Obtaining and renewing identification documents

PRESS RELEASE

 

As applications for passports and identity cards are greatly on the rise, the French Prime Minister has announced a series of measures to improve French citizens' access to the administrative procedures required for issuing these documents, on a nationwide scale. Although initiatives, rolled out over the past year, have resulted in a 40% increase in the number of appointments offered, waiting time is still too long: 66 days on average and it is still sometimes impossible to obtain an appointment in some regions.

 

During her visit to the Indre department, Élisabeth BORNE announced that this average waiting time, which has gradually decreased in recent weeks, should be reduced from 66 days to 30 days this summer and to 20 days this autumn. To this end, the French State has rolled out the following measures:

• the number of appointments offered will be significantly increased: 650 new contact points will be set up, in particular in 30 departments where access to procedures is the most difficult. Municipalities will be provided with increased financial and human support from the State to boost the number of appointments, in particular during the evenings and on Saturdays. Thanks to these measures, 1.6 million appointments will be offered in June, i.e. doubling the offer in just a year. Because these measures above all rely on local authority commitment, the overall financial support provided by the State to municipalities will be increased from 48 million euros to 100 million euros on a permanent basis;

• access to procedures must be simplified: a national site has been developed by the French State where users can view appointments available in their area. Today, this site covers almost half of all French municipalities issuing identification documents. To ensure it shows all appointments available, all municipalities providing this online appointment service will be added to this site this summer. The French Government will help municipalities that take appointments by phone and in-person in town halls be added to this national site.

 

The French Government is fully committed to improving the day-to-day lives of French citizens by making their administrative procedures easier, by bringing public services closer to them and by taking practical decisions.