What is its legislative framework?

Comedec, short for COMmunication Electronique des Données de l'Etat Civil (Electronic Communication of Vital Records Data), is based on two regulatory texts: 

• Vital Records Decree no. 2011-167 published on 10 February 2011

The purpose of this decree is to exempt users from having to provide a vital records document when dealing with administrative formalities.

How? By allowing agencies and organisations (which are entitled to request such records) to request verification of user-reported data directly from the civil registrars who hold them.

• Technical Order of 23 December 2011

This order introduces the possibility of "verifying vital records data electronically".

How? Local authorities wishing to respond electronically to requests for verification of vital records data must sign a service agreement with the Ministry of Justice and ANTS to use COMEDEC.

How exactly does Comedec help?

For users, the introduction of COMEDEC makes it possible to:

• Simplify paperwork: You no longer need to request a copy of your birth certificate from the municipal offices in the place where you were born.
• Get a faster response to your requests. The data is exchanged electronically, without your needing to provide it.
• Better privacy protection through secure exchanges, with the transmitted data limited to what is strictly necessary. As a result, the full paper copy is replaced by the transmission of only the data required for each procedure.

 

For municipal governments holding vital records data, COMEDEC makes it possible to:

• Simplify the verification of vital records data: Verifying digital data is easier than verifying a scanned/paper record.
• Reduce the number of requests across many channels (Internet - counter - mail), which simplifies the tracking and organisation of responses to these requests.
• Promote a single delivery system.
• Limit verifications to legitimate requests.
• Eliminate the need to mail out responses to requests made by post or online (requests from users or from notaries, etc.) and the associated postage costs.

How do we sign up for COMEDEC?

The process of connecting to COMEDEC is compulsory for municipalities that have or have had a maternity hospital on their territory.

For other communes (those that have never had a maternity hospital in their territory), membership in the COMEDEC system is on a voluntary basis.

 

Municipalities can sign up for the COMEDEC system online using the application form available here: https://www.convention.comedec.ants.gouv.fr.

• The agreements ("cards" and "COMEDEC") are then printed, signed and returned to ANTS. The COMEDEC agreement is signed by the Ministry of Justice, the ANTS and the municipality; the card agreement is signed by ANTS and the municipality.
• The signing of these agreements does not require a decision by the municipal council; a signature by the mayor is sufficient. Signing these two agreements is a prerequisite for joining COMEDEC.

Roll-out stages

The process below describes the various stages in the roll-out to municipalities wishing to join Comedec.

 

1. Census of municipalities with maternity hospitals

2. COMEDEC online membership

3. Signing of agreements

4. ANTS registration of the municipality

5. Order and delivery of the first two cards

6. Contact with the publisher

7. Publisher visits the municipal offices

8. Municipality is connected

What's in the future for Comedec?

In order to further digitise and simplify the exchange of vital records data, the COMEDEC team is currently studying a number of possible improvements:

• Exchanges between municipalities
• Exchange of marriage notices
• New sources of requests (social organisations, etc.)