Introduction: The objective is to compare the quality of electronic death certificates with that of paper certificates using a methodology based on their intrinsic characteristics. Methods: The quality of French death certificates from 2010 received by the Center for Epidemiology on Causes of Death (CépiDc-Inserm) was assessed using three indicators: (i) the amount of information, measured by the average number of causes per certificate; (ii) intrinsic consistency (i.e., correctly ordered sequence of causes); (iii) imprecision of the initial cause of death. Results: 533,977 death certificates were analyzed, 5% of which were in electronic form. After adjustment, electronic death certificates contain significantly more reported causes than paper certificates: +19% [17%–20%] and +12% [11%–13%] among those under and over 65 years of age, respectively. The proportion of death certificates where the general coding principles of ICD-10 apply is 2% [0%–4%] higher for electronic certificates among those under 65, and 6% [5%–7%] higher among those over 65. The proportion of imprecise certificates is 51% lower [46%–56%] for electronic death certificates. Conclusion: Electronic certificates are completed more accurately than paper certificates. The development of electronic certification should be continued in France. (R.A.)