Temporary suspension of identity document renewals due to change of address

As the number of applications for identity cards and passports remains very high at present, the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France has decided to extend the suspension of renewals of identity cards due to a change of address for a few months, effective 12 April 2023.

 

Already introduced in 2022, this measure gives priority to users whose documents have expired or been lost or stolen.

Since 12 April, the online pre-application feature of the the national identity card and passport system[1], which allows you to select the reason for the change of address, has been temporarily disabled. A warning message informs users of this temporary unavailability. Municipal government offices will be asking users to postpone their requests to renew their identity documents for this reason. As a reminder, there is no legal or regulatory obligation to renew it if your address changes. The Civil Code establishes the principle of freedom of proof of domicile, which can be provided by the presentation of various documents (gas or electricity bill, rent receipt, etc.) and there are no penalties for users presenting a document whose address is not accurate or up-to-date.

However, it will be possible to apply at municipal government offices to renew a permit due to change of address by providing proof of an unusual situation (e.g. adult guardianship, a special situation, etc.).

 

In addition, in view of the difficulties that citizens are likely to encounter, particularly with regard to certain credit institutions that reject applications which include identity cards issued more than 10 years ago, we would remind you that the validity period of identity cards issued to adults before 1 January 2014 and still valid on that date has been extended from 10 years to 15 by virtue of Decree no. 2013-1188 of 18 December 2013. In other words, even if the validity date on the card has passed, a cardholder can continue to use it to carry out their formalities for a further 5 years.

 

Finally, it should be remembered that national identity cards and passports that have been expired for less than 5 years are still valid when you are required to present a document to take an exam or a driving licence.

 

 

---

 

[1] https://passeport.ants.gouv.fr/demarches-en-ligne/effectuer-le-renouvellement-de-votre-carte-didentite