The final transfer of authority was scheduled for 2023, but authorities were unable to prepare the necessary technical infrastructure in time, leading to a delay. The new effective date was set for 1 January 2025, but on 23 December 2024 it was postponed again — this time to 1 May 2025, which became the definitive date.
Responsibility for implementing the new procedures lay with the Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals of France, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the Minister for Overseas Territories. The reform was implemented in stages.
On 15 March 2025, French municipalities appointed official representatives to liaise with the High Council of Notaries. The contact person could be a municipal agent or a member of the municipal council. If desired, any mayor had the right to appoint themselves as the contact person.
Following this, municipalities with a population of over 3,500 were required to submit a special database of signatures and seals to the High Council of Notaries by 1 May.
On 25 March 2025, the French Ministry of Justice issued an order establishing a personal data processing system called the “National Public Signatures Database.”
Additionally, the Ministry of Justice set new fees for apostilling documents. For individuals apostilling one to three documents, the fee was €10 per document, and for the fourth and subsequent documents — €5 each. For legal entities, under standard processing times, the fee for the first three documents was €20 each, and €10 for any additional documents. For expedited processing, the fees are doubled.
As of 1 May 2025, the authority for apostilling documents in France was transferred to the notarial system. Responsibility for certification was assigned to 15 regional notarial councils and chambers.
As part of the reform, official authorities in Paris announced a “digital transition.” Several procedures related to apostille services were moved to an electronic format.
The High Council of Notaries has created a national digital registry of signatures. However, not all municipalities have yet submitted their data (official Paris has not set final deadlines for small municipalities to complete this process).
Before having a document apostilled in France, it is necessary to verify whether the specific municipality has submitted the signatures of its officials to the national database. If it has, the applicant can either request an apostille online and then send their documents by mail to the apostille and legalization center, or visit the center in person.
Some experts have expressed skepticism about the reform. Official Paris has been criticized for the lack of clear procedures for verifying document authenticity, as well as for the absence of a registry of municipalities that have not submitted signature and seal samples.
Additional concerns were related to technical issues. The digital service for requesting legalization did not become operational on time. As a result, notarial councils advised applicants to contact apostille centers directly.
There are also numerous complaints online from French citizens noting the lack of a convenient procedure for apostilling documents from abroad. Following the apostille reform, on 1 September 2025 the consular legalization procedure was reformed. Authority for this procedure was also transferred to the notarial chambers and councils.
How the new apostille procedure works in practice in France
About half of the national apostille flow in France passes through the Paris Legalization and Apostille Center (CLAP), part of the Paris Notaries’ Chamber. It began certifying documents with apostilles from the very first day of the reform — 1 May 2025.
The Paris Legalization and Apostille Center is staffed by 180 notaries. Over seven months of operation, the center processed 25,000 cases and legalized around 70,000 documents (while the national total is 130,000 certified documents). The center receives over one hundred applicants daily.
The Paris Notaries’ Chamber stated that the creation of the metropolitan center “is part of the reform aimed at modernizing and securing the procedures.”
Its activities are focused on implementing changes such as:
- Creation of a public legalization registry;
- Digitization of apostille applications and monitoring procedures;
- Elimination of “geographical jurisdiction” restrictions;
- Strict adherence to apostille timelines (three days if officials’ signatures are in the database, eight days if not);
- Introduction of a clear fee structure.
How the issue of apostilling documents for applicants abroad — a matter of concern for many French citizens online — will be addressed is not yet specified.
What is an apostille?
What is an apostille? Why do I need an apostille? How do I get an apostille? - Our video will explain everything you need to know about the apostille. If you have a document that needs to be certified with an apostille for use abroad, Schmidt and Schmidt will assist you! We provide apostille services in more than 100 countries worldwide.
