What is France’s Journal Officiel?
Whether you are reading about new laws passed in France or applying for French citizenship, you will probably see mention of the 'Journal Officiel' at some point. Here is why it is important
You may have heard of the Journal Officiel – or the Journal Officiel de la République Française, to give it its Sunday name, or JO for short – in articles about new laws in France.
It is a French government publication, spelling out every new nationwide law and decree, and legal notices – including lists of people who have acquired French nationality through naturalisation, and, three times a year, those honoured with the Legion D’honneur. It even shares the Loto results.
It is published by the Direction de l’information légale et administrative (Dila), part of the Prime Minister’s office, every day except Mondays – unless the previous day was a bank holiday. It wasn’t, for example, published on January 2nd, 2024.
Until 2016, the Journal Officiel was a physical daily publication. Now, however, it is only available to the public online. You can get to the JO via the LégiFrance legal site - here.
The online service is the latest incarnation of a tradition dating back centuries. The long-defunct Gazette de France started carrying official notices in 1762. The first Journal Officiel was published in 1868. It has had exclusive first publication rights on all new laws in France since 1870.
Making laws official
The JO has an important role in France, because laws do not – and cannot – apply until they have been published in it.
This is because you cannot have secret laws. They must be published somewhere in order to apply. In France, that somewhere is the JO.
Laws or decrees can only take effect after they have been published. Numerous laws mention a date from which they come into force. But, if no date is mentioned, the law or decree will come into force the day after it is published in the JO.
You can also read a precis of parliamentary debates in the document, while full and verbatim records of debates in the Assemblée nationale and Sénat are hosted on their respective websites.
The JO also publishes information about certain non-profit associations.
Naturalisation lists
Since 2016, many foreigners who have gained French citizenship have found their naturalisation decrees in the Journal Officiel.
This procedure is meant for those getting citizenship par décret, so it is not in place for those declaring French nationality by marriage or ancestry.
When looking for a specific naturalisation decree, you must know the date of publication in the JO (the date on which you received a favourable notification from French authorities).
Then, you can access the JO by going to the Légifrance website, clicking the correct date, and looking for the heading 'Naturalisations et réintégrations'. This will take you to a protected page, where you will need to prove you are not a robot by a quick verification test.
At this point, you should be able to download the pdf file of the JO. For anyone going through the citizenship process, it is a good idea to hold onto this document as you may need it for future administrative processes.
At your cérémonie d'accueil, people have been known to receive a physical copy of the JO that includes their naturalisation.
READ MORE: The ultimate guide for how to get French citizenship
Other places for official news
Branches of government also publish their own bulletins officiel. These are different things altogether, and report updates from individual ministries. The Finance Ministry’s bulletin on taxes – Bulletin Officiel des Finances Publiques-Impôts (BOFiP-Impôts) – is perhaps the best known of these.
There is also the latest news section (Actualité) French government website 'Service-Public'. This gives short updates on rules, laws or schemes that have or will come into effect.
Interestingly, Presidential pardons are not published in the Journal Officiel - the person concerned instead receives a notification directly.
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You may have heard of the Journal Officiel – or the Journal Officiel de la République Française, to give it its Sunday name, or JO for short – in articles about new laws in France.
It is a French government publication, spelling out every new nationwide law and decree, and legal notices – including lists of people who have acquired French nationality through naturalisation, and, three times a year, those honoured with the Legion D’honneur. It even shares the Loto results.
It is published by the Direction de l’information légale et administrative (Dila), part of the Prime Minister’s office, every day except Mondays – unless the previous day was a bank holiday. It wasn’t, for example, published on January 2nd, 2024.
Until 2016, the Journal Officiel was a physical daily publication. Now, however, it is only available to the public online. You can get to the JO via the LégiFrance legal site - here.
The online service is the latest incarnation of a tradition dating back centuries. The long-defunct Gazette de France started carrying official notices in 1762. The first Journal Officiel was published in 1868. It has had exclusive first publication rights on all new laws in France since 1870.
Making laws official
The JO has an important role in France, because laws do not – and cannot – apply until they have been published in it.
This is because you cannot have secret laws. They must be published somewhere in order to apply. In France, that somewhere is the JO.
Laws or decrees can only take effect after they have been published. Numerous laws mention a date from which they come into force. But, if no date is mentioned, the law or decree will come into force the day after it is published in the JO.
You can also read a precis of parliamentary debates in the document, while full and verbatim records of debates in the Assemblée nationale and Sénat are hosted on their respective websites.
The JO also publishes information about certain non-profit associations.
Naturalisation lists
Since 2016, many foreigners who have gained French citizenship have found their naturalisation decrees in the Journal Officiel.
This procedure is meant for those getting citizenship par décret, so it is not in place for those declaring French nationality by marriage or ancestry.
When looking for a specific naturalisation decree, you must know the date of publication in the JO (the date on which you received a favourable notification from French authorities).
Then, you can access the JO by going to the Légifrance website, clicking the correct date, and looking for the heading 'Naturalisations et réintégrations'. This will take you to a protected page, where you will need to prove you are not a robot by a quick verification test.
At this point, you should be able to download the pdf file of the JO. For anyone going through the citizenship process, it is a good idea to hold onto this document as you may need it for future administrative processes.
At your cérémonie d'accueil, people have been known to receive a physical copy of the JO that includes their naturalisation.
READ MORE: The ultimate guide for how to get French citizenship
Other places for official news
Branches of government also publish their own bulletins officiel. These are different things altogether, and report updates from individual ministries. The Finance Ministry’s bulletin on taxes – Bulletin Officiel des Finances Publiques-Impôts (BOFiP-Impôts) – is perhaps the best known of these.
There is also the latest news section (Actualité) French government website 'Service-Public'. This gives short updates on rules, laws or schemes that have or will come into effect.
Interestingly, Presidential pardons are not published in the Journal Officiel - the person concerned instead receives a notification directly.
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