French Police Clearance (Extrait de Casier Judiciaire)

French Police Clearance

The French term for police clearance certificate is "Extrait de Casier Judiciaire" or "Casier Judiciaire National n°3". The French Ministry of Justice and Liberty (“Ministère de la Justice et des libertés”) maintains a national repository of all criminal convictions in France. These National Criminal Records (“Casier Judiciaire National”) are kept by the Directorate of Criminal Affairs and Pardons (“Direction des Affaires criminelles et des graces”) in Nantes. The criminal records include criminal convictions, certain decisions by the commercial courts, judgments concerning forfeiture of parental authority and deportation orders.

These types of criminal records are retrieved in the form of extracts or bulletins. These are as follows:

Bulletin No. 1: This is given only to judicial authority and contains all sentences.

Bulletin No. 2: This is issued to certain administrative authorities or private organizations as specified by the laws in the Code of Criminal Procedure

Bulletin No. 3: This is issued only to the person requesting it and this is the French police clearance certificate.

French Police Clearance Certificate- Extrait de Casier Judiciaire - Bulletin No. 3

The French police clearance or Bulletin No. 3 is issued to anyone who applies for it, irrespective of the nationality of the applicant. Foreigners who have stayed in France can also apply for it. The process is simple and quick.

The French police clearance certificate (Bulletin No. 3) is printed on a special paper and is always sent by registered post to the person applying for it. It is issued free of cost. It is never issued to a third party. The French police clearance is issued only in French. The professional translators at The Certified Translation can provide French to English certified translation of the French police clearance certificate.

An applicant can use any of the below methods for applying for a French police clearance certificate (Bulletin No. 3): • Apply online on the French Ministry of Justice and Liberty website. This is the fastest way of getting the French police clearance. • Mail the police clearance form (Cerfa No. 06 10 071) to the office in Nantes. Applicants born outside France should also send copies of supporting documents. • Fax the police clearance form (Cerfa No. 06 10 071) to the office in Nantes. • Visit the National Criminal Records office in Nantes. • Email a request to the National Criminal Records office. They in turn will provide instructions on how to apply.

Those born in the French territories of Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia or Wallis and Futuna should contact the “Court of First Instance” in these locations for French police clearance.

Certified Translation of French Police Clearance (Extrait de Casier Judiciaire)

French citizens wishing to immigrate to the USA or study in the USA or marry an American citizen, have to apply to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The USCIS requires that that the applicant should submit a certified translation of all French language documents, including the French police clearance certificate. The person translating the document must certify that he/she is fluent in both English and French. In addition, he/she must also certify that the translation is an accurate and complete translation of the original document.

USCIS requirements related to translation certification are documented in Federal Regulation “8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)” of “U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Immigration regulations/Powers and duties; availability of records”.

To ensure that documents translated from French to English are USCIS and other USA public and private organization compliant, use the services of professional certified translators.