Having a baby in France: the deadlines that matter
Having a baby in France sets off 7 deadlines that carry a real consequence for missing them. Three of them catch people out. Declare the birth at the mairie (déclaration de naissance): within 5 days of the birth, at the mairie of the place of birth. Declare your pregnancy (déclaration de grossesse): before the end of the 14th week of pregnancy, which is the end of the third month. Acknowledge the baby before the birth (reconnaissance anticipée): before the birth, if you are not married. Checked 22 September 2026.
Declare your pregnancy (déclaration de grossesse)
Before the end of the 14th week of pregnancy, which is the end of the third month. No fine, but a late declaration delays both the 100% cover of your maternity care and the CAF payments that depend on it, including the birth grant.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 22 September 2026
Make sure you have a French social security number (numéro de sécurité sociale)
Before the déclaration de grossesse is any use: the cover it opens is attached to your Assurance Maladie file. Without a permanent number the 100% cover, the daily allowances and the CAF payments all wait, and the paperwork to fix it comes from your home country, not from France.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 22 September 2026
Acknowledge the baby before the birth (reconnaissance anticipée)
Before the birth, if you are not married. It can be done at any mairie in France. Without it the mother's partner is not automatically the baby's legal parent. Doing it beforehand means the baby has two legal parents from birth rather than after a later declaration.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 21 September 2026
Arrange your maternity leave (congé maternité)
The prenatal part normally starts 6 weeks before the due date, and at least 8 consecutive weeks must be taken in total. Up to 3 weeks of the prenatal part can be moved to after the birth with medical agreement, but the 8-week minimum — 2 weeks before the birth and 6 after — cannot be given up.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 21 September 2026
Declare the birth at the mairie (déclaration de naissance)
Within 5 days of the birth, at the mairie of the place of birth. The day of the birth does not count, and the deadline extends to the next working day if it falls on a weekend or public holiday. Miss it and the declaration has to go through the tribunal judiciaire instead of the mairie — slower, and a court process rather than a counter visit.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 22 September 2026
Partner's leave (congé paternité et d'accueil de l'enfant)
The compulsory part runs from the birth. The optional balance must be taken within 6 months of the birth. Days not taken inside the six months are lost; they cannot be carried over or paid out.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 21 September 2026
Supplementary birth leave (congé supplémentaire de naissance)
Taken within the first months after the birth, and the window is set by the date the child was born — for a child born from 1 July 2026 it runs to nine months after the birth. It is a right per parent, so one taking it does not use up the other's. Time not taken inside the window is simply lost.
What this step involves · Official source, checked 21 September 2026
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