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Writing a witness statement
Article 202 of the French Code of Civil Procedure requires seven items, and it is almost always one of them that is missing. Answer the questions: the full text builds up as you go, ready to be copied out by hand. It is written in French, because that is the language of the court.
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This page is for the witness
A statement is written by the person who saw the facts, in their own hand and of their own accord. If you are a party to the dispute, your role stops at handing this page (or the printed template) to your witness: a dictated statement is easy to spot, it loses all weight before the judge, and a false statement is a criminal offence punishable by one year in prison and a 15,000 euro fine.
What article 202 requires
These formalities are not prescribed on pain of nullity: an incomplete statement is not automatically set aside, but it carries less weight. Meeting them does not "validate" anything, it strengthens the evidential force of the testimony.
Handwritten
The statement must be written, dated and signed in the hand of its author. That is why this tool does not produce a document to sign: it prepares a text to copy out. A typed and printed statement is regularly challenged.
Facts, not opinions
Only what the witness saw or personally observed, dated and located. No hearsay, no legal characterisations, no judgement about people: an indictment works against the person it claims to defend.
Full identity
Surname, first names, date and place of birth, address, occupation, and any connection with the parties. A judge does not reject the testimony of a relative, but must be able to weigh that connection.
An identity document attached
The original or a copy of an official document proving the witness identity and bearing their signature. This is a physical addition to the sheet: the mention alone is not enough.
Read the full guide: the witness statement (article 202 French CPC)
Compose the statement
Each answer is added to the text on the right. You will find your entries as you left them on your next visit, on this device.
Nothing is sent: what you write stays in your browser, on this device, and never reaches our servers. On a shared computer, remember to erase before you leave.
Including "no occupation", "retired" or "student": the item is mandatory, leaving it blank is an omission.
Connection with the parties
Family or marriage ties, subordination (employee of one of the parties), collaboration or shared interests. Staying silent about it is the most common mistake and the costliest: it is the silence that damages credibility, not the connection.
Give the date, the place, the description. Write in the first person, only what you observed yourself.
What the text already contains
- Surname and first names
- Date and place of birth
- Address (the "residence")
- Occupation
- Connection with the parties, or its absence
- The account of the observed facts
- Place of writing
Two requirements no screen can check for you: the text must be copied out, dated and signed by hand by the witness, and a copy of their identity document bearing their signature must be attached to the sheet.
The text to copy out
Both mandatory legal statements are already there, worded as article 202 requires. The text is in French: it is intended for a French court.
This text is a draft, not the statement itself. The witness copies it out by hand on a blank sheet, dates it, signs it, and attaches a copy of their identity document.
Automatic composition needs JavaScript. Without it, download the blank PDF template: it prints and is filled in by hand.
Pass it on
The blank template is made to be photocopied, left on a drop-in advice desk, handed to someone who has neither a computer nor an account. Share it freely, as it is, without asking us for anything.
One statement is never enough on its own
What informs a judge is a body of dated facts and consistent evidence, not an isolated testimony. Aridelle brings all of it together in a private space: facts recorded as they happen, documents attached to each one, and an assistant that draws on your case file to help you prepare. Data hosted in France, free with no time limit.