French Legislation In English

Search, Read and Apply French Law. In English.

20+ full codes, 2,400+ articles translated and updated. Case law linked to every article. Read the actual text before you ask a lawyer about it — free, no login required.

Try: L.227-1 SAS governance, L.145-9 bail commercial renewal, L.223-18 gérant removal SARL

20+

french codes

Fully translated

2,400+

articles in English

Updated regularly

480+

court rulings linked

Per article

Free

full access

No login required

Showing 6170 of 3780 articles for Art. n° 18-13.221

French Code of civil procedureIn force
Section VII: The defence.

Article 18

The parties may defend themselves, subject to cases in which representation is compulsory.

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Code of civil procedureIn force
Chapter III: Personal appearance of the parties.

Article 185

Personal appearance may only be ordered by the trial panel or by the member of that panel who is responsible for investigating the case..

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Code of civil procedureIn force
Chapter II: Personal checks by the judge.

Article 180

If he does not proceed immediately, the judge shall fix the place, day and time of the verification; if necessary, he shall appoint a member of the bench to carry it out.

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Section 1: French nationals by descent

Article 18

A child is French if at least one of its parents is French.

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Chapter IV: Applications for nullity of marriage

Article 182

A marriage contracted without the consent of the father and mother, the ascendants, or the family council, in cases where such consent was necessary, may be contested only by those whose consent was r…

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Chapter IV: Applications for nullity of marriage

Article 187

In all cases where, in accordance with Article 184, an action for nullity may be brought by all those who have an interest in it; it may not be brought by collateral relatives, or by children born of…

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Chapter IV: Applications for nullity of marriage

Article 181

In the case of the preceding article, the application for nullity is no longer admissible after a period of five years from the marriage.

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Chapter IV: Applications for nullity of marriage

Article 189

If the new spouses oppose the nullity of the first marriage, the validity or nullity of this marriage must be judged beforehand.

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Chapter IV: Applications for nullity of marriage

Article 180

A marriage that has been contracted without the free consent of both spouses, or of one of them, may only be challenged by the spouses, or by the one of the two whose consent was not free, or by the p…

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
French Civil CodeIn force
Chapter IV: Applications for nullity of marriage

Article 184

Any marriage contracted in contravention of the provisions contained in articles 144, 146, 146-1, 147, 161, 162 and 163 may be challenged, within thirty years of its celebration, either by the spouses…

AI translation · Updated 8 Nov 2023Open Article
Common Questions

French legislation in English — Q&A

Our translations are produced and reviewed for accuracy, but the only legally binding version of French law is the French original. For court, registry or contractual use we offer lawyer-reviewed or sworn certified translations on request.

Articles are synced with Légifrance and updated as soon as a reform is published in the Journal Officiel, so you always read the version in force — and can see when each article was last amended.

Each article is linked to the key court decisions (Cour de cassation, Conseil d'État, courts of appeal) that interpret it, so you can read the text and its case-law application side by side.

Yes — every article has an AI plain-English summary, and you can order a lawyer-reviewed explanation of how it applies to your specific situation, with next steps.

No. Reading and searching the codes is free with no login. Paid services — certified translation and the legal application report — are entirely optional.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In French Corporate Practice

English · French · Russian

Ready When You Are

Talk To A Lawyer
In France.

A 20–30 minute call, in English, to scope the engagement. No obligation, no preliminary fee. You will leave the call with a clear view of what the work will cover and what it will cost.

First EngagementFixed Fee

Talk to a French lawyer.

Reply within 24 hours.

Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

Continue

Related legal services

01 / Read

Browse the French codes

20+ full codes and 2,400+ articles in English, with the key court rulings linked to every article — free to read.

Read More
02 / Apply

Legal application report

A lawyer-reviewed report explaining how the relevant articles apply to your situation, with case-law analysis and next steps.

Read More
03 / Act

Talk to a French lawyer

Scope your matter with a Paris-Bar avocate — incorporation, contracts, disputes — handled bilingually, end to end.

Read More