Article 648

Tout acte d'huissier de justice indique, indépendamment des mentions prescrites par ailleurs :
1. Sa date ;
2. a) Si le requérant est une personne physique : ses nom, prénoms, profession, domicile, nationalité, date et lieu de naissance ;
b) Si le requérant est une personne morale : sa forme, sa dénomination, son siège social et l'organe qui la représente légalement.
3. Les nom, prénoms, demeure et signature de l'huissier de justice ;
4. Si l'acte doit être signifié, les nom et domicile du destinataire, ou, s'il s'agit d'une personne morale, sa dénomination et son siège social.
Ces mentions sont prescrites à peine de nullité

Article 648

Every judicial document served through a bailiff must state, further to other particulars as otherwise prescribed:
       1° its date;
       2° a) if the petitioner is a natural person: his surname, first names, occupation, domicile, nationality, date and place of birth;
       b) if the petitioner is a corporate entity: its form, denomination, address of its registered head office and the body serving as its legal representative.
       3° the surname, first names, domicile and signature of the bailiff.
       4° if the judicial document must be served, the surname and domicile of the addressee, or, where it is a corporate entity, its denomination and registered head office.
       These particulars will be prescribed under penalty of nullity.

Article 649

   La nullité des actes d'huissier de justice est régie par les dispositions qui gouvernent la nullité des actes de procédure.

Article 649

Provisions governing the nullity of pleadings will govern the nullity of judicial documents served through a bailiff

Article 650

   Les frais afférents aux actes inutiles sont à la charge des huissiers de justice qui les ont faits, sans préjudice des dommages-intérêts qui seraient réclamés. Il en est de même des frais afférents aux actes nuls par l'effet de leur faute.

Article 650

The costs pertaining to unnecessary judicial documents will be borne by the bailiff who served on them, without prejudice to damages that might be claimed. It will be likewise with respect to costs pertaining to judicial documents rendered void by their fault.

Article 651

Les actes sont portés à la connaissance des intéressés par la notification qui leur en est faite.
La notification faite par acte d'huissier de justice est une signification.
La notification peut toujours être faite par voie de signification alors même que la loi l'aurait prévue sous une autre forme.

Article 651

Judicial documents are brought to the knowledge of the interested parties by notification thereof made to them.
The notification through a bailiff will take a form of service through a bailiff.
A notification can always be made by way of a service through a bailiff even if the law has provided another form.

Article 652

   Lorsqu'une partie a chargé une personne de la représenter en justice, les actes qui lui sont destinés sont notifiés à son représentant sous réserve des règles particulières à la notification des jugements.

Article 652

    When a party has appointed a person to represent him in court, the judicial documents that are directed to him will be notified to his representative, subject to special rules for notification of judgments.

Article 653

Article 653

(Decree n°89-511 of 20 July 1989, Article 14, Official Journal of 25 July 1989 in force on 15 September 1989)

(Decree n°2002-1436 of 3 December 2002, Article 24, Official Journal of 12 December 2002)

N.B.: Translation of this Articles updated only to 30 September 2005

       The date of a service of a judicial document through a bailiff is that of the day where it has been served on the person, at his domicile or residence, at the public prosecutor's office or, in the case specified under Article 659, that of the drawing up of the minutes. 

Article 654

La signification doit être faite à personne.
La signification à une personne morale est faite à personne lorsque l'acte est délivré à son représentant légal, à un fondé de pouvoir de ce dernier, ou à toute autre personne habilitée à cet effet.

Article 654

A service must be personal.
       A service on a corporate entity will be personal where the judicial document is delivered to its legal representative, to the latter's proxy, or to any other person empowered for this purpose. 

Article 655

Article 655

N.B.: Translation of this Articles updated only to March 2006

      If the personal service is impossible to do, the judicial document may be delivered either at the place of domicile or, in default of a known place of domicile, at the place of residence.

      The bailiff must describe in his report of service the steps taken in his effort to serve the person at his domicile and the precise circumstances why personal service was not possible

       A copy may be delivered to any person present in the domicile or at the residence of the person being served. 

