Identity Documents
02/07/25
Passports, national identity cards, residence permits, visas, travel documents.
What is the purpose of the identity card?
In France, having an identity card is not mandatory. However, possessing one makes daily administrative procedures easier when proof of identity is required.
Proof of identity may be required in the following cases :
- Taking an exam or a competitive examination,
- Registering on electoral lists and voting in elections,
- Carrying out banking transactions (paying by check, withdrawing money at the bank counter, etc.),
- Traveling abroad...
What are its main features?
The national identity card is valid for 10 years. However, older-format cards issued from January 1, 2014, remain valid for 15 years, as indicated by the expiration date.
It contains an electronic component in which the following data is stored :
- Civil status information,
- A digitized identity photo,
- Images of two fingerprints of the cardholder.
This is why it is referred to as a biometric card.
Additionally, the CNI allows adult holders to activate their sovereign digital identity.
National identity cards are issued at the town hall directly to the applicant.
A CNI for a person over 12 years old cannot be handed over to a third party, as, upon delivery, the town hall officer verifies the applicant’s fingerprints. Children under 12 are exempt from providing fingerprints when applying for a passport or a national identity card.
Having a digitized image of fingerprints stored in the CNI’s electronic component is mandatory. However, applicants can request that their fingerprints not be saved in the digital system. In that case, they must provide them in paper form, which will be kept outside the system.
How much does it cost?
Applicants must provide two identity photos. The CNI is free unless it cannot be presented during renewal (loss, theft).
In case of loss or theft, a fee of €25 in dematerialized tax stamps is required.
What is the role of ANTS?
The National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS) acquires and provides prefectures, town halls, police offices, and consulates with the necessary equipment and materials for managing and verifying the authenticity and validity of passports and national identity cards. It also ensures (or arranges for) their maintenance.
ANTS designs, operates, and manages the systems for processing and issuing identity cards and digital identity applications.
What is the purpose of a residence permit?
The purpose of the residence permit is to promote the European Union's founding principle of freedom of movement throughout the territory of its Member States.
To facilitate the use and verification of residence permits, European Union member states are gradually converging towards a uniform format for common residence permits (eRP).
What are its main features?
The residence permit model is defined by Council Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 of June 15, 2002, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 2017/1954 of October 25, 2017, establishing a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals.
A uniform model European residence permit has been designed containing:
- civil status,
- a digital photograph of the user,
- an image of their fingerprints, stored on a microchip.
The biometric residence permit came into effect on May 20, 2011. A new uniform residence permit format, introduced in October 2020, is now issued nationwide.
What is the role of the ANTS?
The Agency ensures the production and delivery of residence permits, as well as updates to the physical card.
What types of travel documents are issued to foreign nationals?
The "Stateless" travel document
It applies to a person whom no country’s laws treat as a national of that country.
Statelessness may be the result of:
- contradictions between different nationality laws
- the absence or inadequacy of civil registers in some countries
- the succession of states and transfers of sovereignty
- a loss of nationality
- the strict application of Jus sanguinis and Jus soli in certain countries.
“Refugee" travel document
Asylum is the protection granted by a State to a foreigner who is or risks being persecuted in their own country, whether by the authorities of that country or by non-state actors.
There are two forms of asylum protection:
1. Refugee status, granted to foreign nationals:
- fearing persecution in their own country and unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Such persecution must be based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. This is known as conventional or political asylum.
- who are persecuted in their country because of their action in support of liberty. They may be political or trade union activists, artists, or intellectuals threatened because of their commitment to democracy in their country. This is known as constitutional asylum,
- over which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) exercises its mandate.
2. Subsidiary protection:
Awarded to foreign nationals who do not meet the conditions for obtaining refugee status and who can prove that in their own country they would be at risk of:
- the death penalty,
- torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,
- a serious, direct and individual threat to their life or person as a result of widespread violence resulting from a situation of internal or international armed conflict.
The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) is the body responsible for granting such status.
What are their main features?
- There is a charge for issuing the document.
- Applicants must purchase a tax stamp whose value differs by the duration of the document.
- A travel document issued to a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary protection indicates the country or countries to which the applicant is not allowed to travel. In general, this refers only to the country of origin, but in some cases the fear of persecution may have been established with regard to other countries.
What is the role of the ANTS?
The Agency supervises the design and production of these documents by the National Print Office (L’Imprimerie Nationale).
What is the purpose of a visa?
A visa is a secure sticker that is affixed to a passport and certifies that the bearer has been granted right of entry by the issuing State.
French nationals travelling within the European Economic Area* (EEA) do not need a visa.
In Europe, a "visa" is defined as any authorisation or decision of a Member State which is required for entry into its territory with a view to:
- an intended stay in that Member State or in several Member States, for a period whose total duration does not exceed three months
- transit through the territory or transit zone of an airport of that Member State or several Member States.
European Economic Area (EEA) countries 22/08/2013
Austria - Belgium - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Italy - Latvia - Liechtenstein - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - United Kingdom
What are its main features?
The visa model is defined by Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 of May 29, 1995, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 2017/1370 of July 4, 2017, establishing a standard visa format.
It appears as a stamp or a self-adhesive sticker affixed to a valid passport.
For other countries, a visa may sometimes be required. To check whether your destination country requires a visa, you should consult the country information sheets on the website of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The validity of the visa depends on the legislation of the host country. It is generally indicated on the visa itself.
