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Code 22 PDF
Code 22 PDF
CIVIL CODE
Translated by Georges ROUHETTE, Professor of Law, with the assistance of Dr Anne ROUHETTE-BERTON, Assistant
Professor of English.
PRELIMINARY TITLE
OF THE PUBLICATION, OPERATION AND APPLICATION OF STATUTES Articles 1 to 6
IN GENERAL
Art. 1
(Ord. no 2004-164 of 20 Feb. 2004)
Statutes and, when they are published in the Journal Officiel de la République Française, administrative acts shall
come into force on the date specified in them or, in the absence thereof, on the day after their publication. However, the
commencement of those of their provisions whose enforcement requires implementing measures is postponed to the
date of commencement of said measures.
In case of emergency, statutes whose decree of promulgation so prescribes and administrative acts as to which the
Government so orders by a special provision shall come into force as soon as they are published.
The provisions of this Article shall not apply to acts of individual application.
Art. 2
Legislation provides only for the future; it has no retrospective operation.
Art. 3
Statutes relating to public policy and safety are binding on all those living on the territory.
Immovables are governed by French law even when owned by aliens.
Statutes relating to the status and capacity of persons govern French persons, even those residing in foreign
countries.
Art. 4
A judge who refuses to give judgment on the pretext of legislation being silent, obscure or insufficient, may be
prosecuted for being guilty of a denial of justice.
Art. 5
Judges are forbidden to decide cases submitted to them by way of general and regulatory provisions.
Art. 6
Statutes relating to public policy and morals may not be derogated from by private agreements.
BOOK I
OF PERSONS Articles 7 to 515-8
TITLE I
OF CIVIL RIGHTS Articles 7 to 16-13
CHAPTER I
[Of the Enjoyment of Civil Rights] Articles 7 to 15
Art. 7
(Act of 26 June 1889)
The exercise of civil rights is unrelated to the exercise of political rights which are acquired and kept in accordance
with constitutional and electoral statutes.
Art. 8
(Act of 26 June 1889)
Every French person enjoys civil rights.
Art. 9
(Act no 70-643 of 17 July 1970)
Everyone has the right to respect for his private life.
Without prejudice to compensation for injury suffered, the court may prescribe any measures, such as
sequestration, seizure and others, appropriate to prevent or put an end to an invasion of personal privacy; in case of
emergency those measures may be provided for by interim order.
Art. 9-1
(Act no 93-2 of 4 Jan. 1993)
Everyone has the right to respect of the presumption of innocence.
(Act no 2000-516 of 15 June 2000) Where, before any sentence, a person is publicly shown as being guilty of facts
under inquiries or preliminary investigation, the court, even by interim order and without prejudice to compensation for