       A copy may be left only on condition that the person present, , accepts it and gives his surname, first names, capacity.

       The bailiff must leave, at all events, at the place of domicile or residence of the addressee, a dated non-delivery notice warning him of the delivery of the copy and indicating the nature of the judicial document and the surname of the petitioner as well as providing such information relating to the person to whom the copy has been delivered.  

Article 656

Dans ce cas, l'huissier de justice laisse au domicile ou à la résidence de celui-ci un avis de passage conforme aux prescriptions du dernier alinéa de l'article 655. Cet avis mentionne, en outre, que la copie de l'acte doit être retirée dans le plus bref délai à l'étude de l'huissier de justice, contre récépissé ou émargement, par l'intéressé ou par toute personne spécialement mandatée.

   La copie de l'acte est conservée à l'étude pendant trois mois. Passé ce délai, l'huissier de justice en est déchargé.

   L'huissier de justice peut, à la demande du destinataire, transmettre la copie de l'acte à une autre étude où celui-ci pourra le retirer dans les mêmes conditions.

Article 656

N.B.: Translation of this Articles updated to January 2007

      If no one can or is willing to receive the copy of the judicial document and if it appears, from the inquiries made by the bailiff to which a reference is made in the attestation of service, that the addressee lives at the address indicated, the service will be deemed to have been made at the place of domicile or residence.

       In the latter event, the bailiff will leave at the place of domicile or residence of the addressee a non-delivery notice in pursuance to the provisions of the last sub-article of Article 655. Such notice must state that a copy of the judicial document must be collected as soon as possible from the offices of the bailiff against a receipt or annotation, by the interested party or by any person specially authorized.

       The copy of the judicial document will be kept at the offices of the bailiff a for three months. At the expiry of this time-limit, the bailiff will be discharged from keeping the same.
       
     The bailiff can, at the request of the person being served, transmit the copy of the judicial document to the offices of another bailiff where it may be collected under the same conditions. 

Article 657

Article 657

N.B.: Translation of this Articles updated to March 2006 

     Where the judicial document is not served upon a person, the bailiff must state on the copy the conditions under which it was delivered.

       A copy of the served judicial document must be placed in a sealed envelope bearing only the surname and address of the addressee and the stamp of the bailiff affixed on the flap of the envelope.

Article 658

Article 658

N.B.: Translation of this Articles updated to March 2006 

       In all the cases referred to under Articles 655 and 656, the bailiff must inform the interested person of the service on the same day, or no later than the first working day, by ordinary letter containing the same particulars as the non-delivery notice and reminding him of, if a copy of the judicial document was handed over at  the offices of the bailiff, the provisions of the last sub-article of Article 656. The letter shall contain further a copy of the judicial document.

       It will be likewise in case of service at an elected domicile or where the service has been made upon a corporate entity.

       The stamp of the bailiff will be affixed on the envelope.  

Article 659

Article 659

 (Decree n°84-618 of 13 July 1984, Articles 5 and 31, Official Journal of 18 July 1984 amendment JORF of 18 August 1984, in force on 1 October 1984)

(Decree n°86-585 of 14 March 1986, Articles 4 and 9, Official Journal of 19 March 1986, in force on 2 May 1986)

(Decree n°89-511 of 20 July 1989, Article 15, Official Journal of 25 July 1989 in force on 15 September 1989)

       Where the person upon whom the judicial document must be served does not have any known domicile, residence or place of employment, the bailiff will draw minutes in which he will narrate in detail the steps he has taken to look for the addressee of the judicial document.

       On the same day, or no later than the first following working day, under penalty of nullity, the bailiff will transmit to the addressee, at the last known address, by a registered letter with the advice of delivery slip sought, a copy of the minutes to which is annexed a copy of the judicial document which is the subject-matter of the service.

       On the same day, the bailiff will inform the addressee, by an ordinary letter, of the formality carried out.

       The provisions of this Article will apply to service of a judicial document upon a corporate entity that has no premise known at the place indicated as its head office in the Commerce and Companies Register.