Want to contact your town hall to renew your passport, get married (or divorced, we don’t judge!) or simply to report a giant pothole in front of your house? Good news, I propose a directory of town halls by department that will make your life easier. Because yes, we all have better things to do than struggle for hours on the internet for an address or a phone number.
how to use this directory to save time (and nerves)
You’re probably wondering how to find your way among the 101 French departments. Spoiler alert: it’s super simple! The idea is to navigate either by department or directly by town. Here’s how to go about it.
search by department
Let’s get straight to the point: choose your department, click, and voilà, all the town halls located there appear as if by magic. Whether you’re in Gironde or Jura, each town hall is listed with its contact details and opening hours.
Quick tip: if you want to save even more time, use the search bar to directly type the name of your department.
search by town
Don’t want to scroll through an endless list? No problem! With the town search, you enter the name of your city and boom, you land directly on your town hall’s information.
And if you live in a small town that shares its name with ten others across France (hello Saint-Martin), don’t panic. The directory provides results by region to avoid any confusion.
list of town halls by department
Now, this is serious business. I’ve prepared an overview with all the departments of France. It’s a bit like a treasure map, except at the end, you won’t find gold, but the town hall that will save your day.
| Department | Number | Prefecture | Number of towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ain | 01 | Bourg-en-Bresse | 419 |
| Gironde | 33 | Bordeaux | 535 |
| Hauts-de-Seine | 92 | Nanterre | 36 |
| Loire-Atlantique | 44 | Nantes | 207 |
This list allows you to navigate easily. Click on your department, and all the town halls listed there will appear with their contact details.
spotlight on a few departments
Île-de-France
With cities like Paris, Versailles, or Nanterre, the Île-de-France region is a true concentration of municipal life. Each town hall offers a variety of services: school registrations, civil status, and even free workshops for residents.
Occitanie
The town halls of Occitanie are often little gems. You’ll find information about local markets, cultural events, and sometimes even free sports activities.
why consult your town hall: beyond administrative papers
We often forget, but your town hall is much more than an office to renew your passport (even though that remains one of the most requested services). Here are some reasons to go there:
- Local events: whether it’s a flea market or a festival, your town hall is at the heart of local life.
- Urban planning requests: need to build a conservatory or repaint your facade? The town hall is here to validate your projects.
- Elections: yes, this is where you register on the electoral rolls (and where you drop your envelope in the ballot box on election day).
tips for using municipal services effectively
- Always check the opening hours on the official town hall website before heading out. Nothing worse than arriving at 5:01 PM only to find out they close at 5 PM.
- Many town halls now offer online services: requests for birth certificates, appointments for a passport, etc. See if it’s available, it’ll save you a lot of time.
frequently asked questions about town halls
You’re not alone in asking existential questions about your town hall. Here’s a little best-of of the most common questions, with clear answers (and without any headache).
how to find the hours of my town hall?
Go to the official directory website. Each town hall has its detailed page with its opening (and closing, obviously) hours.
do all town halls offer the same services?
Not necessarily. Small towns don’t always have as many services as big cities. For specific procedures, you might be redirected to the prefecture or another town hall.
can we make an appointment online?
More and more town halls are offering this option, especially for passport or identity card requests. It’s quick, efficient, and you avoid the waiting line.
a practical guide for administrative procedures
Want to go even further? Download our free guide to discover all the tips to manage your administrative procedures like a pro. And if you found this article useful, share it with your friends (or with that colleague who always struggles to find information about town halls).