Identity Documents
02/07/25
Passports, national identity cards, residence permits, visas, travel documents.
What is the purpose of the identity card?
In France, having an identity card is not mandatory. However, possessing one makes daily administrative procedures easier when proof of identity is required.
Proof of identity may be required in the following cases :
- Taking an exam or a competitive examination,
- Registering on electoral lists and voting in elections,
- Carrying out banking transactions (paying by check, withdrawing money at the bank counter, etc.),
- Traveling abroad...
What are its main features?
The national identity card is valid for 10 years. However, older-format cards issued from January 1, 2014, remain valid for 15 years, as indicated by the expiration date.
It contains an electronic component in which the following data is stored :
- Civil status information,
- A digitized identity photo,
- Images of two fingerprints of the cardholder.
This is why it is referred to as a biometric card.
Additionally, the CNI allows adult holders to activate their sovereign digital identity.
National identity cards are issued at the town hall directly to the applicant.
A CNI for a person over 12 years old cannot be handed over to a third party, as, upon delivery, the town hall officer verifies the applicant’s fingerprints. Children under 12 are exempt from providing fingerprints when applying for a passport or a national identity card.
Having a digitized image of fingerprints stored in the CNI’s electronic component is mandatory. However, applicants can request that their fingerprints not be saved in the digital system. In that case, they must provide them in paper form, which will be kept outside the system.
How much does it cost?
Applicants must provide two identity photos. The CNI is free unless it cannot be presented during renewal (loss, theft).
In case of loss or theft, a fee of €25 in dematerialized tax stamps is required.
What is the role of ANTS?
The National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS) acquires and provides prefectures, town halls, police offices, and consulates with the necessary equipment and materials for managing and verifying the authenticity and validity of passports and national identity cards. It also ensures (or arranges for) their maintenance.
ANTS designs, operates, and manages the systems for processing and issuing identity cards and digital identity applications.
What is the purpose of a residence permit?
The purpose of the residence permit is to promote the European Union's founding principle of freedom of movement throughout the territory of its Member States.
To facilitate the use and verification of residence permits, European Union member states are gradually converging towards a uniform format for common residence permits (eRP).
What are its main features?
The residence permit model is defined by Council Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 of June 15, 2002, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 2017/1954 of October 25, 2017, establishing a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals.
A uniform model European residence permit has been designed containing:
- civil status,
- a digital photograph of the user,
- an image of their fingerprints, stored on a microchip.
The biometric residence permit came into effect on May 20, 2011. A new uniform residence permit format, introduced in October 2020, is now issued nationwide.
What is the role of the ANTS?
The Agency ensures the production and delivery of residence permits, as well as updates to the physical card.
What types of travel documents are issued to foreign nationals?
The "Stateless" travel document
It applies to a person whom no country’s laws treat as a national of that country.
Statelessness may be the result of:
- contradictions between different nationality laws
- the absence or inadequacy of civil registers in some countries
- the succession of states and transfers of sovereignty
- a loss of nationality
- the strict application of Jus sanguinis and Jus soli in certain countries.
“Refugee" travel document
Asylum is the protection granted by a State to a foreigner who is or risks being persecuted in their own country, whether by the authorities of that country or by non-state actors.
There are two forms of asylum protection:
1. Refugee status, granted to foreign nationals:
- fearing persecution in their own country and unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Such persecution must be based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. This is known as conventional or political asylum.
- who are persecuted in their country because of their action in support of liberty. They may be political or trade union activists, artists, or intellectuals threatened because of their commitment to democracy in their country. This is known as constitutional asylum,
- over which the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) exercises its mandate.
2. Subsidiary protection:
Awarded to foreign nationals who do not meet the conditions for obtaining refugee status and who can prove that in their own country they would be at risk of:
- the death penalty,
- torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,
- a serious, direct and individual threat to their life or person as a result of widespread violence resulting from a situation of internal or international armed conflict.
The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) is the body responsible for granting such status.
What are their main features?
- There is a charge for issuing the document.
- Applicants must purchase a tax stamp whose value differs by the duration of the document.
- A travel document issued to a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary protection indicates the country or countries to which the applicant is not allowed to travel. In general, this refers only to the country of origin, but in some cases the fear of persecution may have been established with regard to other countries.
What is the role of the ANTS?
The Agency supervises the design and production of these documents by the National Print Office (L’Imprimerie Nationale).
What is the purpose of a visa?
A visa is a secure sticker that is affixed to a passport and certifies that the bearer has been granted right of entry by the issuing State.
French nationals travelling within the European Economic Area* (EEA) do not need a visa.
In Europe, a "visa" is defined as any authorisation or decision of a Member State which is required for entry into its territory with a view to:
- an intended stay in that Member State or in several Member States, for a period whose total duration does not exceed three months
- transit through the territory or transit zone of an airport of that Member State or several Member States.
European Economic Area (EEA) countries 22/08/2013
Austria - Belgium - Bulgaria - Croatia - Cyprus - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Ireland - Italy - Latvia - Liechtenstein - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands - Norway - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Sweden - United Kingdom
What are its main features?
The visa model is defined by Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 of May 29, 1995, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 2017/1370 of July 4, 2017, establishing a standard visa format.
It appears as a stamp or a self-adhesive sticker affixed to a valid passport.
For other countries, a visa may sometimes be required. To check whether your destination country requires a visa, you should consult the country information sheets on the website of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The validity of the visa depends on the legislation of the host country. It is generally indicated on the visa itself.