Your right to an interpreter in French criminal proceedings

The opening article of the French code of criminal procedure sets out the principle. A person who is suspected or prosecuted and who does not understand French is entitled, in a language he or she understands and until the end of the proceedings, to the assistance of an interpreter. This includes conversations with the lawyer that are directly connected with any interview or hearing. The person is also entitled to the translation of the documents essential to the defence and to the fairness of the trial, which must be handed over or notified under the code, unless he or she has expressly waived it in an informed way (article préliminaire, III, of the code of criminal procedure).

Two points follow from this text:

• the right is not limited to the police station: it runs until the end of the case, including the hearing;
• a waiver of the translation of essential documents must be express and informed. Do not waive it without speaking to your lawyer.

If there is any doubt about your ability to understand French, the authority questioning you, or the court before which you appear, must check that you speak and understand it (article 803-5). In practice, if you are not comfortable in French, say so at once and clearly. Being able to order a coffee is not the same as following a legal interview.

The essential documents that must be handed over or notified to you must in principle be translated. Exceptionally, an oral translation or an oral summary may be given instead of a written translation. The list of essential documents is set by decree (same article).

When you are deprived of your liberty, you must also receive a document setting out your rights in simple terms and in a language you understand. If that document is not available in your language, you must be informed of your rights orally in a language you understand, and a version in that language must then be given to you without delay (article 803-6).

Police custody

If you are held in police custody (garde à vue, approximate translation: "police custody") and do not understand French, your rights must be notified to you by an interpreter, where appropriate after you have been handed a form for immediate information. You are entitled to the assistance of an interpreter where needed (article 63-1). See our page on police custody in France.

For an adult in custody or in a voluntary interview, the interpreter may intervene by telephone or video link, in conditions that must guarantee the quality, confidentiality and security of the exchanges, in particular between you and your lawyer. This remote option does not apply to adults under a legal protection measure. Beyond 48 hours of custody, the interpreter may only work remotely if he or she cannot travel and the magistrate in charge authorises it (article 803-5).

Voluntary interview

In a voluntary interview (audition libre), you are not held and you can leave at any time. Before being questioned, you must be informed, where appropriate, of your right to be assisted by an interpreter (article 61-1).

Before the prosecutor

When a person is brought before the public prosecutor after custody with a view to an immediate trial or another fast-track procedure, the prosecutor must first, where appropriate, inform the person of the right to be assisted by an interpreter (article 393). See our page on immediate trial.

Before the court

The right continues at the hearing. If you do not follow what is said, tell the court through your lawyer. A defence that the defendant cannot follow is a weaker defence.

Victims who do not understand French also have rights. The police must inform them of their right to an interpreter and to a translation of the information essential to the exercise of their rights (article 10-2, 7°). See our page for victims of crime on the French Riviera.

1. Ask for an interpreter at the very start, before answering any question.
2. Tell the interpreter, and then your lawyer, if you have any difficulty understanding the interpreter.
3. Do not sign a statement that was not read back to you in a language you understand.
4. Keep every document you are given, in particular the document setting out your rights.
5. Do not waive the translation of documents without your lawyer's advice.

Our firm is a criminal defence practice registered with the Nice bar. We act in Nice, usually before the court of Grasse, and anywhere in France. We check, from the first reading of the file, whether your language rights were respected at each stage. A breach can matter for the defence, and your lawyer will assess whether it can be raised in your case.

Our firm works mainly in French. If you do not speak French, tell us when you contact us and we will arrange for an interpreter for our meetings. You can read our fees page, in French.

Do I have a right to an interpreter if I am arrested in France?

Yes. If you do not understand French, you are entitled to an interpreter, and your rights must be notified to you in a language you understand.

Does the right stop after police custody?

No. It runs until the end of the proceedings, including hearings and conversations with your lawyer directly connected with an interview or hearing.

Will documents be translated?

The essential documents must in principle be translated. Exceptionally, an oral translation or summary may be given instead.

Can the interpreter work by telephone?

During custody or a voluntary interview of an adult, yes, under conditions guaranteeing quality and confidentiality. Beyond 48 hours of custody, only if the interpreter cannot travel and a magistrate authorises it.

I speak some French. Should I still ask for an interpreter?

If you are not comfortable following a legal discussion in French, yes. Say so at once.

The code of criminal procedure is to be reorganised from 1 January 2029 by ordinance no. 2025-1091 of 19 November 2025. The article numbers above are those in force on 5 November 2026.