The French government has launched an online tool to help guide prospective civil partners through its Pacte Civil de Solidarité or PACS process. Here’s how it works.  

France’s Pacte Civil de Solidarité, commonly known as a PACS, is the country’s version of a civil partnership. Much like a marriage, a PACS agreement allows couples to officialise their relationship and accords certain rights to each partner.  

It is a popular choice too; in 2022, 192,000 couples opted for a PACS, not far off the 244,000 who chose a marriage. One reason for this is that a PACS is far easier to enter – and end – than a traditional marriage.  

Nevertheless, securing a PACS still requires a not insignificant amount of paperwork and the French government recently decided to launch a new online simulator that will help potential partners navigate the administrative side of things.  

NEW TOOL 

In as little as five minutes, couples can use the simulator to identify the complete list of documents “to be provided to conclude a civil pact of solidarity”.  

Basic information for each partner needs to be inputted, such as name, address, nationality, relationship status and place of birth, before a list of the necessary documents is generated. People born outside of France will need to provide an additional set of documents, which can be found here.  

Once all of the items are gathered, an appointment can be made at the applicants’ local mairie or townhall, where an official will review the file before confirming the PACS. 

For more information about the new service, click here, and to try out the simulator for yourself, click here. 

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Photo source: Pablo Heimplatz, Unsplash