Error means man weds bride’s twin

A RECENTLY married woman was understandably surprised to discover that - thanks to an administrative error - legal documents said that her new husband had married to her twin sister.

Newly married French women have their birth certificates updated confirming their married name - but when Fanny Perraud received her documents after marrying her husband in a civil ceremony in Valleiry, Haute-Savoie, in December, she discovered that her marriage had been recorded on the birth certificate of her sibling Lucie.

The mistake means that Mme Perraud and her husband’s plans for a religious wedding ceremony in May have to be put on hold until the error is corrected.

Meanwhile, Lucie is also legally unable to marry because - according to the records at least - she is already married to her brother-in-law.

Correcting the error could take some time. Mme Perraud explained to local newspaper Dauphiné Libéré that the documents have to be passed to the local prosecutor, which has the authority to rectify the situation. But it could take between a month and a year to sort out.

Photo: Pete