What is the ‘FranceConnect’ button used for on websites?

Reader Question: Lots of administrative sites now prompt me to log in using ‘FranceConnect’, including the tax site but I do not have this. What is it, and is it safe to use?

FranceConnect is a digital scheme, first launched in 2016 by the government, to make logging into official sites easier.

If you have an account with one of five ‘official’ partner sites or applications, you can use login information from this account to access other online sites without having to create multiple accounts for each of the additional sites.

In theory, this saves you from having to remember multiple different login details and passwords, as you need only to remember the information from one account.

You can use this log in on any site that has the official ‘S’identifier avec FranceConnect’ button.

What logins can I use via FranceConnect? Where can I use them?

When clicking the button on an eligible website your FranceConnect login details will be valid on the following sites:

• Impots.gouv (the French tax services)

• Ameli (social security)

• La Poste’s identité numérique (digital ID)

• Mutualité sociale agricole (MSA, the pension system for agricultural workers)

• YRIS (a digital identification app)

You can use your credentials (username/ID and password) from any of these five accounts to log into any other eligible space with FranceConnect as if you had already created an account, even if you had not done so prior to this.

In some cases, for example where you already have an account with the website you are trying to access, you may be prompted to ‘link’ this with your FranceConnect account, making logging on next time simpler.

If not, you will be able to use the website as if you had an account.

There are over 1,000 websites from which you can use FranceConnect, mostly official government sites, including for registering a vehicle, and the service public help site.

A list can be found here.

Can second-home owners use FranceConnect?

There are only two requirements for a person to use FranceConnect.

Firstly, they must have an account with one of the five main providers listed above.

Secondly, they need to have a permanent (not temporary) French social security number.

However, some of the logins, such as La Poste’s 'Identité Numérique', may not be accessible for Britons or other non-French people with certain residency cards (mostly those issued for less than five years).

Read more: La Poste identity scheme denied to many foreign residents in France

One member of The Connexion team used FranceConnect to access a number of services, and was able to connect through Yris, after they were unable to do so through the La Poste system.

This allowed them to subsequently create an account with the French tax services after previously being unable to, despite having the correct paperwork.

FranceConnect is backed by the government and is not only safe to use, but promoted by the government, who say it stops people forgetting login information or being locked out of important accounts.

There is also an enhanced ‘FranceConnect +’ version that uses a digital identity key as an additional layer of protection.

You should however be aware of some scams surrounding the scheme, such as this one from summer 2023.

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