The paperwork after birth fits on a short list, but the order matters. Registering the birth at the town hall comes first, within 5 days. Next come registering your baby with the Assurance Maladie (French national health insurance) and the CAF (the French family benefits office), then your baby's first health checks, the first of which takes place within 8 days.
This article walks through each step in order, with the official deadlines and the documents to have ready. Much of it can be done online, from the maternity ward or the sofa.
What paperwork is needed after the birth, and in what order?
Here is the list to keep to hand, from the most urgent to the least pressing:
- register the birth at the town hall of the place of birth, within 5 days;
- register your child with the Assurance Maladie and update the carte Vitale;
- notify the CAF of the birth;
- let your top-up health insurer and your employer know;
- schedule the compulsory health checks, starting with the one in the first 8 days.
Only the first step has a short legal deadline and serious consequences if it is forgotten. The others mainly determine whether healthcare costs are reimbursed and benefits are paid.
Registering the birth at the town hall
The deadline: 5 days
According to the official Service-Public.fr page, checked on 18 June 2026, the birth must be registered within 5 days of delivery. The day of birth is not counted. If the last day falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, the deadline moves to the next working day.
The deadline is extended to 8 days in some municipalities of French Guiana, including Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Maripasoula.
Who registers the birth, and where?
The birth is registered at the town hall of the place of birth, not necessarily the one where you live. It can be done by the father, by the second mother in a female couple, by the doctor, the midwife or anyone who was present at the delivery. The obligation does not fall on the mother.
Good news for exhausted parents: many maternity units have a service that passes the registration on to the town hall. Ask as soon as you arrive, and this step can then be sorted without leaving the hospital.
The documents you need
- the parents' ID;
- the delivery attestation issued by the doctor or midwife;
- the declaration of choice of surname, if you have made one;
- the acknowledgement of paternity, if it was made before the birth;
- the livret de famille (family record book), if you already have one;
- proof of address less than 3 months old, if the parents are not married and the father has not acknowledged the child.
For a female couple, a joint advance acknowledgement made before a notary is required, among other things.
Later on, and with no obligation at all, the town hall is also the place to go for a civil naming ceremony (baptême civil), a symbolic ceremony with no legal standing.
What happens if you are late?
Once the deadline has passed, the town hall can no longer register the birth on its own. A ruling from the tribunal judiciaire (civil court) is needed, with the help of a lawyer. Service-Public.fr points out that the person who should have registered the birth faces six months' imprisonment and a €3,750 fine. That is why this step comes before all the others.
Registering your baby with the Assurance Maladie
Once the birth certificate has been issued, your child must be linked to one parent so that their healthcare costs are reimbursed. This is done online from your ameli account, under “Mes démarches”. A confirmation message follows.
A few practical points, highlighted by the CAF de la Lozère in a news item from July 2023:
- the child is linked to the parent who makes the request;
- linking to the other parent can also be requested, again on ameli;
- the carte Vitale must then be updated, at a pharmacy or at the doctor's;
- the online service is only available for a birth in France registered before the child is 6 months old.
Don't wait: the first appointments come round very quickly, and linking your child avoids awkward upfront payments.
Notifying the CAF of the birth
The CAF needs to know about the birth to recalculate your entitlements. On caf.fr, the form is under “Mes démarches”, then “Déclarer un enfant”. In the app, the option “Déclarez une naissance” appears on the home screen. You check a summary before submitting.
Several benefits depend on this notification. The birth grant relies on the pregnancy declaration made earlier, and its conditions are explained in our article on the 2026 birth grant. The basic allowance, then paid monthly subject to income, is covered in our article on the Paje basic allowance.
Top-up health insurance and employer
These two steps have no equally strict legal deadline, but they have real effects.
Your top-up health insurer, or mutuelle, needs to be told so that your child can be added to your policy. Depending on the policy, this may change your premium or entitle you to a birth payment specific to the insurer. Check the terms of your policy.
Your employer needs to be told so that leave can be arranged. The second parent is entitled to several types of birth-related leave, detailed in our article on paternity and childcare leave. The new birth leave, open to both parents, has its own dedicated article on additional birth leave.
Your baby's first health checks
Children are entitled to 20 compulsory health checks from birth to age 16, according to Service-Public.fr (page checked on 29 July 2026). They are covered at 100 %, except for fees above the standard rate. The first ones follow in quick succession:
- a check within 8 days of birth, which leads to the first health report;
- a check during the second week;
- five checks between 1 and 5 months;
- then a check at 8 months, at 11 months, at 12 months and between 16 and 18 months.
The first check often takes place at the maternity unit, before you go home. For the following ones, you can see your GP, a paediatrician or a PMI centre (French mother and child health service). Our article on the first PMI appointment explains how the consultation goes.
The health record book goes with your child to every appointment. Compulsory vaccinations start from 2 months and are covered in our article on your baby's vaccination schedule.
How to stay organised without wearing yourself out
The days after a birth are rarely ideal for paperwork. A few habits lighten the load:
- get the ID documents and the livret de famille ready before your due date, in a folder tucked into your hospital bag;
- leave the town hall registration to the second parent, or to the maternity unit's service;
- do the ameli and CAF notifications from your phone, on the same evening;
- put the date of the first check and the first vaccination in a shared calendar.
The first year's expenses are also worth planning ahead. Our article on the first-year budget separates the useful from the superfluous, in the spirit of kit pared back to the essentials.
In summary
After the birth, only one step can't be delayed: registering the birth at the town hall within 5 days, often handled by the maternity unit. Then come the Assurance Maladie and the carte Vitale, the CAF, your top-up health insurer and your employer. Your baby's first health check takes place within 8 days.
Sources
- Service-Public.fr, “Déclaration de naissance”, page F961, checked on 18 June 2026.
- Service-Public.fr, “Examens médicaux obligatoires de l'enfant”, page F967, checked on 29 July 2026.
- CAF de la Lozère, “Déclaration de naissance en ligne”, news item of 10 July 2023.